Tag Archives: David Francisco

Purpose Wrestling – March of the Dogs 08/07/22 – 2.5⭐

Back in the library! This was a fun show with multiple comedy moments, a title unveiling and one of my new favourite wrestlers in Bullit.

The 87 Vs East City Sovereigns – 2.5⭐

The opening match was a great way to get the crowd involved and set the pace for the night. The East City Sovereigns came out to a lot of boos and worked them from then on.

The two teams had a good tag match, sharing the offence nearly 50/50. ECS had some good heel comedy moments with the 87 looking the stronger and more dominant team. The highlight of the match for me was a huge jumping knee from Banks!

The finish came after some chasing and a distraction for ECS to hit water mist and a roll up for the win.

Rob Lias Vs David Francisco – 2⭐

Lias cut a promo before the match, giving it some heat, calling Francisco out for being selfish about his promotion.

The match was mainly David getting worked over and Rob taking the majority of the offence, sandwich with some power strikes Francisco gave out at the start and end of the match.

Francisco locked in a submission and Rob taped out, a good match that kept the crowd into the show.

The Super Chapman Bros. Vs The 0121 – 2.5⭐

After Deriss’ entrance rap, there was a good comedy bit where mad Kurt insisted on rapping better. To his credit, Mad Kurt wasn’t awful at it.

The match began and it was heavy on comedy spots, the 0121 took most the offence and no sold a lot of the Chapman’s soft strikes. At one point Deriss was chased off leaving Moloney to take them both on, and doing so. Deriss returned with water and a sandwich.

Towards the end Mad Kurt hit a flurry of attacks which was followed up by a huge Drilla from Dan Moloney to get the win. A fun match, but in my opinion one that went maybe 5 mins too long. Also, I love Dan Moloney, but think he works much better as a heel, but that’s just me.

Oli Peace & Bullit Vs Alexander & Taylor – 3⭐

This was my first time seeing everyone in this match, and it was my personal match of the night. I love Bullit! Alexander and Taylor I think were both great babyfaces in peril, and Peace was a fun Heel hiding behind his monster.

This for me put over Peace as a new heel force to be reckoned with, behind the muscle of Bullit. Alexander and Taylor both played their part great, with some nice comeback moments and fight backs.

But Bullit was too strong, and frequently threw one of the faces into the corner, asking for the other to be tagged in. Then when I couldn’t love him more, he hit a huge spine buster. Bullit got the win with a big powerbomb.

Ava White Vs Amira – 2.5⭐

Amira finally got booked, and she was great. In full Alex Windsor cosplay, she got the whole crowd behind her. For White to attack straight away and get a very very close pinfall (which I fully bought).

Ava White worked the majority of the match, working slowly and methodically. Amira had a good comeback moment, hitting some good moves on the outside and getting pumped up.

The end came very quickly though, White just pinned her all of a sudden. I think this could have been a great match if there was more of a 3rd act to it, especially after the hot start.

Destination Everywhere Vs Breaks & Bryant – 3⭐

The main event was great, and everyone came out better than going in, with the offence being shared pretty evenly throughout the match.

With multiple high spots throughout the match, one including a suicide dive into the recycling bin, it was mainly the final few minutes that had the main story beat.

Mills and Breaks will challenge for the first Purpose Championship next month, and Mills couldn’t pin Breaks. They wiped Nino out after a tombstone on the outside with Oku’s top rope dive.

When it was practically 2 on 1, Breaks was hit with move after move, and kept kicking out. Until he managed to roll Connor Mills up, Nino held Oku and the babyfaces won.

After the match, the handsome bastards tag team ran down to attack the faces, Connor unveiled the new belt and posed with it. The attack continued for the locker room to empty and save Breaks and Nino.

Purpose Wrestling – Lightspeed 10/06/22 – 2.5⭐

First time seeing a Purpose show live, and it was pretty great. A small crowd in the middle of a library is just a crazy and amazing place for some wrestling.

Teens with Attitude Vs Cali Gray & Harry Sefton – 2⭐

The opener was a fun tag match that told the classic story of heel Vs baby-face. TWA came out with a lot of energy and that lifted the crowd for the entire show.

Gray and Sefton took most of the offence for this (Gray’s look was pretty cool too) as they built for the faces hot tag. They was a nice suicide dive sequence and the finish came when TWA hit a top rope crossbody, with the other on his hands and knees behind, similar to the school yard push over position.

The match had its clunky moments but all 4 guys are great and I can see them having more and bigger matches in the future. I’m not sure if Seftons face was injured or the Cody Rhodes-esque mask was a gimmick, but this definitely got a “meme” reaction from the fans.

Skye Smitson Vs Laura Dimatteo – 2.5⭐

First impressions of Smitson, loved her look and she had an awesome move set. Dimatteo is also a fantastic baby-face.

The two worked a fun match, as the crowd was easily split 50/50. Smitson hit an awesome gutwrench powerbomb style move. There was a great springboard reversal by her too, as Laura hopped onto the middle rope, Smitson kicked the top rope throwing her balance off.

After a few comebacks by Laura, she locked in her submission and got the win. A fun match that got the crowd more into the show.

Armstrong & Lynch Vs Easy City Sovereigns – Losing team must disband – 3⭐

High stakes for this match, and good heel work from both Saeed and Singh made this match feel big. As Armstrong and Lynch made their entrance, the Sovereigns attacked them from behind.

There was an injury angle as JJ’s knee was taken out, leaving a 2 on 1 as it was building to the inevitable return. When Rex finally made the tag, the pace picked up.

There were some great near falls from both teams, the ending came when Rex was held in the corner, and JJ was hit by a DDT and pinned. This was a good match with big stakes, the end I felt took a while to get too and the momentum was drained. Also JJ’s leg should’ve been sold a bit more whilst doing some moves, to really put over why he couldn’t be there at the start.

Connor Mills Vs Nino Bryant – Championship Semi Final – 3⭐

This was my first time seeing a heel Mills, and it worked very well. Also seeing Nino for the first time, and he was awesome. The match started slow and Mills took the majority of the offence.

The match picked up when Nino had Mills down for a pin, for Oku to run out and put a leg on the rope, keeping him safe. Again, first time seeing a fully heel Oku and I think it worked well.

After a ref bump and a couple low blows, Mills managed to get the cheap victory and advance to the final. They both started attacking Nino which led to a lights out reveal for Solomon Lamb.

Nino chased Mills off and the Last Man Standing match began.

Michael Oku Vs Solomon Lamb – Last Man Standing – 3.5⭐

This match started off very sports entertainment, with empty drink cans being used, Oku ran out with a big soft play thing, library books to the heads. They moved round the ring and fought to the stage, Lamb threw Oku into a box on wheels and pushed him into the ring post. It then went from 0-100 real quick.

After Oku hit a springboard moonsault onto a empty chair (sat up), Lamb went to the back and brought out a 2×4 piece of wood, with barbed wire wrapped round. BARBIE!!!

A couple shots with that to Oku, and this match shifted gear dramatically. Lamb took barbed wire to the head and busted him open. Oku climbed one of the book shelves to jump into Solomon’s arm wrapped in barbed wire.

Then the thumbtacks came out. Oku took a huge bump off the top rope onto them, Lamb then took a bulldog head first into them. The match began to come to an end as Oku grabbed something from under the ring, and hit Lamb in the face with his Rev Pro Cruiserweight belt.

Oku hit a huge frog splash whilst wearing the belt, onto Lamb with a chair lying on him. The ref began the count and Oku rolled out the ring to get to his feet on the count of 9.

An unexpectedly violent match, but a great one. Last man standing matches for me always seem to have the full periods while waiting for the ref to count, but I feel these two work around this well. After the match Lamb stood up and yelled at Oku “I’m still standing”. Hopefully suggesting another match between the two down the line.

David Francisco Vs Jordon Breaks – Championship Semi Final – 3⭐

After the ring got cleaned up, it was time for the main event, semi final match. It was always going to be tough to follow that match, but after a quiet and slow start, both men worked the crowd back into the match.

Throughout the match they had some good back and forth, with hard slaps and nice reversals. Breaks worked on Francisco’s left arm and fingers during it, putting his Kimora style finisher on multiple times.

Francisco hit a Gotch piledriver for Banks to kick out at 2.9, as he managed to lock his submission on Francisco again to make him tap out. Banks will face Mills in the final in August.

A good main event with high stakes and kept the crowd guessing the outcome.

Rev Pro – Live in London 61 08/05/22 – 3⭐

Back at the 229 for the final show before Epic Encounter! A great crowd made even louder with frequent fire alarms at the start of the show.

David Francisco Vs Remi Adetunji – 2⭐

The opener set the pace for the night with hard hitting action. It was my first time seeing Remi but he came out with lots of energy and the crowd responded well to this.

These two put on a good match, getting over Remi’s move set, and him picking up the win with a spine buster (and I love a spine buster).

If treated right Remi could go far, a good look and nice move set. David played his part well and continues to help others get over.

Lykos Gym Vs Callum Newman & JJ Gale – 2.5⭐

Callum Newman is FAST! Fantastic and very exciting to watch. Lykos gym came out and worked the crowd from the start. Playing up to the chants and using multiple heelish tactics.

After a few near falls, Lykos gym went to their ‘man bag’ and used an exercise band on Newman to pick up the win. A good match which got both teams over.

Destination Everywhere Promo

Oku and Mills came out to put over the Tag League starting in a few weeks. Oku was then asked who he would face at Epic Encounter on the 22nd May. Mills grabbed the mic and challenged him for the Cruiserweight Championship.

The seeds of descent have played for months now so the match makes sense. I can see this being the start of a longer blood feud, but for now it seems as if it’s just a tag team seeing “who the better man is”. The promo did the job and the crowd seemed excited to see this match.

Chuck Mambo Vs Shota Umino – 2.5⭐

Furthering the Legion storyline Gideon Grey came out to introduce Shota, with Umino continuing to ignore him.

In one of the more colourful matches with Mambos glitter and Uminos tights, these two also put on a very good match. Mambos high flying moves against the Japanese style of Shota contrasted well.

Shota picked up the win with the Death Rider, leading to Gideon giving his cane to Mambo. This tricked Shota thinking Mambo was about to attack him and the two brawled to the back. This could’ve been done differently in my opinion as it makes Shota look a bit foolish, it was obviously Gideon’s cane.

RKJ Vs Lee Hunter – 3.5⭐

This match started in 4th gear and did not slow down. It started with Hunter getting chopped then running through the crowd, being chased and chopped by RKJ.

Once back in the ring they continued to hit big move after big move. The biggest being back on the floor, the crowd had to move from their seats, for RKJ to hit a huge suplex onto the empty seats. A massive bump for Hunter.

They then teased Hunter hitting a superplex from the top rope to the floor, but RKJ countered and showed a lot of strength lifting Hunter above his head and crashing him into the ring.

RKJ picked up the victory and signalled for the belt, hinting towards a future Ospreay re-match.

Robbie X Vs Joshua James – 2.5⭐

A real David Vs Goliath story, because James is a big lad! Throughout the match they teased Robbie lifting his opponent and kept building to it.

After avoiding James and hitting quick strikes, Robbie finally got Joshua over his head, then hit a cutter to get the win. A solid match to put Robbie’s speed and strength over.

Alex Windsor & Maya Matthews Vs Rhia O’Reilly & Nightshade -2⭐

The majority of this match had Matthews as the baby-face in peril, and this got her over hard when she started her comebacks.

Windsor and O’Reilly eventually brawled out the ring and to the back, leaving Nightshade and Matthews on the ring. Matthews managed to get a roll up victory to a good pop.

TK Cooper Vs Yota Tsuji – 3⭐

Strong strikes! These two had multiple great strike exchanges. Both men were over with the crowd with chants for TK and Tsuji.

The ending played into the Legion story as Yota was setting up for a move, Gideon jumped on the apron to hand the cane to him. Yota ran straight past TK and nailed Gideon. This allowed TK to get the quick pin on a distracted Tsuji.

After Gideon jumped TK, which led to Yota saving him. Mambo ran out for the save, which led to Gideon going back to get Shota to come out. Gideon offered Shota to join Legion temporarily with Yota going into the Tag League. Umino accepted.

Once again, something felt a bit off having Yota save Gideon, and Shota just believing everything Gideon says and does. But Yota and Shota teaming is always great.

United Empire Vs Destination Everywhere & Like Jacobs – 4⭐

A fantastic main event. Filled with star power and long term storytelling. Oku’s entrance was interrupted by Connor Mills, furthering their tension. Then United Empire came out and the whole room’s mood shifted.

Ospreays presence is enough to get him booed out most building, with Aussie Open standing either side of him, they just look and feel on another level.

All 6 men gave it everything, with power bombs into the brick walls and a top rope moonsault to the floor. The finish came with Ospreay hitting the hidden blade on Jacobs.

United Empire Promo

After the match, Aussie Open cut a promo on Velocity to build towards Epic Encounter. Then Ospreay spoke about Suzuki, until Kaze Ni Nara started playing.

For a split second I thought it could actually be Minoru Suzuki, then realised I was probably being worked, for Mad Kurt to come out.

Ospreay cut a promo on Kurt asking him to leave, for Kurt to respond “Ok Boomer”. A chair shot to the head followed, busting Mad Kurt open. Newman and Gale ran out for the save along with the contenders for them to be taken out by Aussie Open and Ospreay.

RKJ was the last to come out, with Ospreay offering him a rematch, if he could defeat Jeff Cobb at Epic Encounter. A good way to announce the match and it adds another match with high stakes.

Rev Pro – Day of Reckoning 3 09/04/22 – 3⭐

The evening show from Huntingdon had lots of story going into it set up earlier in the day, and it did not disappoint. A combination of great in-ring work and fan interaction resulted in a good night.

Gideon Grey Vs David Francisco – 2.5⭐

Starting the show with Gideon got the crowd involved straight away. He came out to thunderous boos and continued to get heat throughout the match.

Once again, David was a great baby face to get behind and had another close count out spot (more of this please David).

A simple match of heel works face built to Gideon getting his comeuppance. However Gideon hit a low blow behind the refs back to get the cheated win.

Alex Windsor Vs La Taylor – 2.5⭐

La Taylor came out to a quiet reaction but managed to get more and more boos as the night went on. Her debut Rev Pro match allowed her to show she can go toe to toe with the champ and not look out of place.

The two had some good back and forth, Windsor showing why she is currently to top women in the company.

Windsor got the win, and left Taylor to walk to the back after. This gave her a chance to get some more heat on exit.

Luke Jacobs Vs Dan Maloney – 3.5⭐

The start of this match had Maloney working the crowd and avoiding to start the match. This was followed by hard hitting action and more heel shenanigans from Maloney.

Jacobs showed off his strength throughout the match, and had everyone in the room behind him to win.

After a series of multiple near falls, fast paced action and Maloney insulting the fans some more, he managed to pick up the huge win in a great match.

Shota Umino Vs Connor Mills – 3⭐

This was a match that had Connors high flying skill take on the technical strong style of Shota. And the match clicked at several points.

Once again, plenty of near falls and false finishes all built up to Shota gaining the win. This lead into the post match as Gideon Grey and Lucian Phillips came out to offer Umino a place in Legion.

Umino declined which led to Lucian and Grey beating down Mills. Yota was first to come out for the save, then Oku came out to attack Yota in some miss-communication.

Shota came back for the save and led Yota to the back whilst Legion continued the beat down, which led into the next match.

Michael Oku Vs Lee Hunter (British Cruiserweight Championship) – 3.5⭐

Oku, still laid out in the ring, Hunter slowly came out with the stolen belt, and gave a huge belt shot to Oku’s head.

After a few minutes Oku gave the thumbs up and the match began, and Hunter hit big move after big move at the start which resulted in multiple late kick outs.

The longer the match went, the more offence Oku managed to get in. Failing to lock in the half crab throughout, he got Hunter in it at the end, forcing the tap out.

Sunshine Machine Vs Robbie X & RKJ – 3.5⭐

This was my most anticipated match of the day, and it did not disappoint. All 4 of these guys started the match at a quick pace and didn’t let up.

The highlight of the match when Robbie X and Mambo were both holding the other team members stood in the middle of the top rope, and all 4 men started a hockey fight.

This fast paced match included high spots and false finishes, until Maloney, Hunter, and Pure Beef ran down to the interference. This resulted in a no contest and a stare down with RKJ offering an 8 man tag. The heels declined and the show ended.

The no contest allowed for the story to progress but hindered the match for me.

Rev Pro – Live in Huntingdon 4 09/04/22 – 3⭐

The show that started the blog! Sat in the front row in the Commentation Hall was great fun. It’s a small venue allowing for the wrestlers to really interact with the crowd and us fans to feel the impact of every bump.

This was the first of two shows on Saturday, allowing for lots of story telling between matches to set up the evening show nicely.

Dan Maloney Vs Robbie X – 3.5⭐

Two guys that make me more of a fan each time I see them wrestle. Maloney’s heel work improves each time, the hall was a perfect venue for him to chat to the crowd and build heat easily. Up against one of the best baby faces in Rev Pro created a fantastic clash of characters.

These two gelled well, from Maloney’s hard chops and crowd work to Robbie’s high flying move set this was entertaining throughout.

The end came after a back and forth, Robbie began building momentum, climbing to the top rope until Maloney shoved the ref into the ropes. Losing balance, Robbie fell and Maloney hit him with the Drilla.

Lee Hunter Vs RKJ – 3⭐

Ricky Knight Jr is a great ‘tough guy’ face, verging on the tweener side at times. Up against the arrogant Hunter made for some great moments in this match.

It was fast paced and involved some very good sequences throughout, including lots of believable near falls towards the end.

The finish involved Dan Maloney saving Hunter, followed by a beat down on RKJ. This brought Robbie X out for the save, as the faces then chased the heels out the room and onto the streets. The no contest helped the story progress, but sadly left a great match unfinished.

Lucian Phillips Vs David Francisco – 2.5⭐

First things first, the legions music is awesome! Lucian is a great monster heel, with big power moves, an awesome chop, and able to work the crowd well responding to the chants.

David plays the part of the baby face in peril perfectly. I became a big fan of his in Southampton during his match against Dan Moloney. I hope every match he has includes a close count out spot!

This was essentially a squash match but both men got good offence in and included some great false finishes for David that I bought.

Luke Jacobs Vs Yota Tsuji – 2.5⭐

This was a shift in match style, as both men began the opening sequence showing off their technical side.

Throughout the match, Yota would seem conflicted about using heelish tactics, playing into the Legion storyline and finish of the match. Jacobs showcased his stiff chops and power moves, including a huge spine buster.

After multiple near falls, they were both on the top rope, until Gideon Grey interfered instructing Yota to get down. This distraction caused Jacobs to get the upper hand and tap out Yota.

Pure Beef Vs Destination Everywhere – 2.5⭐

This was my first time seeing Pure Beef, and they are exactly that, BEEFY! Fighting the quick paced Oku and Mills, this match was truly David Vs Goliath.

Oku continues to connect with the crowd and get everyone in the room to root for him. After being worn down, he gave Mills the hot tag and the match didn’t slow down from this point. Even Blake and Kroos showed they aren’t just big guys but can keep up with the Cruiserweight division.

This match was used to showcase Pure Beef and set up the championship match for the evening show. When Hunter came out to steal Oku’s Title and was chased off by the champion. Leaving Mills to be hit by a wicked Top Rope tag finisher and take the pin.

Pure Beef continued the beat down, which left the tag champs Sunshine Machine running down for the save, building to their inevitable match in the future.

Alex Windsor Vs Lana Austin

Sadly the main event was finished early due to a shoot injury Lana picked up.

Before this, Lana was showing good heel work, from interactions with the crowd and in between the ropes. Windsor remains awesome, easily getting cheers and people behind her.

The match started with a slow build, Austin working Windsor over. Then just as Alex started to get her comeback and put some offence in, she connected with a huge stiff knee to Austin’s face.

The ref threw up the X and medics came over straight away, Windsor knelt next to her and helped her to the back. A sad way to end a fun show but hopefully Lana is back in the ring soon.