The Wrestling Revolver
REVOLVER And The Ring of Future
June 17, 2023
Calumet Heart At Montgomery County Fairgrounds
Dayton, Ohio

Watch: FITE

Sami Callihan def. JT Dunn

Sadly, journey points denied us the prospect to see Takeshita on this card, so we bought Sami as a substitute who got here to the ring fired up and throwing chairs. Respectable 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’ll be able to lean into the ability differential and have the babyface ladies fighters solid within the weak however guileful function that’s clearly overmatched however can finally benefit from typical male vanity. The opposite approach 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 for those who’ve seen Billie Starkz wrestling within the ladies’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 somewhat than a morality play.

Truly, on the face of it, this was an excellent tag match with 4 first rate sufficient wrestlers. It constructed properly, and the ultimate ending sequence was well-orchestrated and popped the gang. It’s simply there’s a form of uncanniness that breaks the phantasm on the subject of most of these matches. It’s much like the Taya Valkyrie vs. John Morrison match from final 12 months, which once more was technically stable, however couldn’t escape the social norms that almost all of us are conditioned to react negatively to. Nonetheless, I’m prepared to just 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 right down to the ring to inject a bit 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 individuals begin drawing up the Shelley WON HOF case, they’ll be together with this. Angels got here down and lower 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 Affect 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 plenty of vertical suplex variations punctuated (however not saturated) with some high-flying spots. Each of those males present lots of promise, and Angels, specifically, impressed rather a lot right here. I really feel that one thing is lacking from his total 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…” Nicely, right here we go, as a result of this was implausible. Getting into, the stipulation (you possibly can solely pin your opponent after the staple gun has been used 13 instances) appeared a bit goofy, nevertheless it really actually helped with the construction of the match, as as a substitute of early close to falls that nobody buys we bought significant struggles over the staple gun. I’m not saying it was Akito vs. Asuka, nevertheless it helped give a construction to the primary half of the match that saved individuals engaged. We even had some chain wrestling sequences on this, imagine 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 gang responded appropriately with loud struggle perpetually 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 Risk and Joe Demaro and Madman Fulton and Nevaeh and Shark Boy and Tre Lamar

This was fairly clunky. I’m actually not in opposition to indie scrambles, rumbles, and clusterfucks, and really stay up for them. They’re like finger buffets the place you get a bit taster of what’s on the market. I like many of the wrestlers on this, nevertheless 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 possibly can see why logistically, this wasn’t going to headline, even though it’s not only a robust match for the indies, however a match that includes two of the perfect tag groups on the planet proper now.

A lot is fabricated from how ABC stylistically resemble the Weapons of their technical grounding and bursts of excessive power 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 execs at their greatest. Intricate and technical, if there’s one slight criticism to be made, the depth might be turned up a bit. Storyline-wise, although, the weapons had been working as their mirror universe alter egos from Affect 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 probably not feeling this Status vs. REVOLVER feud, though I can see that the gang is into it to an extent however I’m wondering if we had simply gone for the straight tag match with these two groups, the gang 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 awesome match. This was excellent, nevertheless 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 very nice second for certainly one of Ohio’s most interesting successful the massive one, and even Steve Maclin turns into an enormous softy as he arms 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 turn out to be 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 concept of what they’re alleged to appear to be, you understand, holding somebody’s head somewhat than only a transition. Nevertheless, Maclin now does one factor now: rolling forearm smash onto a seated opponent. It seems to be 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 sometimes he appeared mismatched right here (he nearly bounced off Maclin on his suicide dives, for example), his technical toolbox is various sufficient to make any match type work. At simply over 13 minutes, this flew by and was effectively value a watch. ****

Second Gear Crew (1 Known 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 gang, making a suggestions loop of hype that burned regular all through the match. Sadly for the viewer at dwelling, simply after Jon Moxley entered the ring, the audio lower off, so we had been disadvantaged of what regarded like a kind of epic before-the-bell face-offs the place the gang noise is all a part of the present.

It made the early a part of the recording troublesome 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 assumed 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 gang.

So this was the whole lot you might need anticipated.

Like AEW’s Anarchy within the Area from Double or Nothing, it’s the form of match that solely actually works with a scorching 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 repute as the perfect plunder crew within the indies, and the Rascalz are the fast-paced daredevils whose talent is barely matched by their vanity. 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 targeted on the route one violence he’s greatest at.

I don’t suppose this fairly matched the extent of the sooner match, which continues to be in my high ten match of the 12 months checklist, nevertheless it was nonetheless a implausible hype match for those who get pleasure from any of those performers. ****

Remaining Ideas

The Wrestling Revolver’s REVOLVER And The Ring of Future was a superb providing from REVOLVER, maybe the perfect present from them I’ve ever seen. With 4 ****+ matches by my rely and the whole lot else starting from good to common. Nicely value dipping into in case you have a FITE+ account.