Welcome to something different. The Wrestling Revolver might just be one of the most underrated promotions out there. A breeding ground for wrestling talent that has helped lift up and promote talent you wouldn’t see anywhere else. Their tagline is, is “Wrestling for OUR generation, by OUR generation.” It’s a bold claim to make but one they’ve managed to stick to, taking in the best from the indies and Impact to showcase them to a whole new audience. Tonight’s show was stacked, the man on the marquee SW3RVE was battling Athena, Moose put the Impact World Title on the line against “Speedball” Mike Bailey, we had scramble action, 1 Called Manders vs Jake Crist in a spiderweb deathmatch, Billie Starkz getting a shot at the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship and much much more leading to the main event clash for Revolver’s soul between The Unit’s JT Dunn and the life of the party, Rich Swann. Let’s get into the anarchy.
Impact World Title: Moose defeated “Speedball” Mike Bailey via Spear
The show immediately set a high bar by giving us a high-stakes title fight. The Impact World Title was the opening bout and it pitted the world champion, Moose against one of the most tenacious challengers in wrestling right now, Speedball Mike Bailey. It was power vs technique and a potential game-changer for Impact if Bailey could pry that title out of his hands. Moose played this one smartly, targeting Bailey’s legs and pissing off the crowd as he did so. Bailey’s offense was cut down early as bad legs mean no kicks. It was Moose’s match and he wanted to enjoy his sadistic handiwork. Moose screwed himself over by repeatedly chopping ring posts but still managed to keep control and kill Bailey. They kept kicking things up as Moose played the methodical Goliath to Bailey’s speedy and exciting David. Both men kept kicking out of killing blows and had the fans on the edge of their seats as these two nearly died repeatedly. Bailey held on as long as he could and rocked the giant on more than one occasion but could never get that elusive three-count. Moose finally hit the Spear and walked away with his title reign intact. It made for an exceptional opener with Moose and Bailey putting on a world-title calibre performance.
AAA Reina de Reinas Title: Deonna Purrazzo defeated Billie Starkz via Fujiwara Armbar
The title fights kept on coming with the AAA Reina de Reinas Title. Deonna Purrazzo has been unstoppable holding that title and now she was giving a challenge to the next generation. Billie Starkz, Space Jesus was jumping up to the plate to take on the Virtuoso for the third time. If she won, this could be massive for her but it certainly wasn’t going to be easy. Few are as cunning as Purrazzo. This was a sprint of a fight as Starkz tried to navigate the mean-streak of Purrazzo and use her explosive offense to catch the Champ Champ off-guard. She got her licks in but Purrazzo just kept to the path and kept mercilessly beating on Starkz. She was giving the next generation the finger and a potentially broken arm. Starkz got her shots in but this was the champ’s match to control. It was a losing effort but Starkz stock has risen drastically tonight and with the respect of Purrazzo, has a new challenge coming up, Ruby Soho. Based on what we saw here, Starkz is going to show out for that too.
Dan the Dad vs Manscout Jake Manning ends in No Contest
How do you follow up on that type of high-stakes action? You call Dad, Dan the Dad. He was taking on another Revolver favourite in the Manscout Jake Manning. This was going to be a fun palette cleanser as two of the more unique performers got to work, coffee and manual in hand. They battled through the guidebook’s rules and found themselves in a Mexican standoff for their precious item. Just as they reached a respectful point, Infrared attacked because they had to make a statement or get kicked out of the unit. James and Matrix laid out both beloved characters and ruined the six-star classic going on. Because of that, Dan and Manning were teaming up to take on Infrared.
Infrared (Logan James & Tyler Matrix w/Phil Stamper) defeated Dan the Dad & Jake Manning via No Place For Your Head on Manning
The bell rang again and our favourite characters formed our favourite team to beat down the invading Infrared. It was firm handshakes and fists as the former rivals formed a working unit to battle James and Matrix. The Unit was getting wrecked and had to rely on underhanded tactics to get the one up on Dan. They showed why they were one of the top teams on the scene at Dan’s expense but you can’t keep a good dad down and he sent them both flying to their doom. Phil Stamper saved the match for his insidious duo and got to watch them tear into Dan again. Manning got his time to shine but it sadly wasn’t enough to stop the onslaught and the Unit walked away victorious, mainly because of Phil Stamper’s existence. It was a fun fight but Dan’s need for discipline cost his team.
PWR Tag Titles: Prisoners of Society (Steve Maclin & Westin Blake) defeated The Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) via Jack Knife on Edwards
It was time for more title action as The Wolves put the PWR Tag titles on the line against P.O.S. That doesn’t mean Pieces of Shit, it stands for Prisoners of Society and is the team of Steve Maclin and Westin Blake. They were making their Revolver debut and were going to kick some ass and try to Dethrone Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. This was going to be a vicious one. This was awesome. These two teams just beat the shit out of each other. It was full of stiff strikes and technicality as the P.O.S looked to show why they were in the ring with the Wolves. There was no mercy from either side with those titles meaning more than sportsmanship. The Wolves tore into Blake’s leg and isolated Maclin’s partner with a dubious double-team. A malfunction at the junction broke the Wolves’ flow and Maclin swarmed the ring dishing out the justice his team deserved. It was competitive until the end with both teams showing out and P.O.S outlasting the Wolves to become new PWR tag champions. It was a simple pinfall that took the win as P.O.S just outplayed the Wolves. Talk about a strong debut, coming in, battling the Wolves, and taking their titles in your first Revolver match. This wasn’t a two-bit team they’d beaten either, it was the Wolves. A worldwide supergroup. Way to make a statement. The Wolves weren’t acting like good sports so the Big Boss himself Sami Callihan came to reprimand them personally and remind them they still have to face the Switchblades reunion. The Death Machine is walking again, it’s only a matter of time before he’s fighting again.
Spiderweb Deathmatch: Jake Crist defeated 1 Called Manders via Wire Garrotte
Time to get gory. The fuckery was out and Jake Crist was out to introduce it to 1 Called Manders. The Born 2 Die Artist was sick of having to prove himself. He is one of the guys at the top of the indie mountain and he was going to make Manders bleed out in a pool of his own blood. That’s easier threatened than done as Manders is one tough son of a bitch ad he ain’t afraid to bleed. We were in for a teacher/student showdown. They started slowly enough with power games and shunting around the wire before going nuts and pushing the barbed wire to its breaking point. Manders was the first to bleed as Crist introduced him to the wire and began mutilating the Cornbelt Cowboy. Manders soon returned the favour and we had two angry, bloodied brawlers out there tearing each other’s flesh apart with barbed wire. It was heavy-handed, full of power moves, and utterly brutal as these two did not hold back. Manders was a bloody mess but that wasn’t going to stop him from putting the hurt on Crist. The fuckery aided the wrestling as the pair used their technique to push the fuckery to its limits. It was much more of a hybrid fight than a smash and grab affair. Crist got to prove his point and Manders put on another spectacular deathmatch. Also, plus ten points for creative weaponry like spurs and a barbed-wire scaffold piece. This was a must-watch bloodbath for all deathmatch fans, the two knew exactly what they were doing and pulled pretty much all of it off.
PWR Remix & Impact X Division Title: Trey Miguel defeated Ace Austin (w/Gia Miller), Lince Dorado and Blake Christian via Meteora on Austin
The action returned post-intermission with a four-way of pure anarchy. It was a double-title match as the PWR Remix Title and the Impact X Division Title were on the line. It was the champions Ace Austin and Trey Miguel defending their belts against each other and two high-quality contenders, All-Heart Blake Christian and the lit Lince Dorado. This was going to be one that anyone would struggle to keep up with. We had four highly innovative and fast fighters in the ring and two titles on the line. Dorado became an honorary member of the Rascalz as everyone but Christian enjoyed a pre-match puff on Miguel’s vape. From there, it was pure Lucha-infused madness. This was a continuous highlight reel as everyone showed their stuff. Since bursting back onto the scene, Lince Dorado has been making up for lost time with ridiculously athletic and fun fights, playing nicely off all the indie darlings in the ring (and getting rather cheeky whilst doing so.) It was blink and you’d miss it action to the end with everyone showing out. Gia Miller did her best to aid Austin throughout but even then, it wasn’t enough to stop Trey Miguel from becoming a double champion. After a physical, highly athletic war, the X Division champion was going home with a second belt in his suitcase, getting one over the former champ and causing Miller to go through a door for interfering.
Sudden Death Scramble: Crash Jaxon defeated BEEF, Jessicka Havok, Calvin Tankman, Kal Jak & Madman Fulton via Crash Driver on BEEF
Before we could get to the scramble, Revolver had to contend with an invasion from Damian Chambers. He held the show hostage as he hadn’t gotten the debut he was supposed to get. As you can imagine… he was kind of bitter. Jessicka Havok came to forcibly remove him so the Scramble could get underway. It would be Havok vs BEEF vs Grizzly Kal Jak vs Calvin Tankman vs Madman Fulton vs Crash Jaxon. It was a full-on hoss fight scramble. It was time to throw some bodies, some hands, and some lariats. This was going to be intense. Much like the last match, this was a total highlight reel of hoss goodness. It was big fighters hitting big moves to a manic crowd. Again, it was continuous action at a high pace and high intensity. This was horrifically physical and features a multitude of ridiculous feats of strength. You couldn’t stop these monsters from taking to the air or taking each other out. This is the type of anarchy I can get behind. Crash Jaxon was the last hoss standing and walked away the winner. A deserved winner after one hell of a monstrous scramble.
Shane SW3RVE Strickland defeated Athena via SW3RVE Driver
When your name is on the marquee, you know you have to make a scene. SW3RVE The Realest was here and he was taking on one of the most exciting women in wrestling, Athena. These two had been spat out by the corporate machine so they were going to show out as only they could. Both of these fighters have creative repertoires, countless years of experience, and just a dash of insanity. They were going to blow the roof off the building. What followed was a cat and mouse game with the pair going wild with the attitude and the wrestling. It might have been SW3RVE’s house but Athena was going to kick the door down and takeover. It was incredibly hard-hitting and had the big fight feel you’d want from a marquee match. No one knew they needed to see this pairing until we got it. There were no holds barred as the pair swaggered into a hardcore-tinged battle of attitudes. Momentum continuously shifted as we saw the pair continue to break through the other’s defences. It was a one-up contest for the ages. As you can see, I could go on and on about how good this was but you get the idea. This was great fun from two exceptional wrestlers putting on an exceptional wrestling contest. It was back-and-forth to the end with everyone hooked until that final pinfall. This needs to be seen, it absolutely fucking rocked.
Revolver Title: JT Dunn (w/The Unit) defeated Rich Swann via Death By Elbow
Last but not least, the main event. Revolver’s soul was on the line here as Rich Swann put his Revolver Title on the line against The Wrestling Saviour JT Dunn. We’d already seen the Unit hijack the show once tonight, were they about to hijack the whole company by dethroning the top champion? Rich Swann is a hard man to beat but even he can’t take on everyone. The Unit was going to be paying close attention and would no doubt interfere the second they needed to against Mr. All Night Long. This started hot with the action going all around the venue. Swann seemed pissed and threw Dunn around the building, brawling and flying around the fans and the merch. It was a mosh pit out there amongst the sea of humanity. Stamper was stamped out as Swann crushed him and Dunn against the railings with a running boot. Back in the ring, Swann lost control as Dunn got to work grinding down the people’s champ. The derision of the fans meant nothing to him as he just methodically ground down Swann. The Saviour got way too cocky though and spent more time deriding the fans than breaking his opponent, letting Swann right back into the fight. Swann couldn’t quite find the killing move but the fans were giving him some choice advice on what they wanted to see. Swann obliged and tried to twist Dunn’s dick off. Dunn came back with a vengeance after that and we kept up that main event level fire for the rest of the bout, the fans continuing to pile on with more insults. Things got incredibly desperate as time went on and both guys couldn’t find the curtain call they needed. Dunn took out the ref so when Swann hit the finisher, it failed to win. A second ref died and once again, Swann hit a finisher to no avail. The Unit swarmed whilst there was no one around and Swann kicked out of No Place for your Head. It continued on until finally, Dunn got the big win with a hellacious rolling elbow. There had been a massive change in the house of SW3RVE. It had been a hard-fought, far from fair fight but Dunn was walking away the new champion. The Unit’s gloating was cut off by SW3RVE and the returning Monster Hunter Matthew Palmer. They fought off the Unit but this happy end couldn’t distract from the fact that The Unit now held the top title in Revolver. They were in for a nasty time though now that The Crew had seemingly reunited. Especially since the matchmaker was pitting both factions against each other in the Cage of Horror next show.
All images courtesy of PW Revolver, photosbymanning