As time passed, and we were getting closer to All In: London (2024), I started to feel a bit of buyer's remorse. If the view from our seats sucked, it was going to be a disappointing finale to our holiday. While 15 rows back from the ring didn't sound too far, my main concern was that as we were seated on the flat pitch, there would be many heads between us and the action. In retrospect, we'd have maybe been better sitting further away in the tiered stands, looking down at the ring with less obstruction, at a cheaper price.
Independent promotion RevPro were putting on their 12 Year Anniversary show, the night before All In: London (2024). Not a promotion I knew well, but a little research showed they'd had some strong talent appear for them in the past. The tickets were worth checking, even if I expected the good seats to be gone. For maybe a quarter of the price we had paid for AEW tickets at Wembley Stadium, I managed to buy 3rd row tickets to RevPro at the Copper Box Arena.
There had been a lot riding on our experience of a single show: it was our first anniversary, our first live AEW event, and it had cost a significant chunk of our holiday budget. This last-minute decision alleviated some of that pressure. Having another show the night before meant the weekend wouldn't be a write-off, if Wembley Stadium didn't quite deliver.
Summer rolled around, and London delivered on the holiday front. But my restaurant recommendations probably aren't relevant here. I'll jump ahead to the Saturday of the RevPro 12 Year Anniversary Show.
We caught the tube to Stratford, and walked over to the Copper Box Arena. Middle of summer, and there was a short but sudden downpour. We obviously weren't prepared for it, so we were soaked to the skin by the time we arrived and joined the queue.
This was our first exposure to an indie wrestling fanbase. Eclectic is the first word that came to mind, but friendly would be the second. We didn't really know where we were going or what we were doing, and there was a lack of visible staff to guide anyone, but fellow fans who I presume were familiar with the Copper Box Arena started directing traffic to get people to the right doors for their seats. There was already a buzz in the air, small groups chatting about their favourite promotions, shows, matches, wrestlers. I got the impression that there were plenty of strangers just striking up conversations with each other. An eclectic group, with common ground.
As we entered and saw the ring and entrance layout, excitement started to build. The merchandise offering was disappointing, but I bought a shirt regardless, wanting to show my support for the independent scene. We took our seats, the closest I had ever been to a wrestling ring in my 30+ years of fandom, and I was satisfied that buying the tickets was the right choice.
Grado opened the show, coming out to Madonna's "Like a Prayer", with a crowd already singing and clapping before the first bell had rung. The first match was an 8-man tag, and the chaos is overwhelming when you're that close to it. Wrestlers spilling outside, hitting the barricades feet from where we sat, lying around the ring catching their breath. Somewhere in there the smell of Deep Heat hit me, and I've not quite been able to separate that smell from live wrestling since.
Next up was Ethan Allen vs. Connor Mills. Two wrestlers I'd never heard of, which, not long ago, I'd have taken as a warning sign. I'd turned down invites to independent shows in the past for that exact reason. No familiar names on the card meant no quality, or so I assumed. Bingo hall wrestling. Ethan Allen had an intense, aggressive quality to him. Connor Mills was the quieter, cooler character, a striker with a technical edge. The match wasn't a showstealer, but it was genuinely solid, and two wrestlers I'd never heard of had made me sit up and pay attention. Connor Mills is one of my favourite wrestlers on the British independent scene, to this day.
Ricky Knight Jr. came to the ring covered in body paint and a mask, accompanied by two other masked individuals that were revealed as Saraya (Paige) and her brother Zak Knight, Ricky's real-life aunt and uncle. Saraya was the first wrestler that I recognised, so it was quite cool to see her in person. It was a decent match, and I was impressed by both wrestlers. Zozaya has the energy of a golden retriever, innocent and giddy. RKJ has a hard-hitting brutal style, and the pairing was perfect, with the crowd reacting to his offence as if he was hurting a real puppy. He really knows how to work the crowd, though one of the funniest chants of the night broke out during this match, in reference to his skull and blood splattered KILLER body paint:
Shit Finn Balor clap clap clap clap clap ... Shit Finn Balor clap clap clap clap clap
The Six Way Scramble match for the RevPro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Title was the first match where I was familiar with some of the wrestlers in action, Dante Martin from AEW and El Phantasmo from NJPW, alongside Leon Slater, who I didn't recognise at the time but was already working for TNA. Very solid match, with plenty of fun spots. I was particularly impressed with El Phantasmo who, as the veteran, seemed to be acting as ring general, and elevated all of his opponents.
I was looking forward to the Tomohiro Ishii match, familiar with him from AEW TV more than NJPW. JJ Gale came out first, another name I didn't recognise, to what seemed like a good reaction from those who did. Then, we heard him before we saw him. A siren, a dog barking, and everyone on their feet. From the third row, we couldn't see him until he finally arrived at ringside: a mean, no-nonsense, walking boulder. Tomohiro Ishii. The man has an aura. Clearly a capable wrestler, but one who can deliver a lot from very little.
The Women's No Disqualification Ten Person Tag Match was carnage. Nightshade was busted open by the end, Rhio absorbed kendo stick shots to the back, and Kanji was the kind of underdog you couldn't help but root for. The Cut Throat Collective, a heel faction with matching gear and signature poses, were the highlight. We became fans on the spot, and it was easy to see why some of them became successful elsewhere: Alex Windsor signing with AEW, Safire Reed trying out for NXT, and Nina Samuels working across the British scene including EVE: Riot Grrrls of Wrestling and even Clash of the Comics. All the more disappointing, then, that the Cut Throat Collective would slowly fall apart with nothing to fill the void they left. We've not seen a match quite like that one since.
Donovan Dijak vs. Gabe Kidd, the NJPW Strong Openweight Champion at the time. A short match, barely ten minutes, and not one that left a lasting impression.
Sunshine Machine (Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper) challenged the Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) for the RevPro Undisputed British Tag Team Titles. A short video package played ahead of the match, covering Sunshine Machine's road to the title shot and teasing a split if they came up short again. As someone new to the promotion, it was a welcome bit of context. Their entrance theme was cheesy and undeniably catchy, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Chuck Mambo was cosplaying Wakka from Final Fantasy X. The match itself was a solid, classic tag affair. Good spots, all the usual tropes. TK Cooper appeared to abandon his partner at the crucial moment, only to return, save Chuck Mambo, and win the titles.
Dani Luna defended the RevPro Undisputed British Women's Title against Mina Shirakawa. Mina was clearly a crowd favourite, known for her elaborate entrance dance, though the angle from our seats meant I missed it. My wife, on our celebratory anniversary weekend, was not particularly sympathetic about this. A contrast to the carnage that had come before, the match was fought entirely in the ring, with Mina methodically working the leg throughout. She picked up the win with a figure-four leglock. A surprising title change, since Mina wasn't a regular RevPro competitor, meaning the title was leaving UK shores for an unknown length of time.
The penultimate match was the one that had sold me on the card: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hechicero. I didn't follow NJPW regularly, but I'd seen enough of ZSJ to become a fan. His technical and submission wrestling is, to my mind, the best in the world. His character is just as good. A cheeky, sarcastic, opinionated Englishman. Seeing him live, on home soil, was what I had been looking forward to most.
Hechicero I knew less well, but I understood he had a similar style to ZSJ, and anticipated it would be an excellent pairing. He was also, I'm fairly confident, the source of every molecule of Deep Heat in the building.
I can't really describe the match. Chain wrestling, counters, and transitions so smooth that I was still processing how they got from A to B while they were already at C. It was hypnotic. The crowd was electric, and heavily behind ZSJ on home soil. Directly behind us, a small group of Hispanic fans were loudly supporting Hechicero, and the friendly back-and-forth chants added to the atmosphere.
The finish saw ZSJ fold Hechicero into something that arguably shouldn't be possible and hold him there until he tapped. I have a photo, but it just doesn't come close to capturing the moment.
After the match, ZSJ took the microphone. He had just won the G1 Climax, becoming the first British competitor to ever win the tournament. He apologised for not having the trophy with him, but promised to return with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Well, that's a story for another time.
The main event was Luke Jacobs challenging Michael Oku for the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title.
Jacobs is one half of the Young Guns alongside Ethan Allen, who had made an impression earlier in the evening. He came out in a cowboy hat and bandana, to Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive". Licensed music is something you rarely hear in televised wrestling; the cost likely makes it prohibitive for most. Whether independent promotions are more willing to take the risk, or the price is simply lower at this level, it certainly adds something, and it made for a memorable entrance.
Oku came out with his manager Amira, who dressed for the occasion, as she often does.
Again, two wrestlers I'd never heard of made me sit up and pay attention, something I wouldn't have anticipated at the start of the evening. Following ZSJ vs Hechicero, stealing the show was always going to be a challenge, but they put on a banger: hard-hitting, athletic, with the crowd growing more invested as it built to a crescendo over thirty minutes. Another title change to close out the night, with Jacobs becoming champion.
The show closed with Tomohiro Ishii making his way back to the ring to stare down the new champion.
The third row was a different experience entirely compared with our seats in the stands at NXT, 9 years prior. Close enough to see facial expressions, to hear the impacts, and to smell Deep Heat. The quality from top to bottom had dismantled whatever preconceptions I still had about independent wrestling. I came in expecting a solid night out before the main event the following day. I left having watched a match that was easily in my top five matches ever. We immediately agreed that we would return to RevPro.
With AEW at Wembley Stadium still to come, the bar had been set.