The Wrestling Revolver
REVOLVER And The Ring of Future
June 17, 2023
Calumet Middle At Montgomery County Fairgrounds
Dayton, Ohio
Watch: FITE
Sami Callihan def. JT Dunn
Sadly, journey points denied us the possibility to see Takeshita on this card, so we acquired Sami as a substitute who got here to the ring fired up and throwing chairs. First rate sufficient opener **
The Unit (Allie Katch & Logan James) (w/Phil Stamper) def. Brat Pack (Billie Starkz & Brogan Finlay)
There are two methods you are able to do intergender preventing. You possibly can lean into the ability differential and have the babyface girls fighters forged within the weak however guileful position that’s clearly overmatched however can finally reap the benefits of typical male conceitedness. The opposite method is to play it like Road Fighter or Mortal Kombat, the place everyone seems to be equal. Lucha Underground did this, and it kinda labored there as a result of the present had cinematic sensibilities. The latter was what they tried to do right here, however cinema this was not, particularly when you’ve seen Billie Starkz wrestling within the girls’s division in different promotions, and certainly on this very promotion. It really works in multi-man scramble/clusterfuck matches, however this was a match performed as an easy athletic contest, and it may be simply plain uncomfortable to see male-on-female violence offered as pure fight moderately than a morality play.
Really, on the face of it, this was an excellent tag match with 4 respectable sufficient wrestlers. It constructed properly, and the ultimate ending sequence was well-orchestrated and popped the group. It’s simply there’s a kind of uncanniness that breaks the phantasm in terms of these kinds of matches. It’s much like the Taya Valkyrie vs. John Morrison match from final 12 months, which once more was technically strong, however couldn’t escape the social norms that almost all of us are conditioned to react negatively to. Nonetheless, I’m prepared to simply accept that I could also be a minority shaking their fist at clouds on this, and as I stated, this was a technically good bout. ***1/4
Angels def. Robert Martyr
Alex Shelley, representing Status, got here all the way down to the ring to inject just a little juice into this inter-promotional match and act as Martyr’s hype man. It’s enjoyable sufficient, and the native crowd is into it, however I’m nonetheless not satisfied that when folks begin drawing up the Shelley WON HOF case, they’ll be together with this. Angels got here down and reduce a pandering promo as “Ohio’s adopted son.” He additionally had Shelley corpsing for the second time this week, after Kenny King’s promo on Influence had equally despatched the champ right into a match of giggles.
This match was excellent. I’ve by no means actually watched a lot ’00s ROH, however the match these two wrestled is what I think about it was like: clear technical wrestling with a number of vertical suplex variations punctuated (however not saturated) with some high-flying spots. Each of those males present loads of promise, and Angels, specifically, impressed lots right here. I really feel that one thing is lacking from his general presentation, however there was little to name fault right here. ***1/2
Unfortunate 13 Staple Gun Match
Alex Colon def. Loopy King
I really feel like yearly, I find yourself doing a evaluate the place I say, “I’m not a deathmatch fan however…” Effectively, right here we go, as a result of this was implausible. Entering into, the stipulation (you may solely pin your opponent after the staple gun has been used 13 instances) appeared a bit goofy, however it truly actually helped with the construction of the match, as as a substitute of early close to falls that nobody buys we acquired significant struggles over the staple gun. I’m not saying it was Akito vs. Asuka, however it helped give a construction to the primary half of the match that stored folks engaged. We even had some chain wrestling sequences on this, consider it or not.
When the staple gun part had completed, the same old deathmatch stunts with doorways, ladders, and lightweight tubes got here one after the opposite with growing brutality. They labored this match like a major occasion, and the group responded appropriately with loud combat eternally chants close to the ending stretch. ****
Golden Ticket Gauntlet
Damian Chambers def. Blair Onyx and Casey Jacobs and Crash Jaxon and Dan The Dad and Ganger and Jeffrey John and Jessicka and Jody Menace and Joe Demaro and Madman Fulton and Nevaeh and Shark Boy and Tre Lamar
This was fairly clunky. I’m actually not towards indie scrambles, rumbles, and clusterfucks, and really look ahead to them. They’re like finger buffets the place you get just a little taster of what’s on the market. I like many of the wrestlers on this, however it simply wasn’t that nice. **
Motor Metropolis Machine Weapons (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) def. The ABC (Chris Bey & Ace Austin)
In many of the promoting for this present, this was the top-billed match. Given the harmful nature of the ultimate eight-man tag, you may see why logistically, this wasn’t going to headline, even supposing it’s not only a robust match for the indies, however a match that includes two of the most effective tag groups on the earth proper now.
A lot is fabricated from how ABC stylistically resemble the Weapons of their technical grounding and bursts of excessive vitality double-team assaults. Like a horse that trots, canters, and gallops however by no means stops, the majority of this match demanded your consideration, and was a pleasure to look at 4 professionals at their finest. Intricate and technical, if there’s one slight criticism to be made, the depth may very well be turned up just a little. Storyline-wise, although, the weapons had been working as their mirror universe alter egos from Influence and so the ultimate stretch ended with some heel shenanigans involving belts, Gia Miller and a considerably disappointing end of a low blow from Sabin to Bey. I stated within the preview that I’m not likely feeling this Status vs. REVOLVER feud, though I can see that the group is into it to an extent however I ponder if we had simply gone for the straight tag match with these two groups, the group would have been extra into. Because it was a ‘That is Superior’ chant kicked off simply as they had been near ending.
To be clear, although, this criticism takes this down from a Match of the 12 months contender to easily an excellent match. This was excellent, however it left me wanting extra. ****
REVOLVER Title Match
Jake Crist def. Steve Maclin
Is there a phrase for the other of boo-boo face? Trigger no matter it’s, Jake Crist is carrying it tonight. A extremely nice second for considered one of Ohio’s best successful the large one, and even Steve Maclin turns into an enormous softy as he palms over the belt with a hug following the pinfall. I’ve been championing Jake Crist for some time, and over the past 12 months or so, he’s actually put the work in to change into one of many indie scenes most versatile gamers, and it’s good to see it paying off.
Maclin served as the bottom right here, with Jake working round him. What’s nice about Maclin is that he does the fundamentals completely. Folks ought to examine his headlocks to get an thought of what they’re alleged to seem like, you realize, holding somebody’s head moderately than only a transition. Nevertheless, Maclin now does one factor now: rolling forearm smash onto a seated opponent. It appears nice when he hits it arduous however considerably lame when he doesn’t. It jogs my memory of Bobby Lashley’s spear, the place he does a ahead flip as he hits it.
Crist is in nice form, and whereas often he appeared mismatched right here (he virtually bounced off Maclin on his suicide dives, for example), his technical toolbox is diversified sufficient to make any match model work. At simply over 13 minutes, this flew by and was properly value a watch. ****
Second Gear Crew (1 Referred to as Manders, Mance Warner & Matthew Justice) & Jon Moxley defeats. The Rascalz (Myron Reed, Rey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) & Ricky Shane Web page
In February, the SCG and the Rascalz fairly actually tore the home down at REVOLVER Evening on the Moxbury. One of many issues that made that match so particular was the ambiance and the way in which the wrestlers performed off the group, making a suggestions loop of hype that burned regular all through the match. Sadly for the viewer at residence, simply after Jon Moxley entered the ring, the audio reduce off, so we had been disadvantaged of what seemed like a kind of epic before-the-bell face-offs the place the group noise is all a part of the present.
It made the early a part of the recording tough to look at, however fortunately the sound got here again after about 5 minutes, and there was nonetheless loads of the match left to soak in. Funnily sufficient, throughout the part the place the sound was off, Ricky Shane Web page entered the ring and, given his “everyman” look, for a second, I believed it was a fan. RSP did do a humorous spot later within the match the place the followers had been chanting for him to make use of somebody’s crutch, and he grabbed it and throw it again into the group.
So this was every part you may need anticipated.
Like AEW’s Anarchy within the Area from Double or Nothing, it’s the kind of match that solely actually works with a sizzling crowd. There’s no psychology right here, simply spot after spot. However when it really works, it really works. SGC have constructed themselves up a fame as the most effective plunder crew within the indies, and the Rascalz are the fast-paced daredevils whose talent is barely matched by their conceitedness. Moxley was good right here, too, and I feel being away from the BCC meant that he wasn’t tempted to do any Bryan Danielson-style strikes however as a substitute simply centered on the route one violence he’s finest at.
I don’t assume this fairly matched the extent of the sooner match, which remains to be in my high ten match of the 12 months record, however it was nonetheless a implausible hype match when you take pleasure in any of those performers. ****
Last Ideas
The Wrestling Revolver’s REVOLVER And The Ring of Future was a wonderful providing from REVOLVER, maybe the most effective present from them I’ve ever seen. With 4 ****+ matches by my depend and every part else starting from good to common. Effectively value dipping into you probably have a FITE+ account.
