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debbiechanclub · 7 months

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Hit Me Like Bang (and Now I'm Never Looking Back), Part 2

A "Take My Hands, Wreck My Plans" fic

Pairings: David Finlay x OFC / past!Jay White x OFC Word Count: 11k Warnings: Language; alcohol use; radioactive levels of angst but also fluff; and a little smidge of smut so 18+

On the road to Dominion, Nellie's past and present converge to solidify the truth of what's been in front of her all along.

TMHWMP Timeline | Masterlist

Read it on AO3

A/N: Herein is the end of Nellie's story, and I am emotional :') Don't worry―there are more prequels forthcoming that will go more into her previous relationships and how she got here, but this is her happy ending.

One small note: there's quite a bit of flashback scenes in this chapter, and they're not in chronological order to each other, so pay attention to the dates. That said, this fic and Nellie truly are my baby, and thank you for coming on this two-plus-year journey with me. I hope you enjoy reading her story just as much as I've enjoyed creating it for you <3

tags: @aussiearrow @cowboyslariat @knifepervert @sldghmmr @cardblade @missbrownstone @meteora-fc @bec0m @thatgirlforever5 @rocca09 @aussiespam

Friday, April 14, 2023 Tokyo, Japan

It took about seven minutes bell-to-bell for Nellie to dispose of Mariah May in their title match at Korakuen Hall. She hadn’t even broken a sweat. But she’d anticipated short work. She’d already planned to make up for it in her backstage comments.

“Alright, I’ll make sure this is short and sweet just like that match,” she started as she stepped in front of the camera. “Do you see this title?” She held up the championship in her hand. “I have been the SWA World Champion since May fifth of last year. Twenty-twenty-two. That is three hundred and forty-five days, just twenty days short of an entire year. And no one here at World Wonder Ring Stardom seems to give a shit about it, or the verifiable fact that I am the only person in history to hold this title more than once!

“But here’s the thing: I know exactly why they don’t care. Because I’m a gaijin. Never mind that I’ve been dedicated to this company since twenty-eighteen; that I’ve lived in Japan for over three years, through a fucking pandemic; that I’ve learned the language. Apparently, none of that matters, because I’m still not from here. I’m still an outsider. And God forbid a gaijin become the face of Stardom, so what do they do? They hold me in place with this title that they clearly don’t give a shit about and allow me to defend it once a quarter. And Mariah May?” She scoffed. “Do you know how many times I’ve already beaten Mariah in title matches? Tonight makes three, and the other two were in her home country for the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship. So please, someone enlighten me: if Mariah May couldn’t get it done against me in her home country, why the fuck did anyone think she stood a chance against me here, in Korakuen of all places? I might be from Philly, but Tokyo is my home. Stardom is my home. The Stardom dojo beat me down, built me back up, and turned me into the joshi I am today, and in return I made history. And I refuse to be held in place any longer.

“Saya Kamitani. You’ve made history, too. We have history. Because see, everyone associates you with Hayashishita-san and me with Torrance—but you and I were partners first. We were Goddess of Stardom champions together. We’re both champions now. And at All Star Grand Queendom, I want you in a winner takes all match for my SWA World Championship, and your Wonder of Stardom Championship. And it’ll be a gaijin from Philadelphia who puts an end to your history-making reign.”

And with that she walked off camera, the gauntlet thrown.

* * * *

Sunday, October 30, 2022 Tokyo, Japan

Nellie was in good spirits. She was fresh off defending her SWA World Championship against Mayu Iwatani in New York City. Halloween was tomorrow, and David had come over for a horror movie marathon. He’d brought takeout from her favorite sushi place and a six-pack of Sapporo. She intended to tell him how she felt. And she couldn’t have been more nervous.

“Is everything alright?” he casually asked. “It seems like something’s on your mind.”

She brought her feet up to sit cross-legged on the couch and pulled her soft checkered fleece blanket over her lap. Of course he could tell something was on her mind—it was David. He paid attention. He was perceptive; emotionally mature. It was one of the many, many things that drew her to him, something that set him apart from most guys she’d been involved with in the past. And now, after her few days away, she knew for certain.

“Yeah… I, um,” she started. “I just guess I realized something when I was in New York.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“Well,” she stalled, nervous. But there was no turning back now—and she didn’t want to. “I went out with a few people after the show, and… Kyle Fletcher kissed me. But all it did was make me realize that I have feelings for someone else.”

David wasn’t looking at her as she said it, queuing up the first movie on her TV. And Nellie quickly started to overthink, worried that maybe he’d focus on the fact that Kyle had kissed her and not what she was trying to tell him—

But then the corner of his mouth quirked up. “Oh, yeah? Who’s the lucky guy?”

He glanced at her as he set down the remote. She pursed her lips at him. “Are you seriously gonna make me say it?”

“I kind of want you to, yeah.”

She bit back a grin. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that she worried he could hear it. “Well… I don’t know how he feels, so I’m kind of nervous to.”

“Well, let me clear things up for you, then…” David said, and he pulled her in and kissed her. Nellie melted into him. His lips were soft, his kiss slow and sweet, and the way he cradled her head in his hands felt natural, as if they’d done this a thousand times before. And she already knew she wanted to do it a thousand times more.

He pulled back from her lips but still held her close. “I’ve been wanting to do that for the last three months,” he said.

She grinned. “You have?”

“Yeah. And since we’re talking about it… I wasn’t sure how you felt. Sometimes it seemed like you were still hung up on Jay.”

Nellie sighed and leaned back into the couch. Admittedly, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Honestly, at the start of the summer, I was still hung up on him. And I think it was because I never got any definite closure when we broke up, and so when he showed up out of nowhere at Dontaku it did feel like there was still something there between us. And he made it seem like there was, too, which didn’t help at all. But then you came back for the G1, and we reconnected, and genuinely—you’ve put in more effort over the last three months than Jay ever put into our entire relationship. And that really put things into perspective for me. But then it was complicated, too, because I know how close you and Jay used to be, and sometimes I worried that getting involved with you after him would look… I don’t know… messy? As stupid as that sounds.”

“No, I get it,” David nodded. “No matter how you and Jay left things, there was a point in time when you cared about him, so of course you wouldn’t want to throw salt in a wound. I mean, there was a point in time when I cared about him, too; he was my best friend. But it’s not like you and Jay just broke up, and he and I aren’t as close as we used to be, either.” He reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear; Nellie’s skin tingled at his touch. “Besides… technically I went out with you first, anyway.”

She mirrored his grin. He wasn’t wrong about that, either. David had gone out with her first, on an awkward date back in 2017, the first time Nellie had ever set foot in Japan. Back before she’d met Zack, or Riley, or Kyle, or ever gotten involved with Jay—David had been first. But she hadn’t seen it then.

“Not technically—you did,” she confirmed. “And lately I’ve wondered how different things would be if I’d given you a chance back then.”

“Nah,” he returned with a shake of his head. “I was a clown back then; I don’t blame you for not giving me a chance. Plus, I’ve come to believe that everything meaningful happens when it’s supposed to.” He smiled to himself. “I was actually planning on telling you how I felt tonight. But you beat me to it.”

Nellie’s smile widened. “Oh yeah?”

He nodded. “Yeah. So, I guess I owe Kyle Fletcher a beer for kissing you and helping you figure shit out.”

“Ha!” she laughed, and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, and she snuggled into him, moving the blanket so that he was underneath it, too. It felt right—a perfect fit. And as David pressed play on the first movie, Nellie knew in her heart that this was when it was all supposed to fall into place, and not a moment sooner.

* * * *

“God, you are a sight for sore eyes.”

Nellie smiled at David through her phone screen. It was only a few days ago that he’d left, and he’d only be gone a few days more, working Capital Collision in Washington, D.C., and then Collision in Philadelphia before flying right back to Tokyo—to her. But Nellie already felt the ache of his absence.

“You have no idea how bad I wish you were here right now.” She settled back into her bed pillows, getting comfortable. “I have some pent-up energy that could really use working out.”

David grinned, crooked and handsome. It didn’t help her situation. “I know you do. I just watched your backstage comments.”

She waited, expecting him to say something more, wanting him to. After all, his opinion was the one that mattered most to her. “And?” she impatiently pressed.

“And it took everything in me not to share the video wherever I could,” he said. “I’m proud of you, babe. You already deserved that match; I don’t see how they can’t give it to you now.”

The ache in Nellie’s core deepened. But so did the warmth in her heart. “Thanks, babe. I’m hoping it’ll be official by tomorrow, but… we’ll see.”

“Do you have a match tomorrow?”

She laughed shortly to herself; the expression on her face said it all. “Yeah… a best two out of three falls eight-woman tag match. Me, Tam, Poi, and Mina against Donna del Mondo. It’s the main event.”

“Shit,” David commented before she’d even finished. “That’s gonna be charged.”

“Tell me about it,” she lowly returned. And then, “Thekla thinks I should take the opportunity to leave Cosmic Angels.”

“I was just about to say. It’s the perfect opportunity, isn’t it?”

She drew in a hesitant breath. “Potentially? Actually, if the Cosmic Angels-Club Venus shit finally hits the fan like I expect it to, it probably will be the perfect opportunity. I could just say they’re too dysfunctional and walk out. That’s exactly how I left Queen’s Quest.”

“Then I say do it,” David returned. “You’d be better served somewhere other than Cosmic Angels, I know you would. You know you would.”

“I do know I would,” she agreed. “I’m just… I don’t know. Worried about hurting people’s feelings even though I know I shouldn’t be.”

“Torrance will be fine,” David dismissed; it went without saying that she meant her. “She has Mariah and Mina.”

“No shit,” Nellie breathed. “They’re three peas in a pod these days. Which doesn’t really surprise me… Torr and Mariah are basically the same person in slightly different fonts.” David laughed at that. “Well, it’s true!” she doubled down.

“No, it is,” he nodded. “But I could always just say you’re Bullet Club, too. I’m sure that would get the point across to Tam.”

A grin spread over Nellie’s face. It felt inevitable that she would be Bullet Club, and sooner rather than later. But he’d reminded her. “Speaking of Bullet Club, are you gonna tell me who Riley’s replacement is yet?”

He smirked and shook his head. “No. That’s privileged information.”

Her eyebrows arched. “And I’m not privileged to it? I’m your girlfriend!”

“You’ll find out tomorrow,” he assured her. “Don’t worry—it’s someone you like. I can’t have anyone in Bullet Club who doesn’t get along with my girl.”

“Well, there’s some people you need to kick out, then,” she returned—just as she heard a knock-knock-knock on the front door of her apartment. She glanced toward the sound in confusion. David noticed.

“What?”

“Someone just knocked on my door.”

He looked confused then. “Isn’t it almost 10 p.m. there?” he asked. But Nellie was already pulling up the live feed from her video doorbell—and she saw a familiar figure.

“It’s Torr.” She sighed. Something told her she wasn’t just dropping by.

“I guess you should go, then,” David figured. Nellie’s brow furrowed.

“Probably. I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize,” he gently said. “I should probably get going myself, and you two are overdue for a talk.”

“Yeah… because I don’t want to have it,” she muttered.

David smirked. “Go, babe. I’ll talk to you later.”

She pouted. “Okay. See you soon,” she returned—and before they disconnected, she almost said it. I love you. She knew she did. But she wanted the first time she told him to be in person.

She left her phone in her bedroom and padded down the hall to the front door. She unlocked and opened it just as Torrance was getting ready to knock again. She quickly put her hand down, almost as if she was surprised Nellie had answered.

“Hey.” Torrance took in her appearance—pajamas on, makeup off. Her brow furrowed. “You weren’t in bed, were you?”

“Well, technically,” Nellie returned. “But I was talking with David.”

Torrance’s frown deepened. “Oh. I’m sorry, I should have texted—”

“No, it’s fine,” Nellie dismissed, and she opened the door wider so she could come inside. Torrance hesitated for a beat before she crossed the threshold. It was odd. They both had keys to each other’s apartments; it used to be that Torrance would just let herself in without so much as a knock. But a lot had changed over the last three months.

“What’s up?” Nellie asked as she shut the door. She noticed that Torrance was dressed for a night out in a shiny pink miniskirt and white bustier tank top, her hair and makeup done to perfection. And again, Torrance hesitated.

“Um, well,” she started with a bit of a nervous laugh. “I actually came over here to ask if you wanted to come out with us, but—”

“Who’s ‘us’?”

Torrance bit her lip. “Me, Mariah, and Mina.”

Nellie couldn’t help her laugh. “You’re joking, right?”

Torrance’s expression turned stony. “No, actually, I’m not.”

“Torr,” Nellie breathed out. “Come on. I literally just beat Mariah in a title match and then talked shit about her, you really think either of us want to hang out with each other?”

“Well, Mariah’s willing to put that aside because she knows you’re my best friend,” Torrance returned. She looked down at her hands. “And I feel like we’ve barely seen each other since… well, since the Triangle Derby started.”

So, since Club Venus became a thing, Nellie wanted to say. But she figured it wouldn’t help. “Because we haven’t,” she regretfully returned. “But it’s not intentional. You’ve just been doing your thing with Mariah and Mina, and I’ve been doing mine with Tam and Poi. Or I was. And I know I sort of went off into my own little world when David came back, so…”

Torrance looked back up at her. “Yeah, so are you and him…?”

“Together? Officially?” Nellie finished. “Yeah, we are,” she confirmed, and the mood lightened a bit. Torrance smiled.

“Took long enough.”

Nellie breathed a laugh. “I know. But I think it happened right when it was supposed to.”

“No, I think so, too,” Torrance agreed. “He’s good for you, I can tell. You’ve carried yourself differently ever since he came back; more confident.”

“Thanks,” Nellie genuinely returned. She’d noticed that change in herself, too. David was good for her. He was good to her. And she wasn’t the only one who’d changed. “You’ve been more confident with Club Venus, too.”

Torrance looked down again, the corners of her mouth turned up, almost as if she was bashful to hear that Nellie had noticed. “Yeah, they’ve really helped me come into my own. Mina really pushes me. And I don’t know… it just feels like we’re all on equal footing.”

Nellie nodded in understanding. “Unlike when we were a tag team?”

Torrance frowned again. “I wasn’t trying to imply—”

“No, I get it,” Nellie assured her. And she did get it. After she and Torrance had won the 2021 Goddesses of Stardom Tag League, throughout their entire reign as Goddess of Stardom Champions, people had said that Nellie carried Torrance. That Nellie was the better wrestler, that Torrance would never be champion without her. So, it was no wonder Torrance felt more confident with Mariah and Mina. People weren’t comparing her to them; instead, they were acknowledging how much she’d improved. And as much as Nellie didn’t care for Club Venus, she still wanted the best for Torrance.

“And for what it’s worth, I never felt like I was carrying our team,” she told her. “I should have told you that back then. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“No, I know you never felt that way,” Torrance returned, and nothing else needed to be said. She and Nellie understood each other. They always had.

“But… I guess I can’t persuade you to get dressed and come out with us?” she added.

Nellie shook her head. “Not a chance.”

Torrance nodded. “It was worth a shot.” She started for the door. “Well, sorry for interrupting your call with your man.” She stopped. “I didn’t interrupt… something, did I?”

Nellie let out a laugh. “No, it wasn’t one of those calls. He’ll be back Tuesday; I think I can manage ‘til then.”

“Tuesday?” Torrance noted. “Okay, I’ll be sure to steer clear of here that whole day.”

She let herself out, and Nellie told her to have a glass of water for every drink—she had to work tomorrow. And as Torrance waved goodbye and Nellie shut the door, she knew that neither of them were the same people anymore. They’d grown. Professionally, apart. But not in their hearts.

* * * *

Sunday, November 20, 2022 NJPW/Stardom Historic X-Over – Tokyo, Japan

If anyone was surprised at how well Cosmic Queendom and Aussie Open worked together in the ring, it wasn’t Nellie, Torrance, Kyle, or Mark. It felt like they’d been teaming together for years, and the deeper they got into the match against Los Ingobernables de Japon and Fukuoka Double Crazy, the more Nellie knew they were creating something special for fans of NJPW and Stardom alike. But it wasn’t all serious. Nellie couldn’t help but mess with Sanada and Naito a bit—a callback to her days in Suzuki-gun with Zack. In the end, it was Torrance who got the pin over Koguma after she and Nellie surprised Mark and Kyle by doing Coriolis. And when their arms were raised in victory, Nellie almost wished that she and Torrance had joined United Empire like they’d half-joked about a year ago.

Almost.

More members of United Empire greeted them as they returned backstage; Jeff Cobb, Great O-Khan, and Aaron Henare’s match against Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, and Great Muta was next. Mark and Kyle exchanged “Crowns Up” with all their teammates—and then Jeff looked expectantly at Nellie.

“Come on, you know you want to,” he tempted, wiggling his hands at her.

“Fine; but only for you,” she reluctantly gave in, and she made a crown with her hands and touched her fingers to his.

“I don’t know,” Jeff teased, his voice raising leadingly. “After seeing that Coriolis, I think there’s definitely a spot for Cosmic Queendom in the Empire.”

“Ha!” Torrance bluntly dismissed. Jeff pressed his mouth into a line.

“Okay, maybe just a spot for Nellie, then.”

“Yeah, how long have you two been planning that?” Mark asked, tactfully shifting the focus away from the ghost of Torrance and Will’s relationship. Thank God Will was elsewhere.

“Not long; we only just thought of trying it a few days ago,” Nellie said. “You’re not upset we did it?”

She looked hesitantly between Mark and Kyle, but they both quickly shook their heads. “Hell no, it was perfect,” Kyle assured, and Nellie smiled. They’d talked everything out that night he’d kissed her three weeks ago in New York City, and there wasn’t any awkwardness at all between them. They’d had a fling a year ago that just hadn’t panned out, and that was that. They were just friends. Easy.

“Well, thanks,” she said. “But Torr and I are kind of a package deal, so if she’s not in, I’m not, either. Sorry, Jeff.”

“A package deal?” O-Khan slyly asked. Torrance’s eyes widened.

“Not that kind of package deal!” she proclaimed. And then, more under her breath, “Not that anyone hasn’t asked me that before, but.”

Nellie whipped her head around at her. “Wait, what?”

“Yes, please share with the class,” Jeff eagerly added, propping his chin on his fist. But O-Khan’s entrance music started to play and inadvertently gave Torrance the perfect out from answering.

“Good luck!” she said, and the guys all groaned and booed after them as she and Nellie left. Nellie could tell by Torrance’s clipping pace that she was keyed up.

“You alright?”

“I need to get out of here and get a drink,” she returned. “How many more matches are there?”

“Um,” Nellie thought about it for a second. “Three, I think? But that reminds me—Gabe invited us out with the LA Dojo guys. I told him I wasn’t sure if you had anything in mind already and would let him know.” She shrugged. “I don’t know, it could be fun. Although that Clark guy seems like he might be trouble.”

“I don’t have anything in mind,” Torrance returned. “And honestly, I’m up for a bit of trouble.”

And that was how, later that night, they found themselves at a dive bar in Roppongi with Gabriel Kidd, Clark Connors, and Alex Coughlin. There had been more people with them at the outset, but one by one they’d dropped off bar after bar and called it a night. But not Nellie and Torrance. They were both familiar with Gabe from his time as a Young Lion, although they hadn’t seen him in a year-and-a-half. As for Clark and Alex, the girls barely knew either of them—but the guys seemed very keen on changing that.

“How the hell is it we haven’t hung out before tonight?” Clark asked Nellie, turning toward her as they sat together at the bar. “I know you were around when I was here in twenty-nineteen.”

“Probably because I was around, but I wasn’t living here yet,” she explained. “I moved here in twenty-twenty, right before everything shut down.”

“Yeah, Nell and I were in that same shitty boat,” Gabe said. “At least you weren’t stuck quarantined in fucking dojo housing.”

She snorted through her nose. “No, I was just stuck quarantined with my ex.”

“No shit!” Clark exclaimed. “Who’s that?”

“Jesus, Clark, mind your business!” Alex shot, his New York accent becoming even more pronounced. Torrance chuckled beside him.

“It’s fine,” Nellie dismissed with a wave of her hand. “It was Zack. Sabre Jr.,” she added, as if there was another pro wrestler named Zack living in Japan.

“Oh shit, you were with ZSJ, weren’t you?” Clark realized. “Actually, now that you mention it, I remember working a RevPro show with you, him, and Suzuki a few years back. Both of y’all were there too,” he said to Alex and Gabe.

They both nodded. “Yeah, bruv, I know exactly what show you’re talking about,” Gabe confirmed. “And clearly Nellie has a thing for Brits, so we should switch spots.”

Clark flipped him off. “You want another drink?” he asked Nellie.

“Nah, I’ll get it,” Gabe said, already flagging down the bartender.

“How about I get us all the next round?” Alex interjected. “You two are embarrassing yourselves.”

Clark and Gabe both let Alex know exactly what they thought of that, and Nellie took the opportunity to slide off her barstool. “Well, while you guys figure it out, I’m gonna run to the bathroom.”

“I’ll go with you,” Torrance said.

“It’s a one-stall bathroom,” Clark pointed out.

“Well, good thing I’m going just so we can talk about the three of you, then,” she sweetly returned, and Nellie laughed at the look on Clark’s face as they both walked away.

“Looks like you have your pick of Clark and Gabe tonight,” Torrance smirked once they were out of earshot. Nellie genially rolled her eyes.

“Come on… you know I’m not available.”

“Yeah, I know,” Torrance started—and Nellie could sense it coming.

“But?”

“But,” she went on. “As much as I want things to work out with you and David, you’ve already spent enough time waiting on guys, Nell. More than enough, more than you ever should have. I mean, speaking of Zack—he’s literally the only guy since I’ve known you who didn’t leave you in some sort of limbo.”

Nellie’s eyebrows arched. “Jesus, when you put it like that.” She tried the restroom door handle as they arrived, but it was occupied, and so they both leaned back against the wall on either side of the hall to wait.

“I’m just being honest,” Torrance returned.

“No, I know,” Nellie breathed; and, admittedly, Torrance did have a point.

David had left Japan less than a week after he and Nellie had finally told each other how they felt; and with no timetable for when he’d be back, they’d made the mutual decision not to put a label on anything. “That would make me no better than Jay, and I refuse to do that to you,” David had said. But it didn’t dishearten Nellie. Instead, it emboldened her. Because, to her, it confirmed that what she and David had wasn’t conditional. It was real.

“And I get what you’re saying, I do,” she told Torrance. “But it doesn’t feel like I’m in a limbo this time, Torr, and I can’t explain it other than to say I just have this deep-seated feeling in my soul that David and I have something real that’s worth waiting for. I mean, we’ve talked every single day since he left, and I sure as shit couldn’t say that about Jay when he was stuck in the States, and we were actually in a relationship.”

“I know,” Torrance nodded. “David’s a good guy, and I have a lot more faith in him than most, I do. But I’m just saying… I’ll still kick his ass if I have to.”

Nellie grinned. “I know you will. But I’m telling you you won’t.” The restroom door opened, and a woman smiled and bowed her head at them as she exited. “You go ahead,” Nellie offered Torrance.

“Okay, cool; turns out I do have to go,” she said, and she ducked inside and locked the door behind her as Nellie fished her phone out of her small crossbody bag. The clock widget on her home screen informed her it was after 10 a.m. on the East Coast of the U.S., but David was in Los Angeles filming an episode of NJPW Strong; ironically, he had an eight-man tag match against a team that included Jay and Riley. But she decided to text him, anyway. Even if he wasn’t up, he’d get back to her when he was.

She pulled up their text chain and smiled seeing their messages from just a few hours ago; he’d gotten up in the middle of the night to watch her and Torrance’s Historic X-Over match live. Torr and I are out with the LA Dojo guys, she wrote. I’m having fun, but it’s also just making me miss you.

She sent it off and switched over to Instagram, not expecting a reply. But then David’s name popped up on her screen.

Are you? They’re good guys, don’t let their antics fool you. And I miss you too, every day.

Butterflies. Meaningful ones.

They exchanged a few more texts before Torrance emerged from the bathroom, and Nellie told him she’d let him go to start his day. Okay, let me know when you make it back home, he wrote back. You know I’ll start to worry if I don’t hear from you.

I know, she returned, and she sent it off with a kissy face emoji. Because even though there wasn’t a label on her and David’s relationship, in every other way, every way that mattered, they were together.

* * * *

Sunday, April 23, 2023 Stardom All Star Grand Queendom – Yokohama, Japan

Doggedness and determination. That’s what Nellie was running on by the end of the winner takes all match against Saya Kamitani.

She’d been prepared, thoroughly. But as well as Nellie knew Saya, she wasn’t used to being opposite her, at least not one-on-one, and she realized early on that she couldn’t afford a single misstep. But the reverse was also true—and unlike Nellie, Saya had nothing to gain or prove. She’d surpassed the record set by Momo Watanabe for defenses of the Wonder of Stardom Championship, eclipsed Kairi by more than one hundred days to become the white belt’s second-longest reigning champion, her position as one of Stardom’s best and brightest secure. She had nothing to fight for outside maintaining the status quo.

But Nellie had everything to gain, everything to prove, everything to fight for. Despite being a long-tenured champion herself, despite being the older and more experienced wrestler of the two, she was decidedly the underdog. That was her motivation, her drive, her fire. And by the halfway point, there were more people cheering for Nellie in Saya’s hometown crowd than there had been at the opening bell. If she lost, at least she would have that.

But she won.

She knew she’d done it as soon as she hit her new finisher, a variation on a lifting reverse STO that she’d worked out with David and dubbed the Wit Hit. (“As in a cheesesteak wit onion, not as in like, a quick wit,” she’d explained. “Honestly, it works either way,” he’d smirked.) And when she hooked Saya’s leg and felt the referee count one, two, three, she knew she’d earned the crowd’s respect.

And she had Saya’s, too. All along.

As Nellie stood with tears in her eyes and the winner’s trophy in her hands, Saya fastened the Wonder of Stardom Championship around her waist. And after she raised her arm in victory, she pulled her into a hug and told her in Japanese, “You are always welcome in Queen’s Quest, Nellie-san.”

Nellie hadn’t expected it. It gave her even more to think about.

But she’d worry about that later. Right now, her priority was setting her intention as the new Wonder of Stardom Champion.

“What did I say?” she started as she stepped in front of the backstage camera; sweaty and worn, laden with gold. “I said I would end Saya Kamitani’s history-making reign, and that’s exactly what I did. And now a gaijin from Philadelphia is the 9th SWA World Champion and the 17th Wonder of Stardom Champion—and I intend to be a fighting champion.” She shook her head. “No more going five months without a defense. No more being placated and overlooked. Whoever wants a shot at either of my titles, just say the word. Kamitani-san had fifteen defenses of this championship? I want sixteen. Seventeen, eighteen, more. So whoever wants to try to take it from me, let Rossy know. He can’t ignore me now.”

She stopped to draw in a breath, collecting herself before she went on. “And now that I have proven just how un-ignorable I am, how much of an asset I am to this company, there’s another piece of business I need to address. For an entire week now people have been asking me nonstop backstage, online, stopping me out in the street—Who are you with, Nellie? Are you with Cosmic Angels or Club Venus? And frankly? The answer is neither.

“Tam and Poi, you welcomed me into Cosmic Angels without question. You gave me a place when I was suddenly without one, and I’ll never take that for granted. Torr and I won the Goddess titles with your backing, I won this SWA title for a history-making second time with your backing, the three of us nearly went the distance in the Triangle Derby. But despite all that success, we all knew I was something of a black sheep in your colorful, kawaii flock. It was like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole, and what happened? I wore myself down to try to fit.” She shook her head again. “Not anymore. My edge is back—and with all due respect, I’ve outgrown Cosmic Angels. And with no due respect, I’m sure as shit not joining Club Venus.”

She adjusted the SWA title on her shoulder. She was exhausted, and it was getting heavier by the minute. “But even though I know at the end of the day I can only really rely on me, myself, and I, I’m not really into the whole lone wolf thing, either. I recognize that there’s strength in numbers, and I’ll be taking my time to consider my next move. But for now, I’m gonna go put all this down because it’s fucking heavy, and then I’m gonna crack open a Sapporo and celebrate the sweet, sweet return of Two-Belt Nell.”

* * * *

Wednesday, May 3, 2023 Wrestling Dontaku – Fukuoka, Japan

The Stardom bus arrived at the Fukuoka International Center fifteen minutes before bell time. They’d had a show earlier that afternoon in Shimonoseki, and with Stardom running a pay-per-view in Fukuoka tomorrow, they’d loaded up and made the hour-and-a-half trip down for the NJPW show there that evening. And as soon as she could, Nellie shot off the bus like a bullet.

David had been back in Japan for two weeks, but Nellie had only gotten to spend a handful of hours with him. He’d arrived in Tokyo only to turn around and leave for the Road to Dontaku tour, and their schedules had kept them apart in separate corners of the country. And because of that, Nellie still hadn’t said those three little-big words.

They’d been on the tip of her tongue the day he’d come back. She’d felt them in the way he’d touched her, looked at her, in every breath during that abbreviated time they’d spent together before he had to leave to get on the bus. But she hadn’t wanted to say it only for him to be physically absent again. If she was going to tell him she loved him, she needed to feel it, live in it for longer than just a few hours.

And tonight, the timing was finally right.

She made a beeline for his dressing room, pausing impatiently when she ran into Aussie Open, and they both hugged her and congratulated her on winning the Wonder of Stardom Championship before she took off again. She knocked on the door when she arrived, and David called for her to come in. Her heart melted at the sight of his smile.

“Finally,” he breathed, and then his lips were on hers. Hungry, eager, heated, as if it had been two months instead of just two weeks.

But then Nellie had a thought. “Are you sharing this room with Kenta?” she quickly asked. She hadn’t noticed any other luggage around, but she hadn’t really looked, either.

David shook his head, a smirk on his lips. “Not tonight. We have this all to ourselves.”

That was all the information she needed. She pushed him down onto a seat and straddled his lap, and then they were the only two people in the entire arena again. David ignited her entire being in a way that no one ever had, mind, body, soul—heart. And before they lost themselves in each other, she needed to tell him.

She pulled back and looked down at him. His eyes were dark and hooded, full of desire. “What?” he softly asked.

“I love you.”

Nellie knew he felt the same, she knew he did—but there was still that anxious knot in her gut. Until a smile spread over David’s face.

“I was wondering when you’d finally say it.”

She let go of the breath she’d been holding. “Are you serious right—”

He silenced her with a kiss, and she melted into him like she always did. She loved him; he loved her. It was undeniable.

He pulled back, their lips still close, noses brushing. “I love you, too. I have since the fall.”

Butterflies exploded in Nellie’s stomach. “You have?”

“Mhm,” he nodded. “I spent that entire tour last year falling in love with you, and when I left Japan, it felt like I’d left part of myself behind. And then the night of Historic X-Over, when you called me after you got home from being out with the LA Dojo guys… I knew.”

Nellie’s smile lit up her entire face, her entire being. “I was drunk when I called you that night,” she remembered.

“Yeah, I know you were,” David grinned. “Which reminds me, I have to tell Clark he can’t take my girlfriend out and ply her with alcohol anymore.”

She laughed. “But it would just be a little Bullet Club bonding,” she innocently returned. It made him arch a brow.

“You saying you’re Bullet Club? Is that what I’m hearing?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know… that’s kind of up to you.”

He drew her closer on his lap. “It would be nice to have you out there with me when I win the title tonight…”

He trailed off and kissed her neck. She bit back a grin. “I don’t want to stir the pot just yet. I just won the Wonder of Stardom title; it probably wouldn’t be the best idea to ruffle any company feathers.”

David hummed against her skin. “Mm… yeah, you’re not ready. That’s not something someone in Bullet Club would say.”

Nellie playfully rolled her eyes. But he pulled her mouth against his again, and they let their bodies finish the conversation.

* * * *

Sunday, June 12, 2022 Osaka, Japan

For the longest time, this was all Nellie had wanted. To feel Jay again. To feel wanted by him again. And now that she’d finally gotten it, all she felt was uncertainty. Still.

She lay next to him in his hotel room, facing the other way, listening to him breathe. In and out, steady. Last night had been an intoxicating blur of adrenaline and emotion. She blamed Osaka, the romance of a different setting, the context of why they were there. Stardom and NJPW both had shows in the city; Jay had a match against Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Dominion that night. And last night, Nellie had felt like her body was a prize for Jay just as much as that title. Something for him to win, to take. Part of her regretted letting him have it. But another part of her still yearned to belong to him.

She felt him stir beside her, and then he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back against his chest. She closed her eyes and folded into him.

“Mm,” he hummed. “I missed this.”

He pressed his lips against her neck, and Nellie let him. But she couldn’t keep from asking.

“Did you?”

“Of course,” he easily returned. Almost as if he’d expected her to question him, as if he’d had the answer at the ready that he knew she wanted to hear. But then his mouth was working down her body, his lips leaving a trail of goosebumps over her skin, until his head was between her legs and his tongue inside her. And she gave into him, writhing and arching her back, curling her fingers in his hair until she came undone. And all the while, she didn’t stop questioning.

He kissed his way back up to her lips, his naked body hovering over her. His cock pressed hard against her inner thigh. She wanted it. She hated that she did. But she wanted him.

“Let’s get in the shower,” he breathed. And she let him pull her from the bed and lead her into the shower where he had her again, her back pressed up against the wet tile, legs wrapped tight around his waist as her nails left tiny moon-shaped marks on his shoulders. Because even though Nellie knew it wouldn’t last, that Jay would just be gone again come tomorrow, she wanted to pretend he was hers for just a little while longer.

* * * *

Saturday, May 27, 2023 Stardom Flashing Champions – Tokyo, Japan

Two defenses in just over a month. Nellie had said she’d wanted to be a fighting champion, and her challengers had quickly formed a line.

Natsupoi had been first, eager and determined. Nellie bested her in a main event twenty-minute battle in Fukuoka the night after David won the NEVER Openweight Championship. Tonight, it was Unagi Sayaka, defeated in just over fifteen minutes. Nellie wasn’t surprised that her former teammates had been the first to step up. They wanted to defend the honor of Cosmic Angels in the wake of her departure, even if there wasn’t any bad blood. But their efforts had fallen short—and Nellie was still an island unto herself. She was biding her time, weighing her options between Donna del Mondo and Queen’s Quest. This time around, the ball was in her court; she wasn’t going to fumble it.

She returned to the locker room after making her backstage comments and automatically checked her phone. David was flying in tomorrow after being back in the States for the last three weeks and change, returning early to spend time with her before Dominion and the next Stardom tour. She smiled when she saw she had a text from him.

Two down, fourteen to go. Proud of you, babe. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.

Tomorrow isn’t soon enough, she returned with a kissy face emoji.

But David wasn’t the only one who’d texted her. So had Clark.

Congrats, champ. We’re going out to celebrate, right?

Her brow furrowed. Who’s we? she sent back. She and Clark were friends, but he could get too friendly sometimes.

His response came quick. You, me, and your Stardom friends. The hot single ones.

She rolled her eyes, but her phone pinged again. He’d sent her the name of a bar in Roppongi; of course that was where he wanted to go. She pursed her lips as she wrote back.

My hot single friends might already have plans, she told him.

Alright but if Dave asks it was your idea for just the two of us to hang out, not mine, he returned.

Nellie breathed out. As irritated as she wanted to be, she had to give him that one. But she sent him an eye roll emoji and said, I’ll ask Torr and Thekla and let you know, and threw her phone in her bag to head to the shower.

* * * *

As it turned out, Nellie’s hot single friends did already have plans—to go to a different bar in Roppongi. But that worked just fine for Clark, and he told Nellie he’d meet them there. And honestly, she hoped he’d get there sooner rather than later, because the current company was a mixed bag, to say the least.

Thekla had come, along with Giulia and Mai Sakurai, the three of which were in a celebratory mood—they’d won the Artist of Stardom Championship from REStart that night. Torrance had also come; it was the first time she and Nellie had gone out together in months.

But she’d brought Club Venus with her.

“They’re really not that bad if you get to know them,” Thekla told Nellie over the music as they sat together in the booth; all the others were off dancing or getting drinks. It earned her a skeptical stare. “I know, I know,” she returned. “You’re Team Tam even if you’re not in Cosmic Angels anymore. But Torrance is your best friend, and Mariah is practically her clone. Her much taller British clone, but still.”

Nellie laughed, remembering how she’d told David almost the exact same thing. But then Thekla changed the subject.

“And speaking of you not being in Cosmic Angels anymore… when’re you gonna bite the bullet and join DDM?”

Nellie breathed out. She’d expected this to come up.

“It’s been over a month, Nell.”

“I’m aware,” she replied. “But Giulia doesn’t seem nearly as eager to have me in DDM as Utami does to have me back in Queen’s Quest.”

She sent Thekla a pointed look over her drink. Thekla’s eyebrows arched in understanding.

“Giulia is hard to read, I’ll give you that,” she admitted. “And I’ll be honest with you—you’d have to earn her trust because of how close you are with Tam. Which I mean, can you blame her? Tam shaved her head.”

“Okay, but she rocked that look, though,” Nellie pointed out.

Thekla grinned. “She did, but still. The good news is you’re already halfway there.”

“Am I?” she curiously asked.

“Yeah. Because Giulia trusts me and my judgment—and I want you in DDM, dammit.”

Nellie grinned. “And I appreciate that. And as soon as I make my decision, I’ll let you know.”

“Look who we found at the bar.”

They both looked up. Giulia and Mai had returned, and they had Clark with them.

“I wouldn’t expect you to find him anywhere else,” Nellie quipped.

He set a shot glass in front of her and Thekla each. “Here, I bought us all a round,” he said, and then, in a higher-pitched voice, “‘Oh, thank you, Clark, you’re so sweet and thoughtful and also incredibly handsome.’”

Thekla snorted. Nellie's expression was deadpan. “I already regret telling you where to meet us.”

“Scoot over,” he said with a nudge of her shoulder, and she and Thekla made room so he could sit down while Giulia and Mai did the same on the other side of the booth.

“What is this?” Nellie asked as she picked up the shot.

“Tequila,” Clark said. “I remember what you like.”

She ignored the comment and brought the liquor to her lips.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” he quickly stopped her. “We gotta toast!” He raised his glass and looked expectantly around the table. The girls all obliged. “To the success of Donna del Mondo,” he started, “and the restoration of fucking Bullet Club.”

A smirk pulled at Nellie’s lips, and they all toasted and kicked back the tequila, some grimacing more than others as it went down. “Okay, that one was for you, but we're getting whiskey next round,” Clark winced.

“What, can’t handle it?” Nellie teased. “I remember Gabe shooting tequila just fine.”

“A-heh-heh-heh,” he screwed up his face and mock-laughed in return. “But speaking of Gabe—I heard you’re gonna be at Dominion?”

Her brow furrowed in confusion; that segue didn’t make any sense. What did Gabe have to do with Dominion?

But before she could ask, Thekla interjected, “Wait, what? Isn’t Dominion the same day as our Korakuen show?”

Nellie nodded. “It is. But I told Rossy I want to be in Osaka to support David at ringside and that if he really wants to elevate Stardom’s global profile, he needs to start putting me and my two titles on NJPW TV.”

Thekla’s eyebrows arched. “And he agreed to that?”

“Mhm,” Nellie proudly returned. “I think he admired my nerve.”

“Hell yeah,” Clark grinned. “I cannot wait to see the look on ELP’s face when you walk out there with us.”

She gave him another curious look. Us? As far as she knew, Clark wasn’t booked to be at Dominion. “Okay, is there something—”

“What the fuck is this twat doing here?”

Nellie whipped her head around. She saw Torrance first, her face flushed from dancing. And then she saw Dan Moloney.

“I know you’re not talking about me,” Clark returned.

“Well, I don’t see any other twats sat at this table.”

Nellie shot a tense look at Torrance, asking with her face what the hell Dan was doing there. He and Clark had just tried to murder each other in their Best of the Super Juniors tournament match three days ago; the last thing she wanted to do tonight was pull apart another United Empire-Bullet Club fight.

Clark stood from the booth, and Nellie almost grabbed the back of his shirt—but then he greeted Dan like they were best mates.

“I didn’t know you’d be here tonight, man. You should’ve said something.”

“Yeah, well, kind of a last-minute thing. This one invited me,” Dan said with a thumb at Torrance.

Nellie, meanwhile, was at a complete loss. “I’m sorry—what?”

“I don’t know—men,” Thekla shrugged. “They beat the shit out of each other once and suddenly they’re best friends.”

Clark sat back down next to Nellie while Mai made room for Torrance and Dan on the other side of the booth, and Torrance and Nellie’s gaze connected again. Torrance tapped her phone; and no sooner had she than Nellie felt hers vibrate in the back pocket of her jeans. She pulled it out and read the text.

We may have hooked up. Surprise?

Nellie widened her eyes at her friend. She just shrugged.

Surprised and not surprised, she wrote back. I guess bro code doesn’t count for shit in UE.

She waited for Torrance to see the response. Her phone lit up—and she scoffed before quickly typing back.

Whatever, I don’t care. Will had already moved on to another warm body before my side of the bed was even cold.

Nellie read the text and gave her a look that said, “You’re not wrong,” before sending a written reply.

Maybe Dan isn’t even in UE anymore. Him and Clark acting all buddy-buddy right now is suspicious AF.

Torrance’s eyes went wide, and she typed quickly back. Don’t even joke. I’m so done fucking with Bullet Club boys.

Nellie just laughed; she’d thought the same after she and Jay had broken up. And yet, here she was, just days away from declaring herself Bullet Club, too—something that only she, David, and Clark knew.

As far as she knew, anyway.

* * * *

Friday, November 4, 2022 Osaka, Japan

Tomorrow would be David’s last show in Japan until he didn’t know when. It sucked—it really sucked. He and Nellie had only realized their mutual desire for something more than just friendship five days ago. But Nellie didn’t want to focus on their painfully poor timing. As it worked out, their schedules had synced up to give them a full day off together in Osaka, and they’d taken full advantage.

They started off with getting breakfast at an American-style diner, splitting chocolate banana pancakes and a bacon and cheese omelet because neither of them could decide which sounded better. Then they’d gone on the famous Osaka costumed go-kart sightseeing tour that Nellie had always wanted to try but never had the chance; she’d dressed up as Yoshi, David as Pikachu. Afterward, they’d stopped at one of the city’s numerous food stalls for deep-fried chicken and sticky-sweet rice balls before heading back to David’s hotel room, where they’d fallen asleep watching TV together on the bed. It felt so natural, so comfortable, so uncomplicated sleeping in David’s arms.

But when they awoke, it only made it that much more difficult not to think about how their time together was dwindling all too quickly.

“I don’t want to leave you at all,” David said as they still lay together, his arm around her, her head on his chest. “But I also feel like I need the time away for myself to reset; go back to the fucking drawing board. My G1 was shit; I really wanted that TV Title… I don’t know. I need to figure out what I need to do to stop just spinning my wheels.”

“Your G1 wasn’t shit,” Nellie gently returned. “Will won your block with what? Eight points? And you and everyone else but Juice finished with six. Most people finished with six this year. And if it helps at all, that TV Title is ugly as shit.”

David let out a laugh. “You’re right about that. And yeah, at least I did beat Juice. But it’s just one disappointment after another, you know?”

“I do know. You know I do. And I think you’re right. I don’t want you to leave, either. But even more than that, I don’t want you to get burned out from frustration.” She lifted her head to look at him. “So, take some time to do what you need to do, and then come back to me.”

He gave her a soft smile. “I know this probably feels like an uncomfortably familiar situation. But I promise, Nell—I’m not Jay.”

She shook her head. “I know you’re not,” she said, and she kissed him. She’d meant it to be just one, short and sweet, assuring; but neither of them wanted to stop at just one. David rolled her underneath him, and her hand unintentionally slipped under his shirt. Nellie wanted him; she wanted to cross that line. But she knew all too well that sleeping with him now would only make his absence hurt that much more—

And then her phone started ringing.

He pulled back. “Is someone calling you?”

She sighed. “Guarantee it’s Torrance.” Sure enough, when she retrieved her phone from the nightstand, Torrance’s name was displayed on the screen. David just laughed.

Nellie answered the call, and she and Torrance talked for a few minutes, figuring out what the plans were for the evening (“The Aussies and Jeff and Francesco want to get dinner with us, but I don’t want to be around Will,” Torrance explained). When she hung up, she looked back at David. The previous tension still hung in the air between them.

“It’s probably for the best she interrupted,” he softly said. “I don’t want to do that just to turn around and leave for I don’t know how long.”

Nellie sighed again. “I know. But you know you saying that only makes me want it more, right?”

He grinned. “Maybe that’s the point,” he teased, and he kissed her again. Once, tender and meaningful.

They got up from the bed, and David walked her to the door and told her to let him know when she made it back to her hotel—she wanted to shower and change before dinner—and Nellie made her way to the elevators. She looked down at her phone as one arrived with a ding; but when the doors slid open, a stone dropped into her stomach.

Jay.

He looked like he’d just arrived, luggage in tow, sunglasses on. He pushed them on top of his head and grinned. The cat who caught the canary.

“Well, fancy meeting you here.”

He stepped out of the elevator, but his suitcase blocked her way and the doors slid closed. Not that Nellie could move, anyway. It felt like her legs had suddenly turned to lead.

“Is Stardom in this hotel?” he asked. “I thought your show was in Nara tomorrow?”

She tried not to think about why he knew that as she answered. “It is, and we’re not. I’m here with David.”

It was more gratifying than she expected to say that to Jay’s face. And even though his face didn’t give much away, she could see it in his eyes. Resentment. But then he turned them down and nodded.

“Are you? That’s kind of surprising.”

Nellie’s brow hardened. “What’s so surprising about it?”

He shook his head. “Nothing—well. It’s just that when you started hanging out with him during the G1… I thought you were doing it just to get back at me.”

Anger bubbled up in Nellie’s chest. Shock, disbelief, to the point that she felt ill. She looked him dead in the eye. “If you think I would use someone like that, then you really don’t know me at all.”

She hit the down button again.

“Nell, come on,” Jay breathed. “What else was I supposed to think? When I got back to Japan it seemed like you wanted to fix things between us, and then next thing I knew, you were out getting drinks with my old best friend.”

“I did want to fix things!” she burst. “Against my own better judgment, I did! And what happened? You fucked me one last time—here, in Osaka, to pump yourself up for your World Title match—and then you disappeared again.”

His eyebrows arched. “Are you joking? I had other bookings; that was two weeks before Forbidden Door.”

The elevator arrived, but Nellie didn’t get on. “Okay, but you didn’t talk to me! You didn’t show me anything, Jay—nothing changed! And you know what David did? He showed me that he gave a shit about me.”

The elevator doors started to close, and Nellie caught them with her arm and stepped inside. She looked back at Jay. The resentment in his eyes had given way to something else. Guilt.

“Nell… I don’t want to leave it like this.”

She shook her head. “Now’s not the time,” she told him, and the elevator doors slid closed, putting a pause on the one conversation that she knew, eventually, she’d no longer be able to avoid.

* * * *

Friday, June 2, 2023 Tokyo, Japan

“You remember the last time we were in Osaka together?”

David asked the question as they finished packing. The big weekend had finally arrived. They were taking the bullet train down to Osaka tomorrow for Dominion on Sunday, and Nellie was buzzing with excitement.

“Yeah, I was just thinking about that,” she said as she zipped up her suitcase and moved it with some effort from her bed to the floor. “It’s crazy to think how much has changed since then.”

Everything had changed. Seven months ago, she and David had been reluctantly pulled apart from one another, both frustrated and floundering in their careers, nothing but uncertainty on the horizon. And now, they were both champions; David the leader of Bullet Club, Nellie on the verge of making her membership known to the world. It felt like they had the whole world ahead of them. And they were doing it together.

“I know,” David returned. “I’d never wanted to board a plane less in my life than I did after that show.”

“Even more than this last time you left?”

“Oh, for sure,” he answered, no hesitation. “Because when I leave now, I know exactly when I’m coming back. It was the not knowing back then that really made it hard.”

Nellie didn’t reply as she climbed onto her bed and settled against the pillows, her thoughts turning inward. After Dominion, David didn’t have any bookings until the G1, over a month away. And they hadn’t really discussed that—if he would extend his stay to spend some extra time with her before heading back home to Florida, if he would come back early before the tournament, if he’d even given it any thought at all. It didn’t worry her, per se; they’d both been busy. But now it was right there in front of her.

“Which, actually, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

She looked back at him, pulled from her thoughts. “What is it?” she asked.

He settled next to her on the bed, and the atmosphere suddenly felt different. Not tense. But important. Nellie felt her heart pick up a beat.

“I know we’ve been moving kind of fast since I came back in March,” David began. “But truthfully—and I think you feel the same—I don’t see the point in waiting if we both know what we want. And so… I’ve decided that I want to move here, to Tokyo. And if you want, I’d like us to get a new place together.”

If Nellie had been buzzing before, she was positively vibrating now. “Are you being serious?”

He nodded. “Of course. I fucking hate every time I have to get on a plane and leave you again. I hate it. And this last time I was gone, I realized… it’s not just my career that’s here now. My life is, too.”

He looked her in the eyes, full of love and trust, and her heart grew wings. “I would love to get a new place together.”

David smiled. “Yeah?”

“Yes, of course,” she said, and she kissed him. She couldn’t contain her excitement. “Babe! This is a big deal!”

“I know, but it’s what I want,” he reiterated. “And plus, this timing works out because I have a month-and-a-half off after Sunday, so that’ll give me a good amount of time to sort everything out and get my place in Florida packed up and shipped over here.”

“That’s a process,” she told him. “Trust me, I know from experience.”

“I know. But to be honest with you, I already started.”

Nellie smiled at him. “You did?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I had a feeling you’d say yes, so I figured I’d get a head start when I was home.”

“Oh, you had a feeling?”

“I did,” he grinned. “Come here.”

He pulled her into another kiss, and Nellie had never felt so much love, so much trust, so much understanding, so much faith that this was right. That everything she’d been through, that they’d been through, had purposefully brought them exactly to where they were now. And she couldn’t wait to find out what else they would build—together.

“I love you,” David said against her lips, and Nellie smiled.

“I love you, too.”

* * * *

Sunday, June 4, 2023 Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall – Osaka, Japan

Nellie had thought she was the only surprise David had in store that night. Boy, had she thought wrong.

The first surprise came after the IWGP Junior Tag Title match. Catch 2/2 had staved off Intergalactic Jetsetters only for Clark to come strutting down to the ring—with a gold cap on one of his teeth and a too-orange spray tan, God bless him—and at first, Nellie hadn’t understood. No one had; he was outnumbered, what was he going to do? But everyone got their answer when Dan Moloney, who had been at ringside for the match, unexpectedly attacked Francesco and TJP, officially turning on United Empire and joining Bullet Club. And Torrance had texted Nellie almost as soon as it had happened.

Nellie I swear to God if you knew about this and didn’t tell me.

Dude I had NO idea I swear, I’m just as shocked as you are, she’d quickly sent back. But as Dan and Clark had walked back up the ramp, the sight of them together made a little too much sense.

“They’re gonna bring out the absolute worst in each other,” she’d noted. David had just laughed.

And then, the match after the next, there was another surprise.

After Bishamon had defeated House of Torture and United Empire to win both the IWGP Tag Team and Strong Openweight Tag Team championships, Alex Coughlin and Gabe Kidd had shown up in Bullet Club shirts and put the boots to them, declaring their intent and establishing their allegiance in one fell swoop. It explained why Clark had brought up Dominion after Nellie had mentioned Gabe last week. She had to admit—she was impressed.

But now it was her turn to be the surprise.

She’d never felt more confident than she did now in her BC Decade t-shirt, cropped to show off her figure; although, she wore her Wonder of Stardom Championship around her waist and her SWA World Championship diagonally across her chest, so she was mostly gold. David had explicitly told her to show off. “You’ve earned that,” he’d told her. “We run this fucking place.”

Excited butterflies teemed in her stomach as they all stood at the ready at the Gorilla curtain. David smirked down at her.

“Last chance to back out.”

She grinned and shook her head. “Not a chance,” she told him, and sealed it with a kiss.

His entrance music started. Clark and Dan went out first, followed by Gabe and Alex. They stood on either side of the stage, and then David went up the steps, followed closely by Nellie, Gedo behind her. She could hear the surprise of the crowd when they saw her, feel it course through her body, energizing her. It was a familiar feeling, but renewed. Different. Deeper.

They walked down to the ring, and while David’s focus was zeroed in on El Phantasmo, ELP was looking at Nellie. Except it wasn’t ELP; not right then. Right then, it was Riley.

“Seriously?” he said down to her. “You never once came out here with Jay.”

Nellie didn’t hesitate. “Jay never asked,” she returned, and David slid into the ring and attacked him.

Twenty-six minutes later, he was victorious. And Nellie hadn’t gotten involved; none of the other members of Bullet Club had. David didn’t need their help; he didn’t need them to interfere. This was a different Bullet Club than what it had been under Jay, a return to the original. And when they all joined David in the ring and raised up the Too Sweet above ELP, Nellie had never felt more like she belonged. Not in Cosmic Angels, not in Queen’s Quest, not even in Suzuki-gun. This was her home, beside David—and it just so happened to be in Bullet Club.

#david finlay fanfiction #jay white fanfiction #njpw fanfiction #bullet club fanfiction #bullet club war dogs fanfiction

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solarsonicsoda · 2 months

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Rebbie's Wrestling Show Reviews - RevPro: Live in Southampton 28 (11/2/2024)

For the first time since I started this whole blog, I went to a live wrestling show! So I thought, why not give a brief review. This was one of RevPro’s weekly shows, and the go-home before High Stakes in Crystal Palace (which I am also attending!!!), so for those unfamiliar with these bigger indies, it's essentially their version of a tv taping. These shows and their big shows are all available on RevPro OnDemand. The company is known for a strong relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, being where they send trainees on excursion and in the past frequently seeing major NJPW stars hold the British Heavyweight Title.

Pre-Show

These shows are a breeze for me to reach down at The 1865 in Southampton, and always feature a pretty lairy crowd. It's a music venue, with the stage featuring some chairs with a few more on most sides of the ring. Wrestlers enter through a small walkway in the far corner of the building with a projected screen on the stage. It's an intimate and ever so slightly awkward venue, but I absolutely love it, and it's so easy to attend. Without further ado, let's get into the show, as the ever wonderful Francesca introduced the action.

Robbie X def. Joshua James by pinfall in 11:54

This was a really hot match to start things off. Robbie X is really popular with this RevPro crowd, and he earns it by always putting on a show. He’s facing Mustafa Ali in Crystal Palace, which is sure to be a highlight. On this night though, he was up against Joshua James, one of the Contenders. These are essentially the RevPro own guys. Something I love about RevPro crowds is how much they get behind the Contenders. They’re one of our own! Both men got a great reaction, and this was an awesome big vs small match. Josh James had a great power game on display, and Robbie is an awesome seller, so this went really well. It was never slow, just all action, and maybe my favourite match of the night in the end. Robbie is able to get the win when he hits the Handspring Cutter out of a James pounce, which was a counter of a previous handspring cutter attempt. That was pretty fun! The night is off to a great start!

3.5 STARS OUT OF 5

I feel it pertinent to mention it here as James sported the memorial armband and t-shirt, but this is the first show I’ve seen since Mad Kurt sadly passed away late last year. Mad Kurt was on the first few shows I saw in The 1865, and made an immediate impression. I’d known him from Twitter and had no idea what to expect from his wrestling, and I was charmed by his mixture of silly comedy and serious wrestling acumen. I was heartbroken by the news, and I’m so sorry to all those who knew him for their loss. There were multiple tributes to him throughout, and he is extremely missed. Mad Kurt Forever. If you want to support his family monetarily for the various costs in this trying time, you can do so via the GoFundMe here.

“Flash” Morgan Webster def. Will Kaven via pinfall in 10:12

The Modfather, one half of the British Tag Team Champions with Mark Andrews/Dani Luna, takes on Will Kaven of… PORTSMOUTH?! For those unaware, Portsmouth is the next city over from Southampton, so Kaven always gets a strong reaction from us Southampton fans… Portsmouth is actually more local to me originally than Southampton but shhh don't tell anyone!! This is another good match, a pair of guys who can mix high flying with a more grounded game, and we see all sides of that in this one. Webster is highly popular, and Kaven is highly unpopular, and it makes for a fun match. I think the crowd may have been a smidge tired here, but they still had plenty of energy! Webster gets the win with the Shadows Over Malice swanton bomb.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Anthony Ogogo def. David Francisco by TKO in 14:52

Speaking of loving the Contenders, here’s David Francisco! We love David in RevPro, and the big man from Portugal was just as popular on this night. There was even a great chant I don't think I’d heard before of “Francisco” replacing “You are gold” in Spandau Ballet’s Gold. That’s inspired! His opponent was AEW’s Anthony Ogogo, the former Olympic bronze medallist boxer. For some reason, he still has The Factory’s logo on his jacket despite the group disbanding almost a year ago. This one was all about Ogogo, and he worked well as a heel, jibing back and forth with the crowd who had lots of banter for the “Pound Shop David Haye” as they chanted. He had a pretty good match with Francisco, who was predictably over like rover, and had a few nearfalls that could have been an upset. In the end though, despite showing resilient including a subtle rope break that fooled Ogogo, Francisco was knocked out, with the Union Jack being draped on him by the olympian. Fun if unremarkable match.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Post-match, Ogogo got on the mic, bragging about his big American house, fighting with the crowd (including a passing fan and his middle finger), and most importantly, deriding Ricky Knight Jr. for being “cocky”. However, RKJ was actually here, and he met Ogogo in the ring! They had a war of words, with RKJ again challenging Ogogo for High Stakes. He promises to take all the vision in Ogogo’s damaged eye. Both men invoke the names of each other's families, and it’s when Ogogo says RKJ’s newborn daughter takes after him in being “butters, mate” as he put it that we get a big brawl. The backstage area clears out to seperate them, with great difficulty, but they are eventually split, with Ogogo seemingly going out the wrong door. I say this because during the next match, he quietly trots from there to the entrance way and heads to the back.

Luke Jacobs def. Yuto Nakashima by pinfall in 12:17

Beef! This is a clash of two big men, and the crowd were excited. We have here the first wrestler on the card that I’ve never seen in any capacity, that being Yuto Nakashima! One half of Young Blood passed me a few times pre-show and he is a big guy! Off the bat, love his vibe! A lot of personality and aura from him, as he enters with a big chain and wild hair. Jacobs also heads to the ring and looks in great shape! These two started a little slow in my opinion, but they ramped up and this one got pretty good by the end! Big strikes, and the highlights were some gnarly headbutts as these two had a colossal tussle. This also saw one of my favourite spots they do at these RevPro shows, as they cleared the chairs in front of me for Yuto to throw Jacobs clattering through them. Jacobs is able to secure the win in the end though, hitting Yuto with a great lariat. I was even further sold on Yuto with his post match sell, as he stumbled wildly all the way to the back, falling into the crowd and ring multiple times. He was also prone to a dance any chance he got the whole show long, and I love him for that.

3.5 STARS OUT OF 5

Intermission

This brought an end to the first half of the show, bringing a short intermission. Ogogo made conversation near the bar and took a few photos with fans, and Sha Samuels & Morgan Webster joined the merch table, taking photos and selling their wares. I was able to meet them both, and bought a shirt and print from Webster, despite some hassle with my card! I forgot to get a photo though, so I’ll have to see them again at another show! Both were lovely and shortly after that, our second half began.

Oskar Leube vs. JJ Gale ended in a no contest in 9:57

We came back with the other half of Young Blood taking on the other half of the High Stakes match between Luke Jacobs and JJ Gale. This match was really fun! This was my first time seeing Leube, and I was extremely impressed with his work. The man walked past me a couple times during the show and he is TALL. He uses that size well in the ring but is really smooth with everything he does. JJ Gale was a great opponent for him too, using his quickness to build a pretty cool match. Sadly, this one ended pretty quickly with a no contest, as Mark Trew & Kieron Lacey attacked both men, even wielding chairs. Yuto returns to help his partner, but he’s overwhelmed by the tag team. In the end, it’s Luke Jacobs who clears the way, wanting Gale at his best for the big show the following week. They end up brawling anyway though, as Young Blood stand off with Trew & Lacey.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Mark Trew & Kieron Lacey def. Harry Milligan & Michael Oku (w/ Amira) by pinfall in 13:42

Trew & Lacey are already in the ring as the following match gets announced, with their opponents meeting them for their match. There’s a big “Mad Kurt” chant to start this one, which was touching. This was a decently fun match, with the champion and his younger ally contesting with the nefarious Trew & Lacey. Trew losing his beanie also elicits a big reaction from this crowd. This one is moving along decently enough, until Trew & Lacey bring Amira into the path of Oku’s shooting star press over the top rope to the outside. Amira’s down, and a distraught Oku carries her to the back for attention… Bit of an odd move to choose for that spot if you ask me, but who am I to judge? But Trew & Lacey capitalised off this numbers advantage to get the win over Milligan. Post-match, Young Blood take their chance to strike as Trew & Lacey continue to beat up Milligan. This brings out Oku, who’s keeping an eye on Young Blood. Leube gets on the mic and demands a tag team match at High Stakes! Exciting stuff.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Cameron Khai def. Richard Holliday by pinfall in 12:59

We were breathing rarefied air next, when Richard Holliday from Connecticut, America came to the ring. He grabbed the mic from Francesca and began to introduce himself. He says he’s familiar with our game as a UK crowd, and said if we want to get ourselves over, we have to make a chant for him. He isn’t pleased with the crowd’s chants of “Dick”, saying he thought we were more original than that, as he finds one fan willing to sing his praises in song form. Sadly, I can’t for the life of me recall what the song is called, so you’ll just have to imagine the tune. It’s here that Holliday’s foe comes out: Cameron Khai! Khai is a really talented young wrestler who I’ve seen a couple times now, and he has had some absolutely great matches. One to watch for the future as he develops further! This is a decent match, but I think it’s pretty heavily overrun by fan chants. They were certainly entertaining though! Chants of “Dick Vacation” anger Holliday, as well as “You’ve got one fan, and he’s shit!” chants. There’s a fun moment as Holliday does some corner strikes, each punctuated by a call of “You’re not shit” directed at his loyal fan. What a heel! Not all of the chants were great though, you can imagine some of the humour derived from Richard’s first name. The chants really did distract from the in-ring action though, which I can’t imagine was desired. The finish comes when Khai is able to roll up Holliday with a small package pin for the win. Holliday sulks in the ring post-match, refusing to leave, which is a thread we’ll come back to shortly.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Seeing Holliday for the first time, I was pretty impressed with his charisma. You can definitely see the comparisons to his former tag partner MJF in his promo skills. He was solid in the ring too, definitely doing his part for the match. Sadly, his promo riling up got out of hand. Excited to see what more he can do though!

Spike Trivet def. Sha Samuels by pinfall in 14:17

Richard Holliday is still in the ring as Francesca announces our main event, which comes with a small video package and everything! How fancy! It’s Sha Samuels intervention that ousts Holliday, with the East End Butcher clearing him from the ring with his entrance. Holliday lingers outside, seeming unhappy with this from Samuels. Trivet is out next, being understandably booed for being Spike Trivet. This grudge match, built from Trivet’s general attitude and attacking Samuels at Uprising, is a decent match! A fun spot is Samuels going to use his scarf, which the referee takes away, but Samuels using this chance to use his braces on Trivet. He gets as good as he gives! There’s some back and forth decent stuff, until Holliday returns to the ring side area. Samuels takes exception to this, as does the referee, which allows Trivet the chance to grab a weapon from the earlier discovered toolbox, and get the win over Samuels.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Post match, Holliday and Trivet argue over beating up Samuels, before they decide to both do it. This brings out Cameron Khai and Flash Morgan Webster to even the odds, with all 5 men brawling all over the place! Right in front of me, Webster and Trivet went flying into the merch section! I couldn’t follow it all! It was a pretty fun ending after a few matches with a little less pizazz. Samuels ends the show on the mic cursing out his enemies.

Post-Show

With our show over, I went over to the merch table once again, this time getting a signed print from JJ Gale, where I had to get his PayPal for payment as I had no cash, as well as meeting Young Blood. The pair of them were lovely, and I actually remembered to get a selfie with them! I also bought a signed print of Yuto, as they only took cash and I only had £5. They better come back to Southampton so I can get a signed print with Oskar!

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a pretty fun show. I’ve certainly seen bigger barnburners on these Southampton live shows, but this was good fun ahead of High Stakes. There wasn’t too much build to the big show, but look, I had fun. What more do you want from me? I think this show gets a high 3 STARS OUT OF 5 from me!

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darkesttimelinejeffparker · 2 years

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Ok hi I'm sort of new to njpw I need to know as much as you can tell me. Who is will Osprey, who is Okada, who is juice. Is Bullet club still a thing. I just need to know any and everything you can tell me and other people can chime in as well I just need to be educated on njpw

So I am giving really basic answers because we're talking about +10 years of history for a lot of this so it's like top lines details because it's hard for me to get into explaining a lot without suddenly having dozens of matches and segments for folks to watch.

I think the best way to figure out NJPW is to check out some matches, especially of the guys that interest you. Their website is a mess, but some matches are up for free without membership and others are on YouTube, their Roku App, and if you have cable AXSTV.

Honestly, I think they're building to Forbidden Door in a way that's accessible for people who aren't familiar with NJPW so no one needs to know everything. Don't let the fact that there are so many new names, faces, and storylines potentially here overwhelm you. I think you'll be able to jump in fine with limited knowledge.

I am probably less helpful than a Wikipedia article right now. But this is basically who the people/groups you asked about are, if there's a match to recommend to show their style or explaining how you'll be seeing them soon/how they've been talked about recently on AEW:

eta: went back in and added a couple sentences about Juice before I forgot to include something for him.

Will Ospreay is a British wrestler, he is currently REVPro's British Heavyweight Champion and has held belts across multiple promotions including ROH and NJPW. He's the leader of the faction United Empire, which includes Jeff Cobb, TJP, Great-O-Khan, Mark Davis, and Kyle Fletcher, the latter two tag as Aussie Open and will be in a match with FTR and Trent on Friday. He held the IWGP World Heavyweight Title before vacating due to an injury. Most recently, he had matches at Windy City Riot against Moxley and also a fourway match at Capital Collision with Moxley, Juice Robinson, and Tanahashi worth checking out for his style. Ospreay is divisive -- a lot of people dislike him.

Okada is the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. He's the leader of Chaos, the stable that Rocky Romero invited Best Friends and Friends into around the time started making AEW appearances. His matches with Kenny (there have been four) are some of my all-time favorites, especially their 2 out of 3 falls match in 2018 and their Wrestle Kingdom 11 match. Hangman called him out tonight for the IWGP title, and that's when Cole got involved. I can't think of an Okada match I wouldn't recommend, tbh.

Yes, Bullet Club is still a thing. Jay White, who Adam Cole referenced tonight and who has shown up on AEW a few times including his match against Trent earlier in the year, has been their leader since 2018. Bullet Club is now comprised of the Good Brothers, Hikuleo, Chris Bey, El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori, Bad Luck Fale, Juice Robinson, Ace Austen, members of their sub-group, House of Torture, and Ch*se Owens. The Good Brothers entered back into the scene after Jay White betrayed Tama Tonga (Bullet Club OG) and Tanga Loa, older brothers of Hikuleo. NJPW Strong's early episodes has some solid matches of older iterations of the Bullet Club for free on YouTube, big man matches worth checking out. The betrayal of Tama and T (GoD) started on Impact. Regardless, with many former BC members, history with Jay White and Kenny, Hikuleo pairing with the Undisputed Elite last week, and Adam's history with Kenny especially by BTE canon, I'm sure the girls will be fighting eventually.

Juice Robinson is David Finlay’s former tag team partner where they worked and held belts as FinJuice. He left recently, citing his contract was up, only to appear again and join Bullet Club without David. He’s also engaged to Toni.

#amanda talks wrestling

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wrestlingwiththoughts · 3 months

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Wrestling in 2023

A discussion group that I belong to conducts an annual poll of that year's high and low points of pro wrestling. That poll then gives out awards to recognize those highs and lows. These are the Carny Awards of 2023.

Best Male AEW Wrestler

**WINNER: Swerve Strickland: 48.1%** Bryan Danielson: 37% Orange Cassidy: 11% Jon Moxley: 3.7% "Hangman" Adam Page: 0% Maxwell Jacob Friedman: 0%

It was Swerve's year off of the Texas Deathmatch he had with Hangman at Full Gear, his showing in the Continental Classic, the incredible video of his and AR Fox's attack on Nick Wayne in his garage gym, and burying Keith Lee for refusing to do his job. I personally think Swerve's character is a bit all over the place, swerving from cartoonish villainy to getting cheers from the crowd. Danielson, supposedly in his last full active year in wrestling, made it one to remember with matches against Rush, MJF, Ricky Starks, Kazuchika Okada, Zack Sabre Jr., Eddie Kingston, and many more. Orange Cassidy held up AEW as best as he could with his International title reign, while Moxley remained the steady headliner.

Best Male WWE Superstar

**WINNER: Gunther: 74.1%** Sami Zayn: 11.1% Seth Freakin Rollins: 7.4% Brock Lesnar: 3.7% Roman Reigns: 3.7% Cody Rhodes: 0%

Gunther runs away with the category this year. He consistently delivers in the ring, and hopefully bigger things are in store for the Intercontinental Champion. Sami Zayn continued to ride the momentum from last year, but he’s receded into the background. Seth Freakin Rollins tries his best with the fake world title belt that is held hostage by Roman Reigns. Brock Lesnar did his thing with Cody earlier in the year. LOL Cody Rhodes.

Best Other Male Wrestler

**WINNER: Will Ospreay: 55.6%** Mistico: 14.8% Rocky Romero: 11.1% Alex Shelley: 7.4% Sanada: 7.4% Krule: 3.7%

Billy Sex Pig takes the category in his last year before he moves over to the AEW category for 2024. Given that he probably has the best match of 2023 in whatever company he worked in (NOAH, Impact, RevPro, 1PW, OTT, NJPW, and AEW), it’s well deserved. Mistico’s and Rocky Romero’s strong showings here reflect CMLL’s very good year. Alex Shelley was a surprisingly good main eventer for Impact, while Sanada tried his best with his buddies in NJPW. I’m glad that the Krule nominator got to vote for Krule.

Best Female AEW Wrestler

**WINNER: Hikaru Shida: 32.1%** “Timeless” Toni Storm: 25% Julia Hart: 21.4% Kris Statlander: 17.9% Emi Sakura: 3.6%

Hikaru Shida told the voters that anyone else winning the category wouldn’t work for her, brother. Going from the best wrestler in the Outcasts to working with Juice Robinson in NJPW Strong shows to embracing the Timeless Toni gimmick meant that Toni Storm’s 2023 was a land of contrasts. Love it or hate it, you’ll have to accept that Julia Hart is one of the bright spots of AEW’s women’s division along with Kris Statlander, who was the TBS Champion for most of the year. Emi Sakura was denied Queen and London, but she got some votes from this crowd.

Best Female WWE Superstar

**WINNER: Rhea Ripley: 51.9%** Iyo Sky: 18.5% Tiffany Stratton: 14.8% Becky Lynch: 7.4% Asuka: 3.7% Bianca Belair: 3.7%

People love Mami, as demonstrated by Rhea Ripley’s decisive win in this category. Iyo Sky won the Money in the Bank briefcase, the women’s title, and jumped off of a cage in a trash can this year, but she couldn’t win this category. Tiffany Stratton is the brightest prospect in NXT. Lynch, Asuka, and Belair all did various things in 2023.

Best Other Female Wrestler

**TIE: Athena and Giulia: 33.3%** Chihiro Hashimoto: 14.8% Tam Nakano: 11.1% Stephanie Vaquer: 7.4% Mercedes Mone: 0%

Putting Athena in this category was meant to reflect the fact that she was stuck unseen on ROH for most of the year except for her PPV matches against Willow Nightingale and Billie Starkz. Nonetheless, she was able to tie Giulia, the brightest star of Stardom. Chihiro Hashimoto continues to toil in relative obscurity in the joshi world, while 2023 was not Tam Time even though she beat Giulia at All-Star Queendom this year. Stephanie Vaquer is picking up titles and attention in CMLL. Mercedes Mone used up her health Flexible Spending Account this year due to injuries.

Best Tag Team

**TIE: The Astronauts (Fuminori Abe and Takuya Nomura), FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood), Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damien Priest), and The Gunns (Austin and Colten Gunn): 21.4%** M3K (Susumu Mochizuki and Yasushi Kanda): 10.7% ABC (Chris Bey and Ace Austin): 3.6%

One of the nominations lamented that it hasn’t been a great year for tag team wrestling, and a four-way tie for best tag team is a great indicator for that. The Astronauts are the best tag team in Japan outside of Dragongate, while Judgment Day is probably the best tag team in WWE.. The Gunns and FTR vie for that claim in AEW. M3K held the Twin Gates scene steady for most of 2023 in Dragongate, while ABC proved that the Bullet Club still had some life in them in Impact.

The "Hot Take" Most Overrated Wrestler of the Year

**WINNER: CM Punk: 37.9%** Maxwell Jacob Friedman: 27.6% Skye Blue: 20.7% Jey Uso: 6.9% Roman Reigns: 6.9% Carmelo Hayes: 0%

One Bill Phil’s controversial 2023 ends with the “Hot Take” Carny Award. MJF got the ball and all the rope he could hang himself with in 2023, and that ended disastrously for him (lost the title and now out injured). Skye Blue, for some reason, worked more matches in AEW than any other wrestler except for Orange Cassidy, whose gimmick this year was that all of his title defenses were wearing him down. Jey Uso couldn’t go to Canada for Elimination Chamber because of his DUIs, but he was able to wrestle one of Roman Reigns’s few singles matches in 2023. Carmelo Hayes is fine.

The "Drizzling Shits" Award for Worst On-Screen Performer

**TIE: Wardlow and Saraya: 22.2%** Adam Cole: 18.5% “Timeless” Toni Storm: 14.8% Skye Blue: 11.1% Maxwell Jacob Friedman: 11.1%

Wardlow seems like a shell of himself, and Saraya is one of the worst active wrestlers in a major company in 2023. Adam Cole is annoying during promos and boring in matches. Storm is wrestling to the Timeless Toni gimmick, which means that both her in-ring work and promos are now bad. Skye Blue’s persistent presence is a testament that thirst always wins, while MJF’s ideas and philosophy about what makes good professional wrestling were bad even though he had a great year in the ring.

Most Improved Wrestler

**TIE: The Gunns (Austin and Colten Gunn) and Julia Hart: 27.6%** Dominik Mysterio: 20.7% Shota Umino: 13.8% Yota Tsuji: 10.3% Chris Hero: 0%

The Gunns are now a respectable tag team, while Julia Hart is one of the bright spots in the AEW women’s roster. Dominik Mysterio benefits from WWE’s production team’s ability to make canned heat sound real. Two of the Reiwa Three Musketeers, Shota Umino and Yota Tsuji, impressed voters. Chris Hero came out of retirement to wrestle in 2023, so that’s an improvement over not wrestling in 2022.

The "Jim Ross" Award for Please Retire

**WINNER: Jim Ross: 27.6%** Tommy Dreamer: 20.7% Ric Flair: 20.7% Bully Ray: 13.8% Kevin Kelly: 13.8% Matt Hardy: 3.4%

Jim Ross wins his eponymous category this year, but Ric Flair and Tommy Dreamer aren’t far behind at all. Bully Ray somehow main evented in Impact this year, while Kevin Kelly was the Q-pilled voice of AEW Collision before he was demoted and pushed aside by Tony Schiavone. Matt Hardy is somehow still wrestling in 2023; judging by how Ric Flair, Tommy Dreamer, and Bully Ray are still on the list, one can assume that Hardy will still be here in years to come.

The "Tony Khan Forgets I Exist" Award for Most Underutilized Performer

**WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita: 34.5%** Willow Nightingale: 31% Pac: 17.2% Akira Tozawa: 6.9% Rush: 6.9% AR Fox: 3.4%

The fact that this category is dominated by AEW wrestlers is an indictment on who gets air time on Dynamite, Collision, and Rampage. Remember when Takeshita beat Kenny Omega in a singles match on a PPV? Remember when Nightingale had a great match with Athena? Remember Pac? Tozawa makes the best of his morsels in WWE, while Rush might have learned that the best way is to make no waves at work. AR Fox reportedly got on the company’s bad side over his passport issue prior to All Out, and he’s still in the dog house.

The "King Kong Bundy WrestleMania 2 to 3" Award for Biggest Fall from Grace

**WINNER: CM Punk: 34.5%** Wardlow: 24.1% Maxwell Jacob Friedman: 17.2% ROH: 17.2% Tom Lawlor: 6.9% Drew McIntyre: 0%

CM Punk returned from injury on a show that he was allowed to run, tried to start a feud with MJF, tried to get the Young Bucks to agree to an on-air feud with him, fought Jack Perry backstage at All Out, got fired from AEW, and slunk back to WWE because he had nowhere else to go to make the kind of salary that he wanted. Wardlow cooled off even before his injury, and the reaction to his return from injury has been anemic; using the same job matches that he had at the start of his last run doesn’t help. MJF’s flavor of ice cream turned out to taste like garbage waiting for collection on a summer day. ROH went from hot matches between FTR and the Briscoes to a cold, empty house at Final Battle 2023. Tom Lawlor has had the worst luck with matches in AEW and ROH. Drew McIntyre is fine.

Best Gimmick

**WINNER: Christian Cage: 71.4%** Swerve Strickland: 14.3% “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio: 7.1% Julia Hart, spooky witch: 3.6% CM Punk being insufferable: 3.6% Just 5 Guys: 0%

The Patriarchy is alive and well according to the Carny Award voters. Christian Cage was a consistent highlight for AEW in 2023, above Swerve Strickland, who came on strong with much help from Prince Nana and his dance. Dirty Dom is around, trying to pretend to be sleazy. Julia Hart is the de facto leader of the House of Black. I don’t think CM Punk being insufferable is a gimmick; that might just be how he is. LOL Just 5 Guys.

The "Bray Wyatt Is Sister Abigail" Award for Worst Gimmick

**WINNER: The Devil: 38.5%** “Timeless” Toni Storm: 23.1% The Brochachos: 19.2% Danhausen in general, specifically on X formerly known as Twitter: 7.7% The Acclaimed: 3.8% Skye Blue is now Spooky Skye Black: 3.8% “Neck Strong” Roderick Strong: 3.8%

MJF’s vision for professional wrestling dominated this category, with a combined 65.3% between The Devil, the Brochachos, “Neck Strong” Roderick Strong, and the Acclaimed, who were adjacent to MJF’s vision and still awful on their own. 60-years old Billy Gunn is the hardest pushed aspect of the Acclaimed, and the team’s gimmick needs to evolve. Evolving can go wrong, however, as seen in “Timeless” Toni Storm and spooky Skye Blue. Danhausen is an annoying presence in general, but he’s especially bad on X.

Geek of the Year

**WINNER: Kaito Kiyomiya: 51.7%** Lexis King: 24.1% Adam Cole: 13.8% Danhausen: 6.9% Akira Tozawa: 3.4% JD McDonaugh: 0%

Poor Kaito Kiyomiya. Sacrificed to Keiji Mutoh’s vanity and unloved in NOAH, he might be better off jumping to Dragongate or AJPW permanently. Lexis King declared that he would be different than his father by ripping off another of his father’s gimmicks, and his aesthetic choices are definitely choices one could make. Danhausen is a geek, and Tozawa is treated as a geek because he’s Asian and in WWE. Even the nominator for JD McDonaugh found him unworthy of a vote in this category, which might make him the biggest geek of all.

The "Jim Johnston" Award for Best Music

**WINNER: Swerve Strickland, “Big Pressure,” by Swerve Strickland featuring Flash Garments: 42.9%** The Gunns, “Many Men,” by 50 Cent: 14.3% Julia Hart, “Harder Hart”: 14.3% Shinsuke Nakamura, “The Rising Sun,” by CFO$: 10.7% TMDK, “Young Punks,” by Mass Lines: 10.7% Jamie Hayter, “Indignation”: 7.1%

I’d assume that voters did the Prince Nana dance while they voted for Swerve’s theme music. “Many Men” should be the Gunns’ permanent entrance theme. Julia Hart’s theme fits her well, while Nakamura’s theme remains bombastic. TMDK’s theme also fits them, and we all wish it will be Hayter Time soon.

Promotion of the Year

**TIE: WWE and CMLL: 25.9%** AEW: 18.5% AJPW: 11.1% World Wonder Ring Stardom: 11.1% NJPW: 7.4%

CMLL rightfully wins the promotion of the year category; what else can you say about a company that fills Arena Mexico every Friday and is doing well in Puebla and Guadalajara. WWE managed to tie this year based on a slightly improved product after officially installing Paul Levesque into the booker’s seat. AEW had some of the best shows of the year, but other issues knocked it to third. AJPW had a rebound year in 2023. Stardom was plagued by injuries, but it’s still going strong. NJPW has seen better days.

Best Event

**WINNER: AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door 2023: 37%** AEW All In 2023: 22.2% CMLL 90th Anniversary Show: 18.5% WWE SummerSlam: 11.1% AEW Wrestle Dream 2023: 7.4% AEW Revolution 2023: 3.7%

Even though AEW and NJPW felt like they had down years, their collaboration bore fruit in Forbidden Door 2023, highlighted by the Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay, and CM Punk vs. Satoshi Kojima matches. All In 2023 at Wembley placed second despite its whimpering ending that involved Adam Cole and MJF. The CMLL 90th Anniversary Show peaked higher with the Volador Jr. vs. Angel de Oro hair vs. hair match and the Templario vs. Dragon Rojo Jr. mask vs. mask match, but I personally would have picked the Night of Champions show from September 29. Reigns vs. Uso headlined SummerSlam. Wrestle Dream gave us Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Danielson, and Revolution gave us MJF vs. Danielson and Moxley vs. Hangman in a Texas Deathmatch.

The "WWE Promotes Murderous Dictatorships" Award for Angle That Made You Ashamed To Be A Wrestling Fan

**WINNER: Somehow, Vince McMahon returned.: 42.9%** Ric Flair joins AEW: 21.4% Adam Cole and MJF’s Brochachos storyline, including the Roderick Strong parts: 14.3% NJPW Strong books Fred Rosser to kiss Toni Storm without her consent during his match against Juice Robinson: 10.7% CM Punk gets himself fired from AEW and signs with WWE: 7.1% Juice Robinson threatens to use a roll of quarters against MJF: 3.6%

Though Vince McMahon had retired in disgrace from WWE, he held controlling shares of the stock, so it wasn’t shocking when he pressed this leverage to install some cronies to the board and return to power. Tony Khan insists that AEW is getting paid to use Ric Flair, but just because you’re getting paid doesn’t mean that you have to do the thing. Remember when MJF and Adam Cole went to Outback Steakhouse and carried an inflatable crocodile around to prepare for their match against Aussie Open? NJPW Strong thought that having a gay Black man kiss a white woman against her will to distract her husband during the men’s match was a good idea. CM Punk did it again in 2023. MJF also thought it was a good idea to tap into rise in antisemitism in the US with his angle.

Gif of the Year

**WINNER: Hikaru Shida: “That doesn’t work for me, brother.”: 51.7%** Christian Cage: “Go fuck yourself.” 27.6% Prince Nana’s dance: 13.8% The lads on the Briscoes’ chicken farm: 3.4% Jon Moxley on commentary: 3.4% CM Punk on why he’s back in WWE: 0%

Once again, Shida Hogan told the booker that she’s not doing the job. Christian Cage’s anti-dead dad gimmick became something more when he became the father that everyone deserves. Prince Nana’s dance is delightful. The sight of Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh, Sonjay Dutt, Jeff Jarrett, Mark Briscoe, and a baby working on the Briscoes’ farm was wholesome. Moxley earned many fines on commentary. Nobody cares about why Punk is back in WWE.

"What a Maneuver!" Award for Coolest Move/Dive

**WINNER: El Hijo del Vikingo’s 630 senton: 25%** Mascara Dorada’s cutter over the barricade: 17.9% Neon’s triple jump moonsault: 14.3% Brody King’s Cradle Shock: 14.3% Logan Paul and Ricochet collide in mid-air: 14.3% Mirai Maiumi’s lariat: 10.7% The Creeds’ Cannonball Dive: 3.6%

The best flips are in the world of lucha libre, but it’s cool to see a nice lariat like Mirai Maiumi’s. Brody King’s Cradle Shock looks great, and it’s still fun to see big guys like the Creeds fly.

The "I'm Marking Out, Bro" Legit Shook Moment of the Year

**WINNER: Bryan Danielson comes out to “The Final Countdown” at Forbidden Door 2023: 31%** CM Punk is back in WWE: 27.6% Cody Rhodes loses at WrestleMania, gets hit with a thrown rubber chicken intended for Roman Reigns: 20.7% Shun Skywalker betrays Diamante and causes Diamante to lose his mask: 17.2% Sanada beats Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: 3.4% Jay White’s debut in AEW: 0%

After all this time and all the talk about how expensive it was to license the song, Tony Khan brought out the checkbook for Danielson’s entrance in his match against Okada at Forbidden Door. Punk returned to WWE after burning his AEW bridge. Cody Rhodes couldn’t #FinishTheStory, and insult was added to injury when the rubber chicken landed. The most compelling villain in professional wrestling, Shun Skywalker, stunned fans when he turned on his squadmate Diamante during the Mask Vs. Mask Steel Cage Five Way Survival match at Dragongate Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival 2023. Sanada was able to finish the story by beating Okada for the top prize in NJPW. People continue to Breed with the Switchblade to this day.

#pro wrestling #wrestling #puroresu #puro #lucha libre #njpw #tna wrestling #will ospreay #tna #impact wrestling #aew #all elite wrestling #dragongate #wwe #nxt #cmll

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cavenewstimes · 9 months

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Mickie James To Make RevPro Debut In August

Feedzy Read More By /July 21, 2023 12:19 pm EST Hot off the heels of her recent match in France, former Impact Knockouts Champions Mickie James will soon return to Europe for her Revolution Pro Wrestling debut. James has officially been added to the promotion’s 11th anniversary show, slated to take place on Saturday, August 26 at the Copper Box Arena in London, England. This date winds up being…

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wrestlingisfake · 10 months

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G1 Climax Day 1 preview

This is New Japan's annual heavyweight singles tournament. This year we've got a field of 32 men, divided into four blocks. Each man wrestles the other seven men in his block. Whoever ends up with the best win-loss record wins the block. The four block winners and the four runners-up advance to a knockout stage (August 10-13), where it's win or go home. The winner of the tournament receives a trophy and the right to challenge for the IWGP world heavyweight title on January 4 in the Tokyo Dome.

This show features the first round of A Block and B Block matches; the July 16 show will present the first round of C Block and D Block.

A Block: SANADA vs. Hikuleo - Sanada is the IWGP world champion. If he wins the tournament, he gets to name his opponent for January 4. Seeing as wrestling is fake, though, he probably won't win. No championships are at stake during the tournament, but defeating a titleholder in a tournament match is a good way to get in line for a title shot.

Typically the G1 is booked so the champion loses one or two matches, to set up title contenders for the fall shows. Sanada can't lose too many matches, or it weakens the aura of the champion. But he can't win too many matches either, since they probably don't want him to win the block. I expect him to finish at 6-1 or 5-2, which leaves a very narrow path for anyone in A Block to place ahead of him.

Since Hikuleo is a longshot to win the entire G1, this one match is his best shot at getting into the world title picture. It's not unusual for a top star to lose in a big upset on the first night of a tournament like this, particularly in the main event. I can't really picture Hikuleo beating Sanada and headlining in September/October, but somebody in A Block probably will, so there's at least a chance. Even if he loses, this could be the biggest match of his career, so he needs to put on a good showing. My gut feeling is Sanada wins, but I'm not very confident of that.

B Block: Will Ospreay vs. Taichi - Ospreay recently regained the IWGP United States title. Taichi has the KOPW championship, which is occasionally presented like it matters, but not lately.

This is a rematch from February, where Ospreay pretty much destroyed Taichi to get his heat back after Kenny Omega destroyed Ospreay in January. Now Ospreay has avenged his loss to Omega, but he's probably still pretty banged up. So it would make sense if Taichi could get his win back here, and potentially set up a US title match down the road. The more I think about, I bet Taichi wins this match, but Ospreay makes up for it with a strong 5-2 record in the block.

A Block: Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Yota Tsuji - Kiyomiya is a top guy from Pro Wrestling NOAH; in fact, he won last year's N-1 Victory tournament, which is basically Noah's version of the G1. Tsuji just returned from excursion a few months ago and has only had one singles match since then, where the whole build was "we don't know what to expect from this guy." Tsuji lost that match and really needs to pick up some big wins, but I doubt it'll happen here. Kiyomiya is clearly here to advance his interpromotional beef with Kazuchika Okada, which probably means he needs to reach the knockout stage, so I expect him to have a strong run. Actually, I'll just go ahead and pick him to win A Block. And if he's winning the block, he should probably beat Tsuji.

B Block: Great-O-Khan vs. Kazuchika Okada - Khan is the RevPro British heavyweight champion. Okada is one of the NEVER trios champions. Khan is really not at Okada's level, so the only reason he should win here is to tell a story where a shocking upset has everybody second-guessing a heavy favorite. That could be the story they want to tell with Okada this year. But I avoid betting against Okada, so I might as well pick him to go 7-0 in the block.

A Block: Shota Umino vs. Ren Narita - These two came up together in the dojo, and then both went on excursion and returned around the same time. As far as I can tell this is their first one-on-one encounter since 2019, and a lot's changed since then. The main thing they have in common now is that they've both been a part of the whole "Okada is sick of these snot-nosed kids getting in his business" storyline, but I'm not sure how they figure into the future of that. It probably doesn't make much difference who wins this match--one of them might score well enough to advance to the knockout stage, but I can't see either of them winning the tournament.

B Block: KENTA vs. Tanga Loa - Kenta is just coming off losing the STRONG title to Eddie Kingston on July 5. This is Loa's first match since May 2022, when he was sidelined with a knee injury. Interestingly, Loa's last G1 Climax match was in October 2021 in a losing effort to Kenta. These are two middle-of-the-road guys who aren't going to get out of the block and probably won't have any big statement wins, so it's all about putting on solid performances and making a 4-3 finish look good. I'd give Loa a win in his return match, but New Japan isn't always so formulaic about that.

A Block: Gabe Kidd vs. Chase Owens - Kidd recently captured the STRONG tag team championship alongside Alex Coughlin. The duo shockingly joined Bullet Club back in June. Owens has been in Bullet Club forever, but we haven't seen much of him since he withdrew from World Tag League back in November, due to a death in the family. Chase was there for David Finlay taking over the group during the New Japan Cup tour, but I'm not sure where he stands on booting El Phantasmo out of the faction, or all the new recruits (like Kidd) that have joined since then.

Traditionally, when two Bullet Club members meet in the G1 they always do the bit where they "agree" for one guy to lay down for the other, then they get into a fight about it and have a real match. Something tells me Owens will expect it to go like that here, but Kidd will be all business. Regardless, Kidd has to win this match, because he's probably going to finish the tournament at 2-5.

B Block: YOSHI-HASHI vs. El Phantasmo - Yoshi is one of the IWGP heavyweight tag team champions. ELP recently got turfed out of Bullet Club, and then came up short in his big revenge match against David Finlay. So he really needs a win, and he ought to be able to get one against Yoshi. Yoshi surprised me when he beat Phantasmo in last year's G1, but I don't think that's going to happen again this time.

#njpw #g1 climax

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pwrestlingxpress · 11 months

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Best of the Super Jr. 30 FINAL Match Card and Predictions

Unpredictable is one word to describe this year's "Best of the Super Junior" Tournament. Many were expecting Lio Rush, El Desperado, Mike Bailey, Taiji Ishimori, YOH, etc. to go all the way. Instead we're in for an unpredictable final as it'll be Master Wato vs. Titan in which the winner will not only hoist up the winged trophy for the first time in their career but will also be the first overall BOSJ winner to hoist up the flag that carries the 29 previous winners. Before we get that though, we got quite the match card for Sunday's Finale.

Here's a look at the card with my predictions on who'll win each match before heading to the main event.

Opening Match: Oskar Leube and Yuto Nakashima vs. Boltin Oleg and Togi Makabe

Prediction: Doesn't get easier than this, Makabe and Oleg with the win in our opening match to "Best of the Super Junior 30 FINAL"

Match #2: Clark Connors vs. Ryohei Oiwa

Prediction: I actually had Clark Connors finishing in double digits this year. So...I'm surprised that he ended up once again with 8 points. He really thought that going to BC would help him. Short term...it hasn't. Long term though remains to be seen. As for who wins this match against Ryohei Oiwa, giving the edge to Clark Connors as long as he keeps his composure because every time he's lost a match in this tour, he has totally snapped and lashed out at everybody. Win clean and win right Clark.

Match #3: Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita vs. YOH and Lio Rush

Prediction: Originally was going to go with Rush and YOH for the win but based on a tweet from Kosei Fujita, looks like he has officially graduated to main roster status and if so...he's going to get his first major win in Ota. Expect an upset here, everyone.

Match #4: Great O-Khan, Aaron Henare, TJP, Francesco Akira, and Dan Moloney vs. Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Kevin Knight, and KUSHIDA

Prediction: In the Blue corner we have the RevPro British Heavyweight Champion (Great O-Khan). In the Red corner we have (as of this typing) the reigning Triple Crown Champion (Yuji Nagata) and the reigning IWGP Junior Tag Champions (Kevin Knight and KUSHIDA). A champion is going to get pinned in this match and it'll most likely be KUSHDA but going out of the element to say Hiroyoshi Tenzan will take the pin. United Empire for the win here.

Match #5 (Not pictured): EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, and SHO vs. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and Toru Yano

Prediction: You can say expect EVIL and company to get revenge but when it comes to Yano in the ring, not so much. Also...O-Khan and Henare want to sub in for Aussie Open at Dominion 2023 on June 4th in Osaka-Jo Hall. My feeling here is that in this fifth match on the card, they're going to get their wish despite EVIL and Yujiro's protests. For Bishamon, it won't matter as long as they win in Osaka on June 4th.

Match #6: Shota Umino, Ren Narita, El Desperado, and Mike Bailey vs. Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Tomohiro Ishii

Prediction: Shota Umino is 100% different from Kaito Kiyomiya. 100% different from Ren Narita. You can tell that Shota will stop at nothing to ensure that Okada is beaten and with Moxley at his side, there's a chance for it to happen. But...in this 8-man tag, expect Umino to set an example of what the new era will be like. Umino's team with the win and a surprise from him and Moxley to Okada post-match.

Semi-main Event: Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI vs. SANADA, Taichi, DOUKI, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Prediction: While everyone else has a different match from Friday in Yoyogi, these four meet again in Ota. Except this time, they're the semi-main event instead of being Match #6 like they were two night prior. My prediction here is very complicated but one that could cause a chain of reactions to the main event and beyond. Tetsuya Naito is apparently targeting Taichi so if LIJ was to win this semi-main match than Naito needs to pin Taichi and get his shot at the KOPW Provisional Championship. If Just 5 Guys were to win, it'll be the same as Friday, SANADA submitting BUSHI. Again...if it's LIJ winning, expect Yota Tsuji to perhaps finally show up and distract SANADA to give LIJ the advance. Or if it Just 5 Guys again, expect Yota Tsuji to leave his mark post-match. Either way, I'm expecting something big to happen here in the semi-main event between these eight men.

youtube

Main Event: Titan (A Block Representative) vs. Master Wato (B Block Representative)

Prediction: Never did I predict this to be our final for 2023. Originally I had Lio Rush facing either El Desperado or YOH in the finals with Lio Rush winning it all. Instead, Lio got eliminated in the Block Stage. I had a feeling Titan would be one of the two representatives for A Block after the Ishimori injury. The surprise element is always a factor when you see a final like this. Master Wato was someone I did not expect to get here, not even make the finals. From his debut in this tournament back in 2020 through last year, Wato managed to only finish at 8 points. This year, he's done a complete 180 to finish second behind Desperado and record the biggest upset win by beating A Block winner Mike Bailey. As for who wins this match, someone is getting their first BOSJ trophy and I'm hoping to be wrong on this but I have to go with my family roots. Titan is from my father's country and I have to cheer on my countryman. Titan to make history and become the first Mexican Best of the Super Junior winner.

Those are all my predictions. Tune in Sunday May 28th at 6:30 PM Local Time/5:30 AM Eastern/4:30 AM Central/2:30 AM Pacific on NJPW World with either English or Japanese Commentary to see who'll hoist up the winged trophy and who'll be the first to carry the red/gold flag of the Best of the Super Junior.

To all 20 participants, thank you for giving us 2+ weeks of intense competition with memorable moments that'll last forever. Thank you for making this "Best of the Super Junior" Tournament the best one to date.

Enjoy the finals tomorrow on NJPW World. Go to timeanddate.com and type in the city you live in to find the official start time to the event in your area.

#NJPW #New Japan Pro Wrestling #Match Card #Best of the Super Jr 30 Final #Match Predictions #Master Wato #Titan #CMLL #Youtube

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wrestlingmgc · 2 years

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RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Champion & Phoenix Of RISE Champion Zoe Lucas

#RevPro #RISE #Undisputed British Women's Champion #Phoenix of RISE Champion #Zoe Lucas #RevPro Undisputed British Women's Championship #Phoenix of RISE Championship #Revolution Pro Wrestling #RISE Wrestling #Women's Title #Independent Wrestling #Women's Wrestling #Indy Wrestling #Pro Wrestling #10s

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imvgeswrestling · 1 year

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》》》

#united empire #will ospreay #aussie open #mark davis #kyle fletcher #photoshoot #backstage #post match #champions: revpro #revpro british heavyweight championship #wrestling #male #stables #*mine

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soundcloud-n-chill · 5 years

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Saw Zack Sabre Jr. on the beatdown after loosing the Rev Pro British Heavyweight championship at Njpw Royal Quest London!

#njpwworld #Royalquest #njpw royal quest #njpw #wrestling #britishwrestling #London #squaredcircle #Newjapan #new japan pro wrestling #hiroshi tanahashi #tanahashi #rev pro #revpro #champion #main event #title #zsj #zack sabre jr

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thegiftofviolence · 2 years

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RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion, Will Ospreay

#RevPro #Revolution Pro Wrestling #Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion #Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship #Will Ospreay #NJPW #New Japan Pro Wrestling #UK #British #Gaijin #United Empire #Commonwealth Kingpin

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debbiechanclub · 1 year

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Empty Rooms

A “Take My Hand, Wreck My Plans” fic

Pairing: Kyle Fletcher x OFC (with a bit of x Jay White) Word Count: 3,321 Warnings: Drinking, language, a lotta angst

Following a long, slow end to her relationship with Jay, Nellie finds herself single in London on her birthday. But she doesn't end the night alone.

TMHWMP Timeline | Masterlist

Read it on AO3

Tag squad: @aussiearrow @statdaddy @knifepervert @sldghmmr @rusevday @missbrownstone @meteora-fc @bec0m @thatgirlforever5 @rocca09

Sunday, September 19, 2021 London, England

The Undisputed British Women’s Championship felt heavier in Nellie’s hand leaving the ring than it had entering it. Of course, it wasn’t heavier—she was weaker, her lungs on fire and her muscles taxed after a grueling twenty-minute two-out-of-three-falls match. But as spent as she was, Nellie hadn’t felt this much pride in a while. Successfully defending her title for the fifth time since winning it in July was one hell of a birthday present.

“And still.”

Kyle Fletcher greeted her with a wide smile as she returned backstage. Aussie Open’s winner-take-all match against Destination Everywhere for both the PWA Tag Team Championship and RevPro Undisputed British Tag Team Championship was next.

“That was a hell of a match, Nell,” Mark complimented.

“Thanks,” she smiled and bumped each of their fists in turn. Nellie had known Kyle and Mark for almost as long as she’d been working RevPro, but for most of that time they’d been little more than acquaintances, not to mention one-time rivals—Aussie Open had won their first RevPro tag team championship by beating Suzuki-gun back when Nellie had been dating and managing Zack.

However, when Nellie had defeated Zoe Lucas to capture the vacant RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship for a second time—ironically, on July Fourth—she’d decided right then and there to be a fighting champion. And that meant working more dates for RevPro, which in turn meant seeing the Aussies more and having the chance to actually get to know them; and soon enough, Nellie, Kyle, and Mark had graduated from acquaintances to friends who texted and sent each other memes and made plans for when she’d been in England next.

And she’d been there quite frequently lately.

“How many defenses is that now?” Mark asked.

Nellie hoisted the title up onto her shoulder. “Five… in three months.”

“Jesus,” he breathed.

“I think I’m in love,” Kyle added.

She grinned. “Win the RevPro tag titles and maybe we’ll talk,” she teased him—and not for the first time. That was something else that had developed between her and Kyle in recent weeks. But he’d started it.

“I’m gonna hold you to that,” he smirked.

“Will you?” Nellie parried; but then she noticed the knowing smirk on Mark’s face and became suddenly embarrassed. Trading cheeky DMs with Kyle was one thing. Flirting with him in front of people was quite another.

“Good luck!” she quickly said, and she turned and continued down the hall, her heart rate picking up again.

* * * *

An hour after her match, Nellie’s phone was still pinging with likes, comments, and retweets of the sweaty post-match photo she’d shared to her socials with a simple but intriguing caption: And still. Three months, five defenses. And I’m hunting more hardware.

It was that last line that had everyone speculating—and they’d find out what she meant soon enough. Recently, Nellie and Torrance had decided to bet on themselves and enter the upcoming Goddesses of Stardom Tag League as a team. It was a bold move, not only because they’d never tagged together before, but because they were in separate factions: Nellie in Queen’s Quest, Torrance in Cosmic Angels. But they’d both been looking to shake things up in their careers, and the tag league presented the perfect opportunity.

“We seriously need to come up with a team name,” Torrance said as she sat in the dressing room scrolling through her own social media feeds. “They’re announcing the entrants in two weeks, I think.”

“I know,” Nellie agreed, pausing to swipe mascara over her lashes. Of course they were going out; it was her birthday. “I’ve been trying to think of a play on our names, but all I’ve come up with is Team TKO and I don’t think that fits us.”

Torrance’s eyes turned pensive. “Cosmic Queens?” she finally said.

Nellie started to reject it—but she snapped her fingers. It had come to her just like that. “Cosmic Queendom.”

“Yessss, that’s it,” Torrance smiled. “Although it kinda sounds like we’re trying to join United Empire, too.”

Nellie stopped what she was doing. “Oh God, it does,” she realized. But Torrance shrugged.

“Fine with me,” she grinned. That time, Nellie decided to keep her comments to herself.

Initially, Torrance hadn’t planned on coming to London. But she’d made a spur-of-the-moment decision last week to book a last-minute flight—and it wasn’t just because she wanted to be there to support Nellie. She had other, more personal motivations; ones that involved Will Ospreay.

From Nellie’s perspective, Will had come completely out of left field. She knew that he and Torrance had gone on a few dates back in 2017—Nellie had even gone on the most awkward double date of her life with them and David Finlay—but up until about a month ago, Torrance had been involved with Robbie Eagles. Casually involved, admittedly, but involved nonetheless—and Nellie thought he was a much better match for Torrance than Will was.

But when it came down to it, Torrance seemed happy; and after everything she’d been through surrounding the contentious end of her and Ishimori’s relationship earlier that year, the last thing Nellie wanted to do was rain on her parade.

“Speaking of United Empire,” Torrance added. “Is Kyle gonna end up in more than just your DMs tonight?”

“Torr!” Nellie proclaimed; but she couldn’t help her grin. “Jesus.”

“I’m just saying; I’d support it one hundred percent. It’s your birthday and you deserve to get dicked down.”

Nellie flushed hot at Torrance’s frankness of speech; but it would be a bald-faced lie to say she hadn’t been considering doing exactly that with Kyle. He was the perfect candidate on paper for a night of no-strings-attached fun. They were friends but not close enough that it would complicate anything; she was less than two months out of a heartbreaking relationship, and he was only twenty-two—neither of them was looking for anything serious. And besides, Torrance was right: she did deserve to get dicked down.

“Well… maybe I will,” she smirked and her phone pinged again. But the notification sound was different that time; the one she’d set for text messages. She finished up her makeup and then reached for her phone—and nearly dropped it when saw the text was from Jay.

Happy birthday, Nell. And congrats on the win. Five defenses in three months is insane.

“What the fuck.”

“What?” Torrance asked, and Nellie realized she’d said that out loud.

“Jay just texted me happy birthday.”

“What?” Torrance was just as taken aback. “No.”

“Yes,” she confirmed, and she handed her phone over so Torrance could see it for herself. Her mouth dropped.

“Oh, what the fuck.”

“Now you see why I said it,” Nellie commented.

“Have you two even said two words to each other since you broke up?”

She shook her head. “No.” It worked Torrance up even more.

“And he just pops up to wish you happy birthday like nothing happened,” she said. “Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m surprised; it’s just like Jay to pull something like that.”

Now that she'd said it, Nellie wasn’t surprised, either; that was exactly how Jay had acted throughout the final three months of their relationship. After he’d won the NEVER Openweight Championship, Nellie had felt like he would put her on the backburner for days at a time until he’d suddenly remember they were together. That they needed to communicate, check-in with each other, be there for each other even while thousands of miles apart, especially while working through the uncertainty of their situation.

Except, they hadn’t worked through it. And months later, Nellie was still trying to work out why.

“You’re not thinking about texting him back, are you?” Torrance asked.

Knock! Knock-knock-knock! Knock-knock!

A rhythmic series of knocks on the dressing room door spared Nellie from having to answer, and then Will’s voice shouted through to them.

“Oi! Are you two ready?”

Torrance looked back at Nellie as she stood to answer the door. “Don’t text him back. You have better things to do tonight—like a six-foot-four Aussie.”

Nellie scoffed. But her fingers hovered over the keyboard as she looked back at the text, until she locked her phone and put it away.

* * * *

It was a challenge to find anywhere to get a drink after 11 p.m. on a Sunday in London, unless you knew where to look—and of course Will knew where to look. So, he called an Uber X and a black Range Rover arrived to take them away. On the ride, the conversation naturally turned to all their success that night and what shows they had booked next, at which point Nellie asked Kyle and Mark if they had any plans to wrestle in Japan soon, given that they were the newest members of United Empire. Kyle told her he hoped it would be sooner rather than later. And when Nellie grinned and said, “I hope so, too,” she really meant it.

But it was less than ten minutes before they reached their destination—and it really was the kind of place you needed to know about, tucked away on a side street in between much newer and taller buildings. On the outside, it looked like a typical English pub, a weathered brick-and-wood front adorned with an elegant hunter green sign hand-painted with gold lettering. But as soon as Nellie got out of the Range Rover she heard the pulse of dance music and saw the flash of strobe lights through the windows. It was unexpected, to say the least.

“Why does this seem like exactly the kind of place you’d know about?” Torrance said to Will.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he returned, and he took her hand and led them all inside.

The pub was cramped as it was, and it was packed wall-to-wall with people—at the bar, on the dancefloor, crowded around tables in the back. It was a dive for sure, and the atmosphere instantly transported Nellie back three years, to when nearly every trip to England had seen nights out with Riley to places just like this, and they would have drinks and Nellie would act coy even though she knew she’d fall into bed with him again.

And when Kyle put his hand on the small of her back, it felt like history might repeat itself with someone new.

“You want a drink?”

He’d leaned in to be heard above the music, and the ghost of his lips against her ear sent a pleasant tingle up Nellie’s spine. She nodded. “Yeah.”

She wasn’t sure if his hand found hers or the other way around, but their fingers intertwined, and he led her through the crowd to the bar. When they arrived, he guided her in front of him, his hand on her hip, her body tucked against his side.

“Shots?” he asked.

Nellie unintentionally leaned her head back against him as she laughed. “You would suggest shots.”

“Well, yeah!” Kyle returned. “It’s your birthday! I want you to enjoy it.” He squeezed her hip. It made more than just Nellie’s spine tingle that time.

He ordered a round of shots for the group, and they toasted to Nellie’s birthday and United Empire—“And Torr and Nell, consider this your unofficial initiation,” Will had said—and then they ordered more drinks and made their way to a booth in a less-crowded area on the second floor (Will's handiwork, of course). But Will didn’t stay long himself; Torrance pulled him away to the dancefloor, and once Mark realized he’d be third wheeling it, he disappeared, too, and Nellie and Kyle were left alone. They sat close, his arm resting behind her on the booth, their knees touching under the table. Nellie propped her chin up by her elbow and turned to look at him. He grinned.

“Do you know how fucking hot you are?”

Nellie couldn’t help it—she laughed. It was exactly the sort of compliment she’d expect from a twenty-two-year-old at a bar. But that didn’t make it any less flattering.

“I’m serious,” Kyle added, and he started ticking off her praises on his fingers. “You’re a bad-ass wrestler, you’re smart, you’re funny, and to top it all off you’re a fucking smokeshow. It’s not fair, actually.”

Nellie bit back a grin as she stirred her drink. “I’m also twenty-nine.”

Kyle’s brow furrowed. “And?” He was clearly confused as to why she’d mention that. “What does that matter?”

“Are you into older women?”

Their seven-year age difference was something that had been lurking in the back of Nellie’s mind from the day she and Kyle had started their flirtation. Not because it mattered—it didn’t, not if they were two consenting adults just getting their rocks off for a night—but just because it was there. Fact. And Nellie had never been with someone that much younger than her.

But it seemed to be a complete non-issue to Kyle. “Older women?” He laughed. “No—I’m into you. And I don’t think of you as an ‘older woman.’”

Nellie grinned again. “Oh, so you’re into me, huh?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I thought that was kind of obvious with all the flirting and compliments, but I can be more obvious if you need me to.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s more obvi…”

She trailed off as he pulled her into him and kissed her. And while Nellie had half-expected him to do it, she hadn’t at all expected her physical response to it. Kyle’s lips were soft, and so was the kiss, slow and sensual, one arm wrapped around her shoulders to draw her close, his other hand cradling the side of her face, his fingers reaching back into her hair. It was a purposeful kiss; attentive. Nellie hadn’t felt so coveted in months.

He broke away, nipping at her bottom lip just so. When Nellie opened her eyes, Kyle was smirking at her.

“Mommy? Sorry. Mom—”

She shoved him away. “Oh, fuck off.”

“I’m sorry, it was right there!” he laughed. “But is that a bit more obvious?”

Nellie smirked. “Obviously,” she returned. And then, like an intrusive thought, she remembered Jay’s text, still sitting left on read on her phone.

* * * *

Thanks. I’ve been trying to keep busy.

Nellie sent the text as they all walked out of the pub, when no one was paying attention. It was after 1 a.m., and alcohol had weakened her resolve. Between Kyle’s lips, his smile, the way he touched her, and the ghost of Jay still haunting the empty rooms in her heart, Nellie’s head was a mess.

“Nell! You coming?”

She looked up at the sound of Kyle’s voice and realized she’d fallen behind. She pushed her phone into her back pocket and hurried to catch up, looping her arm through his and falling in step next to him.

The guys had decided they wanted a late-night snack, and of course Will knew of a 24-hour bagel shop a short walk away. The guys went up to the counter to order while Nellie and Torrance stood against the wall, out of the way. It took all but a few seconds for Torrance to ask exactly what Nellie knew she would.

“So… will Kyle be giving you a birthday present?”

Of course Nellie had told Torrance that Kyle had kissed her back at the pub, and she was almost certain Torrance had gone and told Will. She stole a furtive glance at the guys out of the corner of her eye. She couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but by the way Will nudged Kyle and the grin on Kyle’s face, she had some idea.

“I don’t know.”

Torrance frowned when she heard that. “Why not?” she asked—and as if in answer, Nellie’s phone buzzed in her back pocket. She pulled it out without thinking about it—again: alcohol—and saw that Jay had responded.

Well it looks good on you.

Her head spun. Torrance noticed—and she already knew. She came around Nellie’s side and looked at her phone. Her lips parted in disappointment.

“You texted him back? Nell.”

“I know, but I don’t need a lecture about it right now, okay?” Nellie returned. She was tired, and a bit drunk, and a lot confused. And thankfully, Torrance was the kind of friend who could recognize that.

“Okay, but don’t reply to that one,” she urged.

“Everything alright over here?” Will walked over and handed a blondie wrapped in cellophane to Torrance. He nudged his chin at Nellie. “You look a million miles away, Nell.”

“Oh,” she quickly shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I think the night’s just catching up to me.”

“I’m sure Kyle could sort it out for you,” he commented, and her face burned. She barely had a moment to recover before Kyle and Mark joined them, bagel sandwiches in hand. Kyle took a big bite out of his and hummed in satisfaction.

“This hits the spot, for sure,” he said. He offered the bagel to Nellie. “Want a bite?”

She eyed it; it did look good. So, she grabbed Kyle’s hand and took a bite.

“Jeez, taking my food already!” he proclaimed.

“You offered!” Nellie returned through a mouth full of food. Kyle just grinned and winked at her.

“Well, shall we?” Will said then. “I’ll call the Uber.”

* * * *

When Kyle had leaned into Nellie’s ear in the backseat of the Uber and quietly asked if she wanted him to come back to her hotel room, she’d looked up at him and nodded yes. But she didn’t know if she’d hook up with him. She still didn’t know as they walked through the door, or as she changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, or even as they cuddled up together on the bed, atop the covers. They didn’t turn on the TV or look at their phones; and even though Nellie still wasn’t sure, she did notice that the silence wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. It didn’t feel like she’d made a mistake inviting Kyle back to her hotel room. It was nice just having his company.

“I want you to know I don’t expect anything to happen tonight,” he eventually said. “I know it hasn’t been that long since you and Jay broke up.”

Something ached deep inside Nellie’s chest. She did her best to ignore it. “How long do you think it’s been?”

It was a genuine question. She and Jay had kept their relationship out of the public eye even when they’d been at their happiest, and they’d handled their break-up just as privately. But there had been clues. Ones that Nellie assumed Kyle had picked up on.

“About a month, I guess?” he answered. “At least, that’s about how long ago I started to notice you sharing certain songs to your Instagram stories and posting thirst trap photos.”

A corner of Nellie’s mouth quirked up. “Oh, so you noticed the photos?”

“Of course I noticed the photos, are you joking? Those photos could make a blind man see again.”

She laughed out loud that time. “Well, I’m glad you noticed,” she said, and she saw him smirk out of the corner of her eye.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, her voice small but genuine. “It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve been noticed like that.”

Kyle’s eyebrows arched. “Did Jay go blind?”

“It sort of feels that way,” she said, and she started to withdraw again, into those empty rooms.

But she pulled herself out and looked up at Kyle. “But it’s his loss.”

Kyle smiled at her, warm and wide, just like he had when she’d returned backstage from winning her match. Just like he had been all night. “It’s absolutely his loss,” he said, and Nellie pulled his lips against hers, getting lost in the feel of him.

#kyle fletcher fanfiction #kyle fletcher fic #kyle fletcher fanfic #jay white fanfiction #jay white fanfic #jay white fic #aussie open fanfiction #will ospreay fanfiction #njpw fanfiction #stardom fanfiction

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Rebbie’s Wrestling Reviews - Show Reviews

RevPro High Stakes 2024

(I did want to include more photos/videos in this, but they're getting caught up in the transfer-to-laptop process. Stay tuned!)

On Sunday 18th February, I headed up to Crystal Palace, London for RevolutionPro Wrestling’s High Stakes 2024. Last year, I went to Wembley but this was another long journey. Fortunately, this is a bit less hectic considering the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre does not hold about 80,000 people. I usually go to the RevPro shows in Southampton, but this is my first big show I’m seeing in-person or on-demand. We saw a few of the stars head in as we waited for doors, including Mustafa Ali, which was pretty exciting. There was also an awesome street food market just around the corner in the big park the venue was in. I had a pretty nice chicken biriyani but I wish I had got the sauce that you could add. I am very keen to go to a Crystal Palace show again just to try more of these stalls! There was also sports going on around us, and as we waited we watched some beach volleyball occuring very far below us! This was a pretty cool place.

We actually ended up being amongst the first people to enter, which gave us a great chance to check the place out. This was a big step up from the smoky 1865 we were used to watching our RevPro in. All seating, with a bunch of walled seats on one side and benches on the others. When we eventually found our seats, we realised we were on the benches, hence the cheaper price of our tickets. We had picked seats very close to the back as we ordered tickets very late in the day, but the ring was actually extremely close still. It was a great arrangement, even if the people around us did result in me being a bit cramped.

Looking around, we found the merch table, a bar, and even some food outside! We didn't end up grabbing a drink or food, but I did head to the merch table, and who was at the very first one but Mustafa Ali. I followed Ali all throughout his WWE run, and was a very big advocate of his. He’s also extremely based as wrestlers go. I worked up the confidence and bought a signed print from him, sending the money via PayPal which is always a neat contact to see in my app! It was certainly a step up in price compared to what I’m used to, but I had to get it. A photo was unfortunately the same price, so we didn't take him up on it, but I did shake his hand. Pretty cool moment! I also bought a poster of the event, and then met Michael Oku, the Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion and the main eventer! I was able to buy a print, get a photo, and even have him sign my poster! He was super cool, I was a bit nervous and didn't say much though. I unfortunately smudged my poster signature while trying to carry everything but fortunately not too bad! A fellow fan asked me how much my Ali print was as we gushed about our fandom and our nerves meeting him. Meanwhile, my dad ended up buying himself some RevPro logo merch: a shirt and a hoodie. We then found our seats though, and waited for the show to begin.

Orange Cassidy (c) def. Sha Samuels, Cameron Khai, Richard Holliday, “Flash” Morgan Webster, Spike Trivet, & Shigehiro Irie in a 7-Way Scramble for the AEW International Championship by pinfall in 8:03

YES, THAT ORANGE CASSIDY! this was a total shock. This match was billed as a six-way with a mystery "international superstar". When Shigehiro Irie of Japan came out, we were all pretty content! Irie is an absolute beast and I'm always keen to see more of him. However, once he reached the ring, a familiar tune started, and we all began to realise just who it was... when Jane burst into full swing and the Orange Cassidy graphics appeared, it was absolute scenes. I was genuinely shaking with excitement, I felt weak. We could all not believe our eyes, and everyone was screaming and jumping. Loud "freshly squeezed" chants rang out and we all saw the International Championship exit the backpack mere feet away. So, this became a 7-way for the title! It had originally spawned from various allegiances and rivalries, but now had a certain je ne sais quoi! Cassidy was predictably the main focus here, as he did a big 6-way lazy kick spot, which ended with a Holliday low blow. From here it was a bit one-in one-out as many multi-man matches can get at points. Still, this was fun and shows some just why all of these guys rule. There was a fun spot as people built up on the outside, with Holliday teasing a dive before being sent out by Irie, who was brought out by Khai with a pretty gnarly looking move to the apron. From here, Webster hit a brilliant Shadows Over Malice to the pile-up. Heading back to the ring, Cassidy would hit Orange Punch's all round, but the big Irie would not go down without an extra shot. Holliday tries a roll-up but gets hit with an Orange Punch all the same and takes the loss.

I definitely wish this one was a bit longer and had a bit more meat on its bones, but this was all about the Cassidy surprise, getting all his classic spots in for the intimate crowd, and showing a bit of each participant. I can't exactly complain! The highlight may have been when Holliday threw Cassidy's glasses at him, only for them to land in his pocket where he could calmly put them on. That was electric. But overall, it was one of the best moment's I've ever experienced live, with a nice, if short, match attached. Orange also gave his equivalent of an impassioned speech post match telling us to go to Wembley.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Dani Luna (c) def. Safire Reed for the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship by pinfall in 9:44

Now it's time for the Undisputed British Women's Championship! We have "Radioactive" Safire Reed up against the still somewhat new champion, Dani Luna of Subculture. This was a good match, with Dani taking an early advantage with her power before being undone by the striking game of Reed. There was a bit of trouble when Reed attempted a top rope stomp on Luna draped through the ropes. Reed began to lose her balance, but from one foot off the top rope, was able to connect with Luna before hitting the rope and taking a nasty spill. Didn't look comfortable, didn't look as intended, but it was honestly pretty gnarly and they seemed to come out of it ok. Luna hit a wicked blue thunder before Reed came back with her biggest flurry shortly after. German suplex out of the turnbuckle, running headbutt, rainmaker, shining wizard, but Luna kicked out. Frustrated, Reed picked up the title, which would be her undoing. We have a big German before Dani hits an awesome Luna Landing pop-up sit-out powerbomb, and that's all she wrote. Let's go champ! I have also just learned that Dani Luna is 24 and now I'm worried about my achievements in life.

This was a pretty fun match, even if some of that finish was a bit silly, that's wrestling for you! Maybe could have played up the frustration of Reed a tad more, she was a bit calm with it, but who knows? It's still a tad silly. Reed can definitely go far though, and Dani Luna is a top tier talent. I also realised halfway through the show that she was right behind our segment of the crowd for much of the rest of the show. Post-match, we hear some banging noises, when Alex Windsor drags Luna back to the ring with a chain. The former champion hits a Super Dragon Curb Stomp and takes her leave before Luna gets medical attention. Overall, there were flaws but I enjoyed this match a good deal!

3.5 STARS OUT OF 5

Young Blood (Yuto Nakashima & Oskar Leube) def. Mark Trew & Kieron Lacey by pinfall in 9:25

It's tag team time! These two teams have been getting on each other’s nerves for a while now, so it’s finally time they settled it in the ring. Two young brash teams butt heads here, and it's wild early on. These two teams can't be contained, with Young Blood utilising their size advantage early on. However, Trew & Lacey are able to isolate Yuto Nakashima. He's a big man, but with quick tag team offence, they gain the upper hand. Oskar Leube is begging for a tag, but he doesn't get it. Trew & Lacey wind up Oskar, causing distractions that allow for some underhanded attacks. From a Yuto suplex, we get our hot tag and Leube-mania is running wild. The big man from Germany runs rampant over the cocky tag team, dishing out massive clotheslines and a breathtaking back body drop on Trew. Leube is able to kick out of a big double team that holts his progress. However, Young Blood fight back, taking out Lacey with a high/low before an absolute wicked tag team finisher from Young Blood. Yuto's knee strike into a giant F5 (or should that be The Verdict in NJPW?) from Leube. That's obviously all she wrote.

Nakashima is a brilliantly charming performer and showed a bit more of his in-ring prowess here, Leube garnered great reviews that I could tell by ear, and Trew & Lacey are an awesome team of cruiserweight heels. Their ability to sell helped Young Blood look even better than they were and fed the electric energy of the hot tag. Pretty good stuff.

3.5 STARS OUT OF 5

Luke Jacobs def. JJ Gale by pinfall in 17:02

We have an epic clash of styles here, as Southampton's JJ Gale takes on North West Strong, Luke Jacobs. Both men want to prove they are the better man, with Jacobs having no respect for Gale and wanting to make a point out of beating him and proving he is the future of RevPro. Gale is popular but Jacobs is a strong favourite with this London crowd. Gale is trying to match Jacobs with strikes and power for much of this match, which we can see some of the flaws in as a plan when Jacobs comes out on top of a strike exchange early on. Gale throws in a bit of high-flying to keep in this one, and they end up outside. Gale is sat down in a steel chair by Jacobs, but as he charges, JJ meets him with a superkick. We unfortunately have a bit of a scary moment here, as JJ uses the chair as a step to springboard off of the guardrail, but he slips and hits the floor. They recover well though, with Gale keeping it simple by launching Jacobs into the rail. They return to the ring, with Jacobs again using his power game against the quicker Gale. Some awesome strikes from Jacobs throughout. The match really got going here, as both men start unleashing a lot of there offence, with big springboards and powerbombs. There's a big Boston Crab by Jacobs out of Gale's powerbomb reversal, but Gale makes the ropes. They return to the centre, calling back to their opening exchange, but this time Gale is able to get the upper hand with his strikes! Gale gets his limbs caught though, and it's a massive headbutt from Jacobs. Gale has some final flurries, but is unable to win with a roll-up, Gale Force or a 450, which is dodged and met with two big lariats. But Gale kicks out! Jacobs goes for the Screwdriver, but roll-up by Gale, no, lariat, Steiner Screwdriver! It's over! Jacobs wins!

This was an awesome match, and by the end of it, the crowd was on fire for both men. I genuinely think this one tired everyone out for multiple matches. What a brilliant clash, and really sold me on Jacobs. Obviously, Gale is my guy so I would have loved to see him win but this was an incredible showing and with any luck is the start of bigger things for him. Post-match, Jacobs commends Gale, saying he earned some respect in that one. However, he declares himself for the Revolution Rumble and says he will be the next Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion. No respect for the "streak of piss" Michael Oku. His words, not mine. Maybe he'll have a bit more respect for him after our main event.

4 STARS OUT OF 5

Mustafa Ali def. Robbie X by pinfall in 13:08

The big talent from America, Mustafa Ali is in the house! He’s taking on cruiserweight stalwart Robbie X! There’s some early showboating, as Ali remarks “Robbie told me he can do anything I can do” before challenging him to replicate him flicking his hair. The crowd found this very funny. Robbie showed us though, flicking back whatever hair he does have! Impressive! There’s some decent back and forth here, both men showcasing their similar styles. Seeing moves like the rolling thunder neckbreaker live were absolutely awesome! There’s also a wicked moment when Ali crashes and burns full pelt into the bottom turnbuckle. That was an awesome sell. It’s generally a lot of back and forth here, ending when Ali is able to hit a pretty nice sunset flip powerbomb following a top rope tussle, following it up by pulling himself back to the top rope to hit a 450 splash and win!

This was definitely a good match, though I would love to see even more cruiserweight madness in this one! However, a rewatch could definitely be useful, as the previous bout was a big one! Post match, Ali takes a moment to praise Robbie X and tell everyone what a wrestler he is. He even does his signature X pose. Class stuff as both men stand tall.

3.5 STARS OUT OF 5

Shingo Takagi def. Trent Seven by pinfall in 21:58

With Gabe Kidd unfit to wrestle following the big War Dogs vs. United Empire match recently, we need a replacement! Here comes another former WWE talent in Trent Seven, though he’s certainly more acclaimed for his work in the UK indies. It’s great seeing Seven, and his entrance was good fun with all the fanfare he brings to it. There’s also a funny moment as Francesca and the referee think they’re about to be towel-whipped. But here comes The Rampage Dragon! Shingo is one of the most exciting wrestlers for me to see on this show. I’ve actually never seen a Shingo Takagi match but always heard good things! He is a very cool man. The two men start off slow, exchanging holds and strikes. There’s some good selling by Seven, and Takagi looks like a beast with a lot of what he does, but it did unfortunately stay a bit slow for a while. Things did ramp up towards the end though, with a lot of big moves hitting their marks, and plenty being attempted. A moment that started to wake things up was Trent hitting the Seven-Star Lariat for two. He followed up with a Bitter End attempt but got hit with Made in Japan. There’s some strikes here, before Trent hits a finger snap for a good reaction and finally hits the Bitter End. This doesn’t finish things however, and he attempts what seemed like a Tyler Driver but gets hit with a Last of the Dragon. There’s some more action, and Seven gets a nearfall with a piledriver that I did actually bite on. Takagi is able to avoid a Seven-Star Lariat and hit a Last of the Dragon but it’s again two. Trent kicks out at 1 after a sliding clothesline, but here’s a Running Bomber by Takagi! Trent kicks out at 2! You should have heard the lads behind me throughout this match but especially at this point. Big Takagi fans. They were pretty underwhelmed for the first half, and always eager for Takagi to put Seven away. They were NOT HAPPY with this kick-out, and very worried Trent was gonna win… also quite drunk but such is their prerogative. Still undecided on whether they added to or detracted from this one for me. But anyway, we have a fireman’s carry from Shingo countered into a Seven-Star Lariat attempt, but Takagi ducks, hits the ropes, Running Bomber, and it’s all over.

This one did get good towards the end, but not only was the start a bit slow and long, it was also maybe a touch over-dramatic in terms of kickouts and the like given the whole vibe and nature of the match. I don’t know, I felt like they overdid it. The match was just pretty long in the tooth. I mean, I was highly shocked it went 22 MINUTES. I don’t know who’s idea that was for a Takagi/Seven match, but it was not wise. Credit to them, it didn’t feel like 22 minutes long, but it felt long. Shave a good 5 minutes at least off of this one and you have a pretty damn good match, cos both men can go. Just lacked a certain intensity. Still, a solid-enough bout that was just pretty flawed, and I can give them slack with how Trent was slotted in just 24 hours prior.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Anthony Ogogo def. Ricky Knight Jr. in 13:30

Ogogo and RKJ have been feuding ever since Ogogo betrayed his tag partner at the Great British Tag League finals, with both men invoking the names of the other’s families in this rivalry. It’s Anthony Ogogo out first, and across from me I can see about 10 people sitting together, all wearing Anthony Ogogo shirts. Something tells me they may have some relation to the Olympic bronze medallist… Anyway, RKJ is out next and does a tour of the crowd, which is nice of him. I have to be honest with you, this match is kind of a blur to me. Someone behind me was having a completely unrelated conversation with someone and it really distracted me. I don’t think I was particularly alone in that, because it didn’t exactly draw a loud reaction. I’ll do my best to sum this one up though, because I do remember it being a decent match. There’s some back and forth until Ogogo is able to hit a Tower of London on the outside after an RKJ baseball slide. That was creative. I’m certain Ogogo only uses the Tower of London as a move for the home country synergy though, which is funny to me. There’s a nice lariat from Ogogo, who proceeds to be on top until RKJ hits a scoop slam and some really nice dropkicks. Now I read that an RKJ moonsault is punched away by Ogogo??? I have no memory of this??? I think this one may also be due for a rewatch. There’s some striking before Ogogo hits a Razor’s Edge on RKJ. Ogogo hits an F5 and Olympic Slam, and RKJ hits a Fire Thunder Driver, but none of this gets the win. Ogogo gets away from RKJ and is able to hit a Canadian Destroyer! This is still not enough though, and RKJ begins striking with Ogogo. This is obviously a bad idea and so the OLYMPIC BOXER strikes him once and the referee starts counting for a TKO. Ogogo drapes the Union Jack over RKJ, but at around 7 he sits up! Fight on! Nah, one more strike from Ogogo and this time he pins him. Well then.

This one, as I said, I was a bit distracted from. However, if it was so good, I wouldn’t have been. I was definitely also a bit underwhelmed given the ferocity of the build, because I was expecting a massive brawl after everything. With Ogogo winning though, it feels like we're building to a rematch, so perhaps that’s when that comes. But it was a decent match, didn’t overstay its welcome, and Ogogo didn’t look too bad in there. RKJ brought some good wrestling too as always! Maybe one to rewatch, though I do fear it going down in my estimations, as it was maybe a tad flat.

3 STARS OUT OF 5

Zack Sabre Jr. def. Connor Mills by pinfall in 21:25

It’s time for another homegrown international star, ZSJ, who Connor Mills is looking to better in this one. Mills is out first, flaunting some familiarly dyed hair as well as a big fur coat! But then here comes Zack Sabre Jr., and there’s a great reaction for the leader of TMDK. We start things off with a brilliantly loud “Fuck the Tories” chant that Sabre Jr. is of course a big fan of. Remember, he fights with his heart, his brain, and most importantly his underlying hatred of the British Conservative Party. I wish I had recorded this, because it was simply magical. Now, if you’ve seen a Zack Sabre Jr. match before, you can hopefully understand that this is gonna be very difficult for me to describe, because I don’t even know what was going on half the time or what you would call these moves. The man is simply amazing. Mills absolutely held his own here too, dishing out his own technical prowess and in my opinion finally embodying his nickname: True Grit. This one had a lot of beautiful technical wizardry from ZSJ, which is genuinely the best way to describe whatever it is he can do, as well as a bevvy of PKs and other strikes. There was also an absolute gnarly Zack Driver that was at a very high-angle. The way Sabre Jr. slips and slides through holds, the peppering shots, the way he contorts his own body and his opponents is unbelievable, and seeing it live made it all come together for me. I remember some of the transitions he pulled off were so good, at one point he shifted all the way around Mills’ body while OFF OF THE MAT to apply a different hold. The man is something else. The ending of the match came as Sabre Jr. unleashes some brilliant PKs, but a defiant Mills sits up to flip off Zack. This was a great moment, followed immediately by two more PKs from ZSJ for the win. Post-match, Sabre Jr. is carried out in the arms of David Francisco. Up the Francisco.

This was such an incredible match, with Mills really looking great next to one of the best technical wrestlers of all time. I wish I could say more beyond gushing, but I think I’d have to seriously rewatch this one because I was fully along for the ride here. I’m going to end this one by just naming ZSJ moves in case he hit them in this match. Tesco Meal Deal. Hypernormalisation. Sunday Rail Engineering Works Replacement Bus Service. Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than the Last; The Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All to Happiness. I actually love that one, it’s so good.

4.5 STARS OUT OF 5

Michael Oku (c) (w/ Amira) def. Will Ospreay for the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship in 47:12

Here it is, the one everyone was waiting for. Will Ospreay, the longest reigning RevPro champion of all time is officially leaving the company. The current champion? It’s Michael Oku, who has never beaten Ospreay. They have faced each other twice, and while Oku has had some great efforts against Ospreay, he has never beaten him, and Ospreay has not shown a lot of respect for the man previously known as The OJMO. Oku & Amira are out first, with shots of their earlier matches playing out before the Game Over screen from Metal Gear Solid plays. Yes, really. My dad might have booked this match I think. Oku’s music hits and he & Amira come out in some big match gear here. They look pretty cool, but now it’s the Assassin’s Creed logo, as Ospreay has a tie-in entrance. He gets a guard of honour from people wearing his old jackets, and he even gets a cool sword. He twirls the sword in the ring and points it at Oku, who walks right up to it. That was pretty cold. We are reassured that this one can only be stopped by pinfall, submission, or by Amira throwing in the towel. It’s at this point Ospreay throws the towel covered in Oku’s blood at Amira, nearly inciting a massive brawl. However we get the bell, and wow. The noise in that building was unlike anything I have ever experienced. That was the best atmosphere for a wrestling match I have ever experienced. The volume and the passion was something else. It felt like that could have carried on forever before the match got underway, but it had to eventually.

These two start things off, with things quickly speeding up as both men are one to do. Much of the crowd did get a tad distracted by the presence of Tony Khan in the box now. Orange Cassidy was in there for a while earlier, but now everytime I looked to the box, more people had amassed up there. Tony gets a few chants throughout, here getting “Tony’s in the box, in the box, Tony’s in the box” and “Tony, give us a wave, Tony, Tony, give us a wave”. I love chants so much. However, there was a great match going on, Oku getting wild height off a pop-up hurricanrana, and we all quickly refocused, and I swear Ospreay chants came straight back out of these. The crowd was never quiet. Either we were reacting, or we were singing on one of the two men and the top of our lungs, often with duelling chants. I was Team Oku.

Ospreay was keeping this one under control and resisting the pace Oku wanted, locking in a Cobra Twist submission, even digging into the ribs. Oku escapes though and hits his absolutely beautiful corner dropkick. We see a handspring enziguri from Ospreay send Oku outside, and he follows that with a dive. They head back inside, and a springboard forearm connects with Oku for a two-count, but Oku is then able to knee Ospreay to the outside. He tees up for his shooting star press over the top rope, the Fosbury Flop, but Ospreay meets him halfway. Oku responds quickly though, sending the challenger knee-first into the apron. Oku then hits a beautiful springboard moonsault to the floor! Back into the ring, a crossbody only gets a two for Oku. Looks to be a superplex but Ospreay reverses and has the Master of the Half-Crab in position for the Cheeky Nando’s Kick. But what a counter! Oku jumps backwards over Ospreay, before returning fire with another brilliant dropkick. The Aerial Assassin is able to counter a hurricanrana into an absolutely brutal alley oop into the top turnbuckle. Great sell by Oku, though he then has to sort of clamber over the top rope to the outside. Ospreay with a slingshot and Oku connects with the ringpost: looks like that busted him open.

Ospreay takes Oku back inside and is licking blood off his boots after some kicks, elliciting some deserved “You sick fuck” chants from the crowd. Will Ospreay is revelling in the mayhem and dickheadery of it all, even offering a free shot to the dazed Oku. However, this amounts to a half-and-half and a piledriver from Ospreay, only getting a two-count. Ospreay continues the assault, and begins taunting Amira on the outside to throw in the towel. In response, she spits at him. In response, he KICKS HER FULL FORCE INTO THE GUARDRAIL! This was an absolute brutal spot, and definitely raised the already High Stakes (get it?). Oku is not pleased, and is able to prevent an OsCutter before hitting a torpedo DDT through the turnbuckles! This combined with Oku’s very own slingshot into the ring post for Ospreay busts Will open now.

Oku targets the legs now, setting up nicely for the Half-Crab. Dragon screws, big kick to the back of the leg, and a flip over onto Ospreay’s knees. He attempts it now, but when he’s prevented he transitions nicely into a Figure-Four Leglock. Ospreay is able to turn it over, but that’s just what Oku wants because he finally turns it into a Half-Crab! Great counter! Rope break from Ospreay though, and both men exchange strikes. Ospreay’s knee gives out and Oku goes for the dragon screw again, but Ospreay leaps out with a stomp, despite the pain in his knee. Oku’s knee avoided by Ospreay, and both a Spanish Fly and an Oscutter almost win it. An exhausted Oku drops, which dodges a Hidden Blade, and Oku is able to land a massive reverse hurricanrana and Ospreay is out on his feet… until he hits a Hidden Blade for a double down!

The count is stopped for both men on their knees, and Ospreay is generally on the front foot until Oku returns to targeting the legs. Essex’s favourite wrestler is able to fight back though and attempts the Stormbreaker, but Oku reverses with what looks like a Tombstone, but he traps the legs and drives him down! Reverse Strong Zero? Package Tombstone? Oku’s now headed up top and goes for the frog splash, but Ospreay dodges. He aims with the Hidden Blade, but Oku is out of the way and hits his own! This match! It’s not over though, but Oku is in control and hits another Hidden Blade! 1, 2, Oku pulls up Ospreay from the pin. He’s taunting the challenger, mirroring his own treatment of the champion in the past. Hidden Blade again, and he pulls him up again! Oku is loving this, revelling in the cheek of it all. The elbow pad comes off for one more, but this time Ospreay hits his own! Strikes exchanged, until there’s a big stack powerbomb from Ospreay, but Oku kicks out only to end up taking a Styles Clash! Oku kicks out again, and is drooping out of the ring. Ospreay begins to drag him back, and we get a tug of war between Ospreay and Amira. Unaware, he pulls them both into the ring, lining up for the Hidden Blade as Amira pleas for Oku to pull through. Ospreay comes in… and Amira pushes Oku out of the way, taking the Hidden Blade!

Ospreay gets over it pretty quickly, and heads for Oku, but he rolls him through into the Half-Crab! This place is electric and he’s wrenching back, but Ospreay grabs the hair! The hold is broken by any means, Ospreay lifts him up… TIGER DRIVER 91! No fucking way! That shit was brutal, the move Ospreay calls the Storm Driver ‘93. Never thought they’d pull that one out. Ospreay hits a Hidden Blade and a Stormbreaker for good measure, and it's all- OKU KICKS OUT! THE ROOF COMES OFF OF THE CRYSTAL PALACE NATIONAL SPORTS CENTRE! Ospreay is irate and comes in for a Hidden Blade, but Oku with the hurricanrana into a pin, but no dice. Oku comes in for what looks like a Hurricanrana, but Ospreay halts him, he pulls him up, and SEGA MEGA DRIVER! I wasn't familiar but this is the finisher of the late Mad Kurt, Oku’s good friend and fellow wrestler, and what a move it is! A brilliant name for a move too! Ospreay is absolutely spiked on his head, and it was absolute scenes by this point in the crowd. We were all screaming in each other’s faces and jumping all over! Frog splash to the back, frog splash original, but Ospreay kicks out… Oku’s holding the leg though, and now we play: the half-crab is locked in! He’s in the middle of the ring, and Oku torques all the way back… OSPREAY TAPS OUT! And still, your RevPro, Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion, Michael Fucking Oku.

What a match. We were leaping, we were screaming, we were singing for this entire match. It ran for 47 minutes and it felt like about 20. This one flew by in the best way, it was a brilliant experience to be in the crowd for one of the best matches of the year, and the best matches in RevPro history. So hard-hitting, cool story moments, passion from everyone in the crowd, the right winner, and it being the main man of this company. Sure, Ospreay could stand to sell the leg a tad more after Oku targeted it so much, but I was caught up in the moment anyway and I loved it.

Check out the highlights here!

Post-match, Oku and Amira celebrate before extending a handshake to the Aerial Assassin, which he gives, finally bringing this chapter to an end. Ospreay takes the title from referee Oscar Harding to hand it to Oku himself. Returning the gesture, Oku left Ospreay to soak in the love of the fans and end his time in RevPro on his own. Ospreay eventually gets on the mic, wanting to say some thanks. He turns to the box, thanking Tony, only to find out he’s fucked off, as he put it. He thanks the fans, his friends, his family, New Japan, RevPro, and eventually observes that Tony is back at the top of the seating where the RevPro crew is. He tells everyone he’ll see us at Wembley before his music hits, and donning an AEW hoodie he listens to the crowd sing Elevated one last time with tears in his eyes. He leads the “Ospreay, Ospreay” chants of the song before heading out of the ring, embracing Zac Sabre Jr. at the entrance way. With that, we have the end of Will Ospreay in Revolution Pro Wrestling.

5 STARS OUT OF 5

This show was absolutely brilliant. Very few matches fell truly short of the high standard set here, and when they did, other factors played a reasonable part. At the end of the day though, no match was truly bad and with three brilliant matches, with one being an absolute barnburner, it’s hard not to love this show. Definitely the best RevPro show I’ve ever seen, probably the best show I’ve ever attended live, and one of my favourite experiences in wrestling. This show gets 4.5 stars out of 5 from me.

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