By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, TNA, 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
North Wrestling “Project: North”
May 30, 2025, in Leeds, England, at the Project House
Available on TrillerTV+
The venue is a small room, but the lighting and setup were great. The crowd was maybe 400, and it was packed. Veda Scott and Tom Campbell provided commentary.
1. Lykos II vs. Liam Slater. Liam is a white man with dark hair and a mustache (and seems unlikely to be related to Leon Slater). They immediately traded rollups. Liam is bigger than the masked Lykos II. He hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip out of the corner, then a backbreaker over his knee at 2:00, and he kept Lykos II grounded. Lykos II hit a second-rope moonsault press on a standing Slater, then a tornado DDT for a nearfall. Liam hit a running Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 6:00. They traded rollups; Slater grabbed the ropes with his right arm and got a cheap pin. Decent opener; they fit a lot in for a fairly short match.
Liam Slater defeated Lykos II at 6:44.
* Nathan Black came to the ring. He’s apparently a local comedian. I watched a recent North show where he got into a heated exchange with Simon Miller (who is perhaps most known for his wrestling ups-and-downs videos on YouTube). He’s dressed to wrestle! He got on the mic and insulted the people from Leeds and got booed.
2. Nathan Black and “Yorkshire Tough” Reese and Rogan vs. Simon Miller and “Crashboat” Jack Bandicoot and Jake Silver. I’m not sure if I’ve seen anyone wrestle here except for Miller.The Yorkshire Tough guys wore identical black singlets. Simon got a nice pop, and he introduced the Crashboat duo, who also got a nice pop. Miller and Black were set to start, but of course, Black tagged out before locking up. The short Bandicoot, who has a big tattoo across his back, hit some quick kicks. Black traded blows with Bandicoot; Miller tagged in and Black immediately tagged out again.
Reese and Rogan worked over Silver, who has long blond hair and a beard. Miller and Black were suddenly in the ring at 5:00; Black again wanted to tag out, but his partners had been pulled off the apron and weren’t there. Miller hit a sideslam and a running splash in the corner, then a Samoan Drop for a nearfall. Reece hit a spinebuster on Miller. Black slammed the diminutive Bandicoot. Black got a rollup with his hands on the ropes for a nearfall on Miller. In a unique spot, two heels lifted Bandicoot up, and he grabbed a ceiling beam to escape. Miller hit a spear on Black for the satisfying pin. That topped my (very low) expectations; that’s a good way to use a local celebrity.
Simon Miller, Jack Bandicoot, and Jake Silver defeated Nathan Black, Reese, and Rogan at 7:46.
* Outside, Black and his teammates were interviewed. Black said he’ll be back soon. Reese and Rogan said they are a regular tag team, and they are one of the best. He made clear they are mercenaries for hire.
3. Alexxis Falcon vs. Natalie Sykes. Falcon comes out to a version of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid! Funny. She wore a robe and a tiara. Leeds native Sykes got a massive pop. Falcon immediately hit a shotgun dropkick and took control. She tied up Sykes on the mat. Sykes hit a snap suplex at 3:00. Falcon hit a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Falcon spit on her. They traded forearm strikes, and Sykes hit a running stunner for a nearfall at 5:00. Sykes hit a second-rope flying Lungblower move to the chest, and she applied a Fujiwara Armbar. Falcon hit a German Suplex and a running knee to the shoulder at 7:00. She hit a “Queen of Hearts” (Sister Abigail-style swinging faceplant) for the pin. Loud boos for that outcome.
Alexxis Falcon defeated Natalie Sykes at 7:20.
4. Rampage Brown and Will Kroos vs. Ace Matthews and Zeo Knox for the North Tag Team Titles. Ace and Zeo appear to be out-of-shape local heels. Rampage is a big, bald, muscular man who was in NXT-UK, and I’ve said Kroos is like a bigger, younger version of Sami Callihan. Seriously, I want this to be a three-minute squash. Zeo got on the mic; at first glance, I thought he was former WWE 205 Live competitor Jack Gallagher, as they have the same shade of red hair and mustache. Apparently, this was going to be a non-title match, but he goaded Brown and Kroos to put them on the line.
The champs attacked before the bell, and all four brawled on the floor. The champs peeled off Zeo’s and Ace’s shirts. I start my stopwatch at first contact; I don’t think we had a bell. They brawled away from the ring and along the walls. Kroos got in the ring with Ace, and we had a bell at 1:39 to officially begin. Ace and Zeo stomped on Kroos and kept him grounded in their corner. Kroos hit a moonsault press on both standing opponents at 5:00. Rampage got the hot tag, and he hit a series of shoulder tackles. He did a Samoa Joe-style sidestep of Zeo coming off the ropes. He caught Ace and hit a powerslam.
Kroos hit a running splash in the corner. Rampage hit a spinebuster. Kroos hit a massive senton for a nearfall. Zeo and Ace hit a team bodyslam on Kroos for a nearfall at 7:00. Kroos hit a decapitating clothesline. He set up for a piledriver, but Ace escaped. Kroos blocked a sunset flip, dropped all his weight down on Ace’s chest, and got a nearfall. Kroos hit a double spear move. Kroos and Rampage hit stereo piledrivers for a stereo pin. That was fun. Kroos stopped at ringside to kiss his mom on the cheek.
Rampage Brown and Will Kroos defeated Zeo Knox and Ace Matthews to retain the North Tag Team Titles at 9:09/official time of 7:30.
* Outside, Natalie Sykes didn’t want to talk because she’s disappointed she lost in her hometown. However, she found out she’s going to the “Thunderstruck” show.
5. Amir Jordan vs. Man Like DeReiss. This was one of the reasons I tuned in. Amir also had a nice run in NXT-UK. I think he uses the same entrance song as the Bollywood Boys. They traded shoulder blocks with neither man going down. This is a first-time-ever singles match. DeReiss hit a fallaway slam. DeReiss tried a Sharpshooter but Amir fought free. Amir hit a standing neckbreaker. DeReiss hit a superkick for a nearfall at 5:00. He hit a stunner for a nearfall. Jordan hit a second-rope superplex for a nearfall, and they were both down. They got up and traded chops, then they traded rollups. Amir hit a double-underhook powerslam move for a nearfall at 8:00. DeReiss hit a dropkick.
Jordan hit an enzuigiri, then an inverted DDT on the ring apron. This has been really good. He went for a Swanton Bomb, but DeReiss got his knees up. DeReiss hit a standing powerbomb, and he immediately applied a Sharpshooter. Jordan fought and teased tapping out, but he got to the ropes. DeReiss immediately hit a 450 Splash for a believable nearfall at 10:30. This crowd was insanely hot. They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Amir hit a version of a One-Winged Angel, then a Swanton Bomb for the pin. Excellent match, and I’ll call that an upset.
Amir Jordan defeated Man Like DeReiss at 12:24.
* Outside, Zeo Knox and Ace Matthews argued. Ace is going to be a referee for a match that Zeo has coming up.
* Alexxis Falcon was interviewed outside.
6. Myles Kaman vs. Gene Munny. Kaman is similar to Nick Wayne in looks and build (but not age! Kaman is probably closer to 30 than 20!) Munny is a comedy guy similar to Colt Cabana; I’m admittedly not a big fan. Munny immediately twisted Kaman’s nipples and bit him, then hip-tossed him across the ring. Kaman choked Munny in the ropes. He dropped Munny snake-eyes and got a nearfall at 4:00. Munny hit a leg lariat and was fired up. He hit a spinebuster for a nearfall at 5:30. Kaman hit a dropkick. Munny hit an inverted suplex, with Kaman landing on his stomach at 8:30. Munny hit a decapitating clothesline for the pin. Okay, Munny’s humor just doesn’t work for me.
Gene Munny defeated Myles Kaman at 9:03.
* Backstage, Will Kroos and Rampage Brown were hanging out. Kroos has to miss an upcoming show. Brown said he knows someone who can fill in for him that night.
7. Safire Reed and Anita Vaughan vs. Rhio and Emersyn Jayne. Safire and Anita wore almost identical black-pink-lime green gear. I’ve seen them both before, and Anita is a powerhouse. (In strength and physique, I’ll compare to Rachael Ellering as they are both strong without muscle definition.) I’ve noted multiple times that I consider Rhio to be the top UK female talent, and she got a nice pop. Rhio and Anita opened up with standing switches. Rhio hit a bodyslam, so Anita hit one. Safire tagged in, but Rhio bodyslammed her at 2:00. Jayne hit a springboard crossbody block on Reed, then a suplex for a nearfall.
Reed hit a dropkick to Emersyn’s back. Anita hit a backbreaker over her knee on Jayne at 4:30. Reed and Vaughan began working over Emersyn in their corner. Vaughan picked up Emersyn and ran her back-first into the corner at 6:00. Rhio finally got a hot tag and hit a dropkick and a clothesline. She hit a fisherman’s suplex. Rhio hit a neckbreaker over her knee on Vaughan and a twisting neckbreaker on Safire for a nearfall, but Anita made the save. Rhio and Jayne hit stereo enzuigiris, then stereo German Suplexes. Rhio hit a discus clothesline on Anita, who rolled to the floor. Rhio hit an Air Raid Crash on Reed. Emersyn then hit a Trash Compactor piledriver along her back to pin Reed. Good action.
Rhio and Emersyn Jayne defeated Safire Reed and Anita Vaughan at 9:25.
* Outside, Reed and Vaughan were livid that they lost.
8. Leon Slater vs. Kemper for the North Title. I was impressed when I saw Kemper the last time I saw a North show; he has a certain NXT-era Baron Corbin vibe to him, with a bit of the early Edge vampire/goth character. He’s tall (listed at 6’5″ and that seems legit) with some tattoos, and he’s from this area, so he got a pop. Leon is actually a heel here now, so he got a mixed reaction. I heard a few “F— TNA!” chants. Slater has been champion here for more than 600 days! We got a bell, and Slater rolled to the floor to stall and was booed. Leon got in, slapped him, and hid in the ropes.
Leon hit some blows to the back and some loud chops. Kemper hit a Mafia Kick at 2:30, then a swinging powerslam, and he was fired up. Slater again rolled to the floor. Kemper followed and hit some chops and blows to the back as they looped ringside. Slater went to the back at 5:00, so Kemper went back there and threw Slater back onto the entrance ramp. In the ring, Kemper hit a clothesline in the corner, then a decapitating clothesline for a nearfall at 8:00, earning a “Jesus Christ!” exclamation from the commentator. Slater immediately hit a Hardy-style Twist of Fate for a nearfall.
Kemper hit a springboard powerslam at 10:30, and they were both down, with Slater rolling to the floor. Slater hit a dropkick to the knee in the ropes, then a plancha to the floor. In the ring, he hit a spin kick to the back of the head and an enzuigiri for a nearfall at 12:30. Leon argued with the female ref over a perceived slow count. He mounted Kemper and repeatedly punched him. Both guys nearly hit the ref, then Kemper accidentally hit a Mafia Kick that dropped her at 14:00.
Slater immediately hit a low blow kick on Kemper. He grabbed his belt and struck Kemper in the head with it. A new ref got into the ring and made a two-count, and Leon was livid at this male ref. Kemper hit an F5 faceplant, then a chokeslam for a nearfall, but Slater got a foot on the ropes at 16:30. Myles Kaman came to ringside and distracted Kemper. Slater immediately hit a low blow uppercut, put Kemper on his shoulders, and hit an airplane spin-into-a-powerbomb for the tainted pin. A really good match. Kemper has size that you simply can’t teach.
Leon Slater defeated Kemper to retain the North Title at 17:14.
* Gene Munny came to the ring and confronted Slater, as he has an upcoming title shot. Liam Slater grabbed the belt and he accidentally(?) hit Leon with it, but then he also hit Gene Munny. Liam helped Leon out of the ring, and they headed to the back as the show came to a close.
Final Thoughts: A really good show. I love European crowds; even when it’s only 400 or so fans, they are loud and boisterous and into just about everything. A very good main event takes best, ahead of a hot DeReiss-Amir match for second. The women’s tag match takes third. I’ve never cared much for Simon Miller’s matches (even though I’m entertained by his YouTube videos), but they did a good job of building that match around Simon finally getting his hands on the local comedian. Will Kroos is a beast; I have been perplexed at how poorly he’s been booked in Progress Wrestling over the past year as a cartoonish nephew in a comedy faction. Again, this show is available at Triller+ and the top two matches are well worth checking out.
Be the first to comment