Revolution Pro Wrestling
13 Year Anniversary Show 2
August 23, 2025
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
London, England
Watch: RevPro On Demand
Photo: @BeersandBslams
Meet Our Reviewers
Neil: The previous night’s show was short but not so sweet. Neil is sitting down for this show with a brisket in the smoker, so at least there’s a consolation prize if it’s just as bad! The card looks great and we live in hope!
Ian: After having plenty of porridge at Global Wars, Ian’s hoping for something different to sink his teeth into on this one, beyond a series of “moments” for everyone involved. He also spent the first match dividing his ears between Rev Pro on Demand and the end of BBC’s commentary of Burnley vs. Sunderland. I don’t want to talk about that result.
Mercedes Mone, Kanji & Dani Luna def. Cut Throat Collective (Alex Windsor, Safire Reed & Nina Samuels)
Neil: There are so many wrestlers here who could have a great match with Mercedes Mone (and some who have), that it makes me lament the lost opportunities here. The Cut-Throat Collective seem to fill the fake void that every booker feels to have a heel stable, but they serve nobody and the matches would be much more compelling if the wrestlers just wrestled.
I’ve been a bit of a cheerleader for Safire Reed and I still think she’s got potential to be a huge star. She may have had a slightly disappointing showing against Mone at Summer Sizzler, but she was excellent throughout this. She is remarkably well-rounded considering her youth, and her ceiling gets higher and higher.
While the work was good, I’m becoming very resistant to corny tropes becoming standard practice. Mercedes Blaze and Lizzy Evo interfered and were sent away from the ring while the crowd sang “goodbye.” They came back and interfered later to crickets. It felt like a big spot speedrun and was embarrassingly ineffective. It happened because it happened.
I did wonder about Mone’s character in RevPro. She was the bluest of the blue-eye babyface here, but has behaved like a heel at times. It’s a niggle, but one that matters.
There was a lot of talent in this match and it was a very entertaining opener. ***½
Ian: Unlike yesterday, we didn’t open with a mute Dave Bradshaw and Gideon Grey, but we were a little late. Also, if you’d told me at the start of 2025 that Mercedes Mone would be opening a Rev Pro show, I’d be wondering what happened. “Getting to another show afterwards” would be the “what happened.”
Nitpicking out of the way – I wasn’t a fan of how Kanji and Dani came off as the “hired help” for Mone’s entrance, but it is what it is. We were quickly into the dives here after Reed’s early exchanges with Mone fell flat… and the rest of the Collective were sent packing after some interference in front of the ref. Once we were done ticking boxes when it came to getting crowd reactions in the opener, things picked up a little, building to Mone and Windsor’s exchange ahead of Forbidden Door, before a repeat of the Summer Sizzler finish saw Mone put Reed away. No shock in terms of storyline, but a decent enough opener, with Dani Luna after the match firmly planting a seed for a future match with Mone. So that High Stakes gauntlet meant something finally? Oh, and we had some CTC afters, with Alex Windsor getting attacked after she tried to get the CTC to turn on Reed. Windsor gets her own back attacking trainees, so I guess we’ll have a final farewell for her? ***
RevPro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship
Nino Bryant (c) def. Robbie X
Neil: Putting Nino Bryant in this spot is the kind of risk I wish RevPro would take more often. He’s a young, inexperienced wrestler who doesn’t scream “star” when you see his entrance. However, he punches way above his weight once the bell rings and I always find myself invested in his matches.
Nino leapt around, through and above the ring brilliantly and certainly won newcomers over. Robbie X was the perfect opponent for him, bumping and bouncing around like a lunatic to put the younger man over.
The story was simple but effective – the experienced wrestler was able to dominate the younger man. Robbie’s Bullet Club persona and international reps have refined an already stellar talent and this was solid, enjoyable wrestling.
This could have been great, but a few spots felt slightly too contrived. A sequence with attempted cutters and DDTs and bouncing off the ropes was clunky, badly filmed and broke my suspension of disbelief. They even did my most hated spot of all – dangling on the ropes waiting to be hurt.
Liger was ringside in full regalia. I should probably increase the star rating for that alone but he shouldn’t have been involved in the finish.
Overall, I enjoyed this match but there were way too many spots that capped it. ***½
Ian: Jushin Thunder Liger was brought out as a guest of honour for this, which feels like a cruel punishment to have Liger in full bodysuit out just to watch. Nino’s pace early on caused problems, but we quickly settled into Robbie bullying the relatively inexperienced Bryant – with Nino’s chances being increasingly limited as the match progressed. Then we had to get the STORY of Robbie X getting into a scuffle with Liger at ringside. Not sure they needed to give an out to Robbie, who’s lost a LOT in Rev Pro, nor have the guy who retired before the pandemic the final moment, especially because it meant what we all remembered wasn’t a win for Nino… but rather, Jushin Thunder Liger’s shotei. ***¼
Great British Tag League Final
Connor Mills & Jay Joshua def. Cowboy Way (1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire)
Neil: Do you ever wonder how those sports trophy shops manage to stay open? Well RevPro used one to buy the trophy for this. It was such an embarrassing trophy, it almost devalued the entire tournament.
I love the team of Jay Joshua and Connor Mills. They look like they’re ready for a bloody good fight with absolutely no messing around and I think we can all agree wrestling needs a bit more of that.
Appropriately, this match went straight to violence with big bombs on the outside. Everyone in the match was up for a scrap and there was a lovely pace to this that was so engaging. Jay Joshua was particularly impressive, perhaps buoyed by his good showing against Ishii yesterday. A simple kick or elbow moved with much more intent than we’ve become accustomed to, and it made a huge difference.
I love matches where you feel the gears change, and watching Mills take a massive clothesline from Manders on the apron was a brilliant indication that things were about to get much more serious.
This descended (or ascended) into lads battering each other, and that’s my kind of wrestling. I try not to describe too many spots, but Manders took Mills’s block off with a lariat, and Joshua broke up the subsequent pin by piledriving Shire on top of them. What more do we want? ****¼
Ian: The final being between two teams that didn’t lose in the block round is quite nice to see… and I had sky high hopes for this match. Mills and Joshua spent a lot of the match trying to needle the cowboys, which only served to wind them up for the eventual response, which started after Joshua tripped up into the ropes. Mills was a one man kicking machine for a while, but it threatened to blow up in his face as Jay Joshua was nowhere to be seen.
There was a lovely series between Joshua and Shire towards the end as the heat looked to be taking its toll, but Joshua held on despite having seven shades chopped out of him. At its core, this match excelled when strikes were being thrown, but this eventually became an endurance test for all but the viewer. Well, maybe the viewer, if you’re fed up of lariats. In the end, an ankle lock/crossface combo gets the win for Mills and Joshua… something I’d usually moan about with tag matches, but this was a vastly enjoyable 20 minutes beforehand. ****
Persephone def. Emersyn Jayne
Neil: I like the fact that RevPro just do matches sometimes, and I found myself much more engaged in the match than I probably should. We were treated to some interesting technical wrestling to start and moved into some solid back and forth. I sound like I’m damning it with faint praise but this was a very enjoyable match and a nice sweetener to Persephone’s weekend. ***1/4
Ian: Emersyn had a sour face and a Saltire after losing the Discovery Wrestling women’s title yesterday. Fortunately, this one didn’t play out to silence after that tag final, but you could tell that a lot of the crowd were using this as a makeshift interval. Persephone again impressed here, taking a lot more of the match than I frankly expected, including almost dumping Jayne on her head with a German suplex, before a Razor’s Edge got Persephone the win. Good outing, shame about the crowd. ***½
REV PRO INDUCTS KURTIS CHAPMAN INTO THE HALL OF FAME
Neil: This was a lovely (and fun) tribute to a wrestler that was synonymous with RevPro for so many. It was incredibly emotional to see his family, but I hope they could see how much the crowd loved Kurtis.
Ian: The passing of Kurtis Chapman in December 2023 was a real body blow to Rev Pro – yet aside from the ten bell salute on their first show afterwards, this was the first significant event honouring him. The announcement of the Chapman Cup for wrestlers from Rev Pro’s two training schools was a fitting nod to Mad Kurt’s past, as was his family putting a keyboard to good use, just like he’d have wanted. God, I miss that fool.
Blue Panther & CPF (Danny Black, Joe Lando & Maverick Mayhew) def. Hechicero, Will Kaven, Mark Trew & Kieron Lacey
Neil: CPF are perfectly fun wrestlers who do fun spots and the boiler-suited Blue Panther was as hilarious as it was ridiculous. The crowd quickly declared that they were only really interested in Blue Panther and Hechicero and frankly I agreed with them.
Kaven, although much improved in recent months, resorted to old habits and cheap heat. The main story was Hechicero being tagged out against his will, which was a shame considering how well Trew and Lacey can actually work. It took the edge of the match slightly but it was perfectly adequate to bring the crowd back and put a couple of stars on display. ***
Ian: The match to bring everyone back up from the Mad Kurt ceremony, and I wasn’t expecting Blue Panther in a blue boiler suit. Luckily, it was just entrance gear. Under lucha rules, this was able to flow freely without the need for tags (like CPF stick to them!), but we quickly hit the “they can’t get along” part of the story with Hechicero unhappy with his partners. Kaven losing out of nowhere via submission almost had you thinking that wasn’t meant to have been the finish. A good palate cleanser. ***
Yuya Uemura def. JJ Gale
Neil: There’s a lovely irony to this match. Uemura is criminally underused in New Japan and JJ Gale is criminally underused in RevPro. Many of us had Gale pegged as special years ago, but it feels like he should have had more. In a more interesting alternate universe, with a booker who was still motivated and excited by young talent, we’d have Gale at the top of the promotion, battling with the embarrassment of young talent that RevPro has.
That being said, this match was an exciting prospect on paper. It started off well, with a handshake and a good bit of grappling. Unfortunately, something happened half way through and both men decided they weren’t all that keen on having a good match after all. Submissions were applied but not felt, and we were very quickly going through the motions. A reversed Gale Force was too slow, a German sequence was too low and a late kickout was emotionless.
There was nothing inherently wrong here, Gale sold the arm that had been worked over and Uemura’s work was solid. It was just missing a bit of spice, and was ultimately a very gentlemanly 3. What a shame. ***
Ian: Gale was accompanied by David Francisco here, and unlike his match with Kosei Fujita and Tomohiro Ishii in past anniversaries, did at least have the crowd on his side, thanks to Francisco geeing them up. Uemura spent large parts working over Gale’s arm, but this felt like it was missing something to cut through. This was indeed a match that happened over the weekend. Decent enough, but to carry over the theme from the last night, very porridge. **¾
REV PRO INDUCT JAMES CASTLE INTO THE HALL OF FAME
Neil: As with Mad Kurt, this was a very emotional and touching moment. It must have been such a tough moment for the family, but hopefully they found some measure of catharsis here.
Ian: Much like Mad Kurt, James Castle’s passing last year was equally devastating for Rev Pro, as they’d heralded him as their first trainee to come through their ranks to make it as a big part of the Rev Pro roster, and a multi-time tag team champion. Leukemia took James Castle away from us, but his memory within Rev Pro continues to live on.
CRU (Lio Rush & Action Andretti) def. The Machine (TK Cooper & Chuck Mambo) via count-out
Neil: Whilst I recognise that SSM are a very good team and I like TK and Mambo individually, words cannot express how tired I am of them now. It feels like they’ve been teasing the end for so long and I just can’t get excited for a heel run. I’d be much more interested in a continued “feel good babyface team” run. Instead we’ve got TK pacing around the ring playing a new character and Mambo delivering boring promos.
I thought the surprise challenge from Rush and Andretti was cool but the crowd certainly didn’t and the hush affected the quality of the match. The moments between spots swam in a painful silence. It’s a shame really, because the work was good until “Machine” walked away and got counted out. Get that heat, brother.. **¾
Ian: A spot of surprise Sunshine Machine here, which went south in a hurry. They’re now calling themselves The Machine, sadly super nor strong. We got an open challenge, which CRU answered to silence, before the worst quarter of an hour I’ve seen on a Rev Pro show in quite some time as a complete package. By the end, the crowd’d reached “polite applause” levels for this match before TK went all SHOOT PROMO on us, saying something about CRU not getting TV time, before walking out on the match. Even before you consider that the feud going into this weekend was TK & Mambo against Trent Seven, this was just an utter waste of everyone’s time, unless you were queuing and able to get a drink. Much like the Machine going out as beefeaters the next evening, this’ll be a forgotten trivia answer in the years to come. DUD
Zack Sabre Jr. def. Zozaya
Neil: Zack Sabre Jr is, in my opinion, the greatest active wrestler today. He speaks the same wrestling language as me. I’d be excited to see him wrestle a stick, but Zozaya is a significantly more tantalising match up.
The opening exchange was fast, technical and exactly what I want from my wrestling. Two great wrestlers doing some great wrestling. The selling was so interesting; they sold the pain of the holds but the frustration of being outsmarted. ZSJ was perfect at maintaining dominance whilst keeping the match competitive. There was a clear moment where Zozaya realised his speed was his strength and he stopped trying to beat Zack at his own game. This might sound like simple stuff, but it’s wrestling that sings.
Zozaya has been a hot prospect for a while now and he was as impressive as ever here. There is still an element of sloppiness to his work but I like it; he feels organic in the best way. He sells struggle so well with brilliantly emotive expressions. He seemed to get a send-off after the match, and it made me wonder if RevPro made the most out of him.
The match built to a great crescendo, and I was able to suspend my disbelief for Zozaya’s near falls. I can’t think of a better compliment than that – brilliant match. ****½
Ian: Time to put that awful segment out of my head, we’re into the business end of the card. Zack Sabre Jr.’s return as IWGP World champion gave him this dream match with Zozaya, which initially started out tentatively, but quickly moved more into Zozaya’s wheelhouse. He even busted out the DOUKI-Chokey, just for Gino Gambino. That resistance continued Sabre’s aggression as the match continued to be tit-for-tat, but the back and forth seemed to lose the crowd as things were strung out for too long.
Fortunately, a battle over a Euro clutch woke the crowd up as we inched closer to the 30-minute time limit, but we ended up not needing it as Zozaya’s overhead throw was countered into a mounted armbar for the win. A clinic of a match that could have done with some tightening up in the middle – but this’ll deservedly be right up there with the match of the weekend chatter. I must also give a special shout-out to Gideon Grey’s commentary on this match – I know for some he’s becoming an acquired taste, particularly in-character, but for these kind of matches there’s nobody better on the British scene today. ****
Post-match, the locker room came out to slap the mat and cheer on Zozaya… who took the mic and thanked the crowd for making his dream come true right now, while filling the swear jar. This was a farewell speech, just not as overt as what we’ve seen with, say, Mike D Vecchio and Aigle Blanc. That’s going to leave a massive hole on their roster, that’s for sure.
Leon Slater def. Michael Oku
Neil: I’ve written about prospects, but RevPro haven’t produced a prospect hotter than Leon Slater in a long time. From his earliest matches, it was clear that he was going to be something special. It’s so exciting to watch a wrestler at this point in their career and this match against the ace of RevPro felt like a key point in Leon’s journey.
The legitimacy of Leon’s ascendancy was the key story. He wrestled the early match with confidence and ease. Before long, he would lose a step, and Oku would take over. It was a struggle and I was captivated. I was urging Leon to reach the ropes on a half crab and standing spontaneously at Oku’s last minute kick outs. I loved the spot where Slater’s arrogance got the better of him when he used Oku’s hold against him and flipped allegiances to an Oku in fifth gear.
Unfortunately, it ended up being a let down, despite the rating you see below. They told a great story of the veteran trying to hang on to his spot and fend off a resurgent newcomer. They gave up on that wonderful story towards the end, though, in favour of the wider cast kidnapping Amira. Oku is known for melodrama, and I enjoy it, but this seemed to completely oppose the story being told. The true wrestling fan, me and you, is bored of relentless run-ins. The Amira spot was jarring and removed me from the match. RevPro had the chance to tell a great story for the wrestling fan, but they did the usual bollocks instead.
It didn’t quite ruin the excellent 20 minutes that preceded it, but it certainly negated its impact. I appreciated the brilliant final stretch, but Slater’s victory could have been so much more impactful. ****¼
Ian: This was all but a number one contender’s match, and with Liam Slater and Cameron Khai accompanying Leon to the ring, the deck looked stacked. That’s quite the hop, skip and jump we’re having to do storyline wise, since Khai hasn’t been around since the start of the month, nor has he interacted with the Slaters in recent weeks.
Oku was very much on the back foot in the opening minutes, needing the half crab as almost an escape valve that turned the tide for a spell. At least until a step-up knee on the top rope caused Oku to Flair flop onto the apron. Another nasty bump followed later with the crashed-and-burnt dropkick, which played into Oku not being able to hold onto the half crab as the crowd were trying to figure out who they loved least in lieu of either being a heel.
Unable to break from his usual routine, Oku’s insistence on going high risk backfired badly as he slipped off the middle rope as Leon looked to push through with a swanton 450, before Leon was coaxed into doing a half crab. When that became the story, Amira was brought into play as they’re want to do for every Oku Big Match, leading to a parade of stuff clearing out Leon’s seconds. Problem was, that felt overdone given the numbers out there.
By the way, this show’s been on for so long now that my TV auto-powered off while I was taking notes. It took so long to gett it back on and the Chromecast set up, I caught the end of the swanton bomb and 450 as Leon finally got the win. The match was on track to be a real all-timer, but at this point in the card you know that anyone else at ringside aren’t there for window dressing, and their involvement here led to this feeling like it overshot the landing. Oku’s firmly out of the title picture, and really staring down the barrel as all he has left to do in Rev Pro is that heel turn that they’ve been really dodging… ****
RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship
Sha Samuels def. Ricky Knight Jr. (c)
Neil: I hate that RevPro have put me in this position, but I really don’t care about Sha Samuels. He’s a valuable member of the roster and should absolutely be on RevPro shows. That being said, he shouldn’t be champion. I’ve had issues with RevPro booking in recent months, and Sha being pushed as a pound-shop Goto is indicative of the problems we’re facing. Yet again, they’re doing a “one last chance” story for an older wrestler. Like other wrestling companies, that boring story is being told in lieu of pushing younger and more exciting talent. There have been issues with RKJ’s stop-start booking, but they had an opportunity to redeem him as much as possible. I understand there may have been issues with RKJ taking the title through the N1, but why Sha?
There was lots of “walk and brawl” wrestling here, which isn’t appealing to me. I respected some of the bigger bumps, but I felt the plummet in match quality. There were DDTs on to chairs and endless time spent outside the ring. There was even a slap from an elderly lady.
The crowd loved it, and were louder for this match than anything else on the card. I was bored and thought the title deserved better. RevPro booking is spinning it’s wheels and they need to get their passion back. **3/4
Ian: The Sha Samuels storyline in Rev Pro lately has been a weird one – from being a tacked-on part of Sunshine Machine a year ago to going all “death or glory” as an underdog chasing for the heavyweight title certainly has been a move. Until a month ago, things were pointing to Sha vs. Michael Oku for the title, which would have needed a major tweak in someone’s character.
Ricky Knight Jr. winning the title certainly made the alignments easier, but it unfortunately came with some disgruntlement among fans, with a small but noticeable section of them opting to leave their seats when it came to the main event. Those that were left behind made noise, but sadly not consistently enough for it to pull through to the live feed. This quickly turned into a walk and brawl, testing the limits of wireless HDMI connections, and just how long you can stretch out a 10-count. Things spilled into the aisle, with Sha throwing RKJ off the bleachers before diving off them… which then took things back to the ring for more of the same, with Sha painting the canvas red.
God bless the fans that were reacting, but with the show approaching the five hour mark, the crowd sounded like a blend of exhausted and not bothered, which isn’t at all what you want for your big main event with all these stipulations tied to it. Particularly when the big crowd reaction was for a roll of blue paper towel getting tossed around.
Anyway, after that fun and games, we hit the home stretch with Sha, err, Sha-ing up as he came close with tributes to fallen friends – a Mad Kurt-esque Codebreaker out of the corner and a Lionheart-like frog splash… and just when you thought Sha’d died on an avalanche back suplex, a flash roll-up got it done. It’s just a shame this was the end of a long show because I think a lot of the crowd were just happy the show was over – but at least the finishing stretch was memorable. ***
FINAL THOUGHTS
Neil: Overall, this was a great show. The peaks were high, and it was a display of some of the best wrestling you’ll see anywhere. Unfortunately, those moments may end up being lost slightly due to the worrying lack of direction for the future. Like many bookers, Quildan needs to give someone young a good, old-fashioned push.
Ian: At their best, Rev Pro in 2025 is capable of some utterly great stuff – as we saw with ZSJ/Zozaya, the tag league final, and the story behind the finish of the main event. Unfortunately, the Rev Pro template in 2025 seems to be increasingly prone to going long (forcing fans to make their own intervals in a five-hour show) and throwing stuff out there that simply doesn’t work – such as the (Sunshine) Machine surprise appearance that fell flatter than a pancake. Sha Samuels going from “barely clinging onto being a part of the roster” to being champion is a real pro-wrestling story – and one that’s playing to longer-term fans – but the next year of Rev Pro really needs to see them pull the trigger on a fresh name that’s able to hang around and represent them, at least in the medium term. Especially since, right now, there’s no real challengers ready to step up…
