REVIEW: Rev Pro Wrestling - Live In Sheffield

Credit: RevPro/@britwrespics

Revolution Pro Wrestling: Live in Sheffield
The Network, Sheffield
Sunday, March 12, 2023
Reviewer: David South (@DavidSouth1980)

With the recent weather inspiring memories of a fateful Progress show in Sheffield a few years ago, things had fortunately improved a bit by the Sunday and getting to the venue for this show was no problem.

Unfortunately, some of the scheduled wrestlers hadn’t had it so easy. Before the show started, Andy Quildan came out to apologise for how snakebitten their cards in Sheffield seem to be, this time Delta Airways failures meant that AEW’s Lance Archer had not made it across to the UK.

Andy promised that they would make sure that when Archer does come across, he’d be coming to Sheffield. (That’s in writing now Andy!).

Connor Mills vs Yota Tsuji

Credit: RevPro

Yota Tsuji was due to be Lance Archer’s opponent but instead we got what was still a mouthwatering prospect of Connor Mills against a man who is always very popular in Sheffield, despite his affiliation with The Legion.

Mills would look for a quick start, taking Tsuji to the floor and continuing his assault. Yota would reverse an Irish whip into a backbreaker and then take the pair over the barricades and into the crowd.

He would then knock the ref over, with the help of a cleverly timed attack on a member of the ring crew and then hit Mills with a chair, then wrap the chair around his neck and hit that with a second chair.

Back in the ring Yota would be on the ascendancy for a while, until they started to trade snapmares and kicks to the back, during which Mills established himself again by kicking Tsuji in the head instead.

They would both go for a suplex, which Mills converted into suplex bomb and got a deep two count. As Tsuji staggered back to his feet, Mills measured him for a kick to the back of the head, which would be enough for the impressive, but unpopular, win.

Cameron Khai vs Robbie X

Credit: RevPro

This was my first chance to see Cameron Khai, who is making quite a name for himself, and I was immediately impressed as he managed to match Robbie X move for move in the early exchanges.

Robbie’s experience began to take effect though, and he knocked Khai to the floor twice, first time rolling him back in for the rope flip senton and second time, diving over the top rope after him.

Khai would recover though and catch another Robbie X aerial attack then hit two gut wrench suplexes and a Michinoku driver for a near fall. He’d trap him a second time, this time in the electric chair, which he then flipped him into german suplex for another two.

The crowd is much more divided than they were at the start. After fighting on the Apron, Robbie would flip Khai back in and then hit his deliberate miss double 360 splash and a spinning flying elbow off the top for a close two count.

Khai would then sense the Xclaimation coming and reverse it into a cutter, then hoist him up for a G.T.S and get the deepest of two counts. That would be the beginning of the end for Cameron though, as Robbie X avoided a clothesline and hit a German suplex as Khai bounced back off the ropes, he’d the plant a kick on his head and then hit the Xclaimation handspring cutter for the win.

It’s an impressive showing from Khai though and he takes some plaudits as he leaves. Connor Mills returns to the ramp though and indicates to the Cruiserweight champion that it’s his time for a shot at that title.

Will Kaven vs Jack Morris

Both these guys were due to meet member of the Knight family on todays show, but they were delayed arriving at the venue (more on that later) so this pairing ended up against each other.

The dastardly Kaven attacked Morris before he’d made it into the ring. He’d snakeeyes him on the barricade, then kick him into the crowd. If Kaven had ideas of winning via countout, the same way he beat Robbie X on his last show in this venue, he’d miscalculated, as the bell hadn’t actually rung yet.

Morris made his way slowly back, then after the official checked he was OK, the match started proper. He had recovered, and dropkicked Kaven as he attacked, then dove through the ropes and then splashed him off the top rope.

Kaven would then spend most of the match on top, having snapmared Morris over the top turnbuckle. He’d backdrop him on the Apron and again look for that count out victory, but Morris would make it back in on ‘eight’.

A snapdragon suplex and running knee would get a near fall, and then a running clothesline would get an even closer one. The ropes though would prove to be Kaven’s undoing as he went for a second clothesline. This time Morris was ready for him and caught him in a big spinebuster, he’d then hit an underhook powerbomb and claim the victory.

Kaven would slink away and Morris, looking like a jacked Karl Urban, would take the applause.

Callum Newman vs Gabriel Kidd

Credit: RevPro

This was a fired-up match from the start, with Kidd getting in Newman’s face during the introductions. Newman would attack on the bell but run straight into a clothesline from Kidd and a quick rollup, which resulted in a 2 count. He’d push Newman over the top rope to the floor and then slam him around out there.

Newman’s fire would never been extinguished though, he hit a high dropkick off the second rope and then laid Kidd out with a running leg clothesline. Newman would hit a cutter off the ropes for a two count. Having referred to him as a “poor man’s Will Osprey” – though not in exactly those words, Newman would respond to a Kidd’s clothesline attempt with a standing Spanish Fly.

He’d climb to the top rope but miss a shooting star press. This was all the opening Kidd needed, and hit a big lariat, and a piledriver, then slap on a vicious chokehold, dragging Newman around the ring and forcing him to tap out.

Two of the best talents in the country, but Newman fought Kidd’s style here, not his own and that was his undoing.

Zak Knight vs Ricky Knight Jnr

Both Knights had made it to the venue after the interval, so we got a one-on-one match between Uncle and Nephew – a match that had been scheduled to be the main event at the last RevPro show in Sheffield.

It began with a long stare down and several lock ups resulting in clean breaks. Ricky got briefly on top, but Zak caught him in a dive off the top and switched it into a suplex for a near fall.

Ricky evaded a series of punches in the corner, but Zak followed him across to the other corner for a clothesline. The match swung backwards and forwards, Ricky hitting some Moxley style trapped arm stomps then setting for a 450 splash, which he aborted out of, but couldn’t recover quick enough to miss Zak’s spear, or a second one, which Zak clearly thought would be enough to win, but Ricky finds a way out of the pinfall.

Zak Knight hit’s a series of punches, including a knockout blow to the head, which causes the Ref to check if RKJ can continue. He can, but Zak is set in the corner and hits a third spear. Again, Ricky kicks out late in the two count.

Zak can’t believe it now. He hits a Razor’s edge onto the turnbuckles and then puts on a sleeper hold which Ricky slowly fights out of. Zak backflips out of the corner, which RKJ catches him and adjusts position for the over the shoulder piledriver and a victory that looked unlikely just minutes earlier.

If you were anticipating post-match reconciliation from the family members, you’d didn’t get any as they left separately.

Dan Moloney vs Michael Oku

Credit: RevPro

Before the match started, we were reminded that at stake in this match for Moloney was a match against Will Osprey at the Revolution Rumble. With nothing at stake for him, Oku decides to lie down and offer Moloney the win, but when he approaches to cover him, Oku rolls backwards out of the pin into one of his own.

It’s a good start for Oku, who hits a series of leg drops for the first real near fall, but Moloney recovers and kicks Oku to the floor, then hits his stomp senton combination for his first near fall.

Oku flips back through a German suplex attempt and then hits a running knee. Drilla transitions a backslide into a Death Valley driver and Oku starts to bleed from the mouth. On the apron, Oku would climb to the second turnbuckle then hit a DDT, that had a bad landing for him too.

Moloney would only just make the count. Oku would go for the frog splash but miss and Moloney would hit a spear that got another very near fall. After hitting his Fosbury style drive to the floor, Oku would roll Moloney back in and hit a five-star frog splash, though he couldn’t capitalise, and both were down.

Suddenly Moloney springs up, he snatches Oku and hits the Drilla Killa for the victory. Oku needs some medical attention in the ring but is able to walk to the back. Excellent encounter.

Leon Slater vs Rich Swann

Credit: RevPro

Fortunately, our other scheduled import had no such travel worries and was here, for the main event against the youngest in charge. It was a party atmosphere as Swann came to the ring to “All Night Long” with both competitors dancing together.

The mood was changed entirely though following Slater’s DDT to Swann on the floor, which resulted in Swann bleeding from the top of his head. Still on the floor, Swann would look to extract some revenge sitting Leon on a chair and then running most of the ringside to kick him in the head.

Back in the ring Swann would kick Slater in the back and then hit a stepover face kick for a two count. He’d follow that up with a second near fall, after a frankensteiner to Slater, who was sat on the top rope, and a rolling splash.

Slater would transform a Swann handspring into a spinning bomb for a near fall. Swann would reverse a suplex into a neckbreaker, then hit a second rope 450 for a very near fall. Swann would attempt a second frankensteiner on the ropes, but Slater would hold on and Swann would crash to the mat.

Slater hops down and hits and standing 450, but only a two count. Swann hits the handspring cutter for two but when Slater attempts a cutter of his own, Swann uses a handstand to block it. Swann would clinch victory with a second handspring cutter and a Phoenix Splash style corkscrew 450.

Despite the intensity of the battle, the pair would embrace at its conclusion, and Swann would leave Slater to get the adoration from his Yorkshire crowd.

I was a bit concerned after the last Rev Pro show in Sheffield that the disappointing attendance might cause them to reconsider the city as a viable option, but the crowd was a lot bigger and more boisterous this time and were rewarded with a show that didn’t have a bad match on it – despite the changes that were forced upon them. I’m already looking forward to the next RevPro show, confirmed for the June 18.