REVIEW - Pro Wrestling EVE: Wrestle Queendom V

Pro Wrestling EVE: Wrestle Queendom V
The 229, London
Sunday, November 13, 2022
Reviewers: Dave Lovell (@itsdavejavu) & Jamie Walker (@walker_this_way)

Night One - Reviewer, Dave Lovell

Every wrestling promotion around the world has its signature event; a show that’s the culmination of the year and the opportunity for stories to conclude, new chapters in a book to begin, and, of course, a forum for some of the best wrestlers from across the globe to showcase why they are masters of their craft, and standouts in their field.

EVE’s signature event is WrestleQueendom. With the name paying homage to New Japan’s epic January 4 event, a statement of intent is plain to see - this IS the signature event in European women’s wrestling.

With the 229 in Great Portland Street sold out for two stacked shows, and an equally stacked talent pool from across the globe set to lock horns, November 13 was set to be an epic day.

And, in short, it was.

Now, I shall share my thoughts on the first show, but to kick off the day on a good note, the small matter of getting there and meeting up in the pub.

After a trip to the Metropolitan Bar near Baker Street station to pick up some brunch, I met up with an ensemble cast of mates, including Grapple Theory reviewers Iwan and Mark, among others.

We headed to the 229, which was a packed house for the first show of the day, with only a couple of seats unoccupied.

Laura Di Matteo vs Yuu - Eve International Championship vs Pure-J Openweight Championship, Winner Takes All

We began with a match hardly more appropriate to open up WrestleQueendom, as you could say both the principals are synonymous with EVE.

Laura had most recently defended her International Title at Break Pro in her home country of Italy just three weeks previously against Emily Ramirez.

Meanwhile, Yuu had defeated Hanako Nakamori for the PURE-J belt back in August at Korakuen Hall, successfully defending the title against AKARI in September.

On paper, this would be quite the style clash, with the slight-built Laura having to rely on speed and technique going in against Yuu, who in the near three and a half years since she last wrestled in the UK, has become an awesome powerhouse wrestler.

A step-up enziguiri seconds in and a headscissors in the first minute showed intent on Laura’s part, but eventually, Yuu gained the upper hand with a side slam and senton, before sending her opponent outside.

After teasing a dive to the outside, Yuu splashed down and ROLLED out onto a prone Laura, to a huge reaction from the faithful. I’m not going to lie; it was awesome to see live.

A quick aside - it was great to hear the Yuu-themed chants, mostly started by fellow Grapple Theory contributor Iwan, with the refrains of The Beatles “She Loves You” (especially appropriate for Beatles fan Yuu) and ABBA’s “Knowing Me, Knowing You” some excellent source material.

I had heard these same chants back in July 2019 at the Sendai UK show, and they got over in a hurry in Manchester at the time.

Back to 2022, and Laura had occasional offensive flurries, hitting a Tornado DDT and being able to ground her opponent for the Veni Vidi Vici, but Yuu was just too powerful for this to happen, wearing down Di Matteo with blistering chops and power moves.

Her signature judo throw set up a second rope splash, but this only scored two, before an even more brutal move in Yuu’s arsenal - a huge Last Ride Powerbomb - was good for the three count in about nine minutes, and we saw the crowning of a new EVE International Champion!

Overall, this was a particularly good opener to the WrestleQueendom proceedings. I personally liked how this was one of those style clashes of power vs speed where power is just that little bit too… powerful.

Some people I’ve talked to feel that Laura’s title reign lacked something extra to help further elevate her, and to some that may be a tad harsh, but still a valid point.

Yuu, as a member of EVE’s roster, has become one of the more prolific freelance wrestlers in Japan in the last couple of years, and I’m glad she’s finally won a title in the promotion she represents worldwide, and with future defences of the title already pegged for Yuu in Japan, my opinion is that she will be a fighting International Champion going forward.

Maria vs Rin Kadokura

Over the last few months, the EVE faithful have been introduced to newly minted Hall of Famer Chigusa Nagayo's Marvelous promotion, with their ace Takumi Iroha impressing in the SHE-1 back in June.

At WrestleQueendom, we would see the "Marvelous style" of wrestling, and what better way to introduce us to the style than two of Nagayo's star students of the last few years.

Originally this was going to be Iroha against the super talented Maria, but a collarbone injury suffered a couple of weeks prior put paid to Takumi's participation here - sure you'll join everyone at Grapple Theory in wishing her a speedy recovery.

So, stepping in to fill some big shoes was Rin Kadokura, another wrestler I've been a fan of for a while, so it was more than a pleasant surprise when she was announced.

Focusing on the match itself, and one thing I noted as these two exchanged moves in the early going was the crispness of the moves executed, and even if something went awry, both wrestlers seemed to think one step ahead, to pretty awesome results.

As the match progressed, Maria showed a propensity for bending the rules, using the ropes and choking her opponent, but Rin came back with some keen offence of her own, Maria impressed me particularly with her aggression and her lightning quick transitions into submission holds, doing so almost effortlessly.

On the other hand, Kadokura's strengths came in her comebacks, but her striking was also on point, and a double stomp onto her opponent from the apron looked particularly brutal.

The match itself only went about nine minutes, and it just breezed by, with Kadokura scoring the win with a crucifix bomb. This was a fantastic exhibition of the Marvelous style, and both Rin and Maria produced excellent performances here.

The only real gripe anyone I’ve talked to had was this was just an exhibition that could have benefitted further from some stakes on the line, but that’s a fairly piffling quarrel of what was a fine match.

The Uprising (Rhia O’Reilly and Skye Smitson) vs Hyper Misao and Session Moth Martina - EVE Tag Team Championship Match

After two high calibre matches, this was the change of pace for what ailed the EVE Faithful, as dominant Tag Team Champions, The Uprising, defended the titles once more against TJPW's Hero Protecting Love and Peace, Hyper Misao, making her UK debut and joining forces with "Hyper Martina", and yes, chaos was expected when this match was announced.

Misao delivered her usual opening promo in English, which I'm not going to lie, I was rather impressed by it, her English is a lot better than my Japanese, and I've been trying to learn the basics for years now!

For those expecting a chaotic match full of shenanigans, well I'm sorry to inform you that there wasn't much of that as expected.

The Uprising are always going to be a great villainous foil for anyone they face, but the result to me was never in question.

After interference from Nightshade, and inadvertent spray in Martina's face, Misao was pinned by Smitson in ten minutes, much to the delight of two guys - my mate Liam, and some absolute villain in an Arsenal shirt standing at the back, the utter cad/bounder.

For me, Smitson was the MVP of this match, as she continues to be brilliant at being a bit of a shithouse, a definite highlight wrestler for me this year. But a ton of credit to Rhia O'Reilly, who wrestled this match with a pretty bad injury, for even showing up - she's a tough customer to say the least, and hopefully she has a speedy recovery.

Millie McKenzie vs Miyu Yamashita - Number One Contender Match, Pro Wrestling: EVE Championship

The term "superfight" seems to have entered the wrestling vernacular recently, and we were treated to one here. With a shot at the EVE Championship on show two of WrestleQueendom at stake, this bout pitted two genuinely incredible wrestlers, as the 2019 Ace of EVE Millie McKenzie would take on Tokyo Joshi Pro original and ace, Miyu Yamashita, in her first UK appearance since June 2019.

The two had a critically acclaimed bout for RCW in Spain just three weeks previously, with *spoilers* Millie coming out on top there, but regardless of whether you were aware of the match in Barcelona or not, this was a match everyone at 229 had high hopes for before the bell had even rung.

There was a sense of urgency from the off, this bout only having a twenty-minute time limit, which ensured no stalling or messing around here.

I noticed here that more than a few fans in the 229 fell quiet, but not in a bad way, as they were transfixed on the match, which was for my money, the match of this show.

Millie's gameplan involved more than a fair bit of limb work, as she tried to ground Miyu. A chop block was even used, which more than a couple of people I've talked to commented that they've not seen that in a while.

But Miyu didn’t make #12 in the PWI Women’s 150 for no reason, she's the real deal, and “the Momo-iro Striker” was able to deliver some of her trademark kicks despite wrestling on one wheel.

Millie was able to deliver a huge bridging German for a close two, followed by a turnbuckle German that looked twice as brutal. A third suplex was reversed and Miyu found an opening. A roundhouse kick sent Millie to a knee, then MURDER occurred, courtesy of a devastating Skull Kick. A three count later, and Miyu had avenged her defeat in Spain in emphatic style in twelve and a half minutes.

As mentioned before, this was my match of the show - these two gel so well together as opponents. I watched this match back to recollect my thoughts on it, and it was just an excellent match, well worth watching again, if only to gauge where this lands in my Top 50 of the year…

Jetta vs Alex Windsor - Pro Wrestling: EVE Championship Match

The table was set for this bout at Thursday Night Riot in September, when Ace of EVE Windsor made her intentions clear that she would challenge Jetta for the EVE Championship at WrestleQueendom, and despite the small, Charlie Morgan shaped wrinkle of Alex’s best friend being Jetta’s fiancée, Windsor saw her challenge for the title as “strictly business”...

Now Jetta's been a settling presence for the EVE title, having held the title pretty much since WrestleQueendom 4 last August, with the exception of two months where she traded the title with Emersyn Jayne.

This was her third defence, but she went in at (in this humble author's opinion) a bit of a disadvantage, as to date, every ACE of EVE has gone on to win their title opportunity.

As for the match itself, this was very technically minded at first. As Windsor slammed down her opponent in the throes of a body scissors, a counter to Jetta's own pin predicament counter, the cry of "Ow, My Arse!" from “The Princess Diana of EVE” did break the ice in what was a tense few opening moments.

Momentum in this swapped back and forth, with the crowd split between who they wanted to see on show two defend the championship against Miyu Yamashita, the duelling chants clear throughout this match.

Now, what I found interesting was the character work from Jetta - in her frustration at not being able to defeat her opponent, the champion became more aggressive, to the point where she COULD have gone into full blown villainy to gain the advantage and possibly the win, but her conscience won over... only for Windsor to gain the upper hand.

A Liberty Driver got a close near fall, but Jetta got her own near fall with a small package. A counter of a La Magistral by Windsor got two, before she countered Jetta's attempt at the Clothesline from HRH into an uranage, then a kick, before the challenger locked in a Sasorigatame! Jetta tried to reverse and reach the ropes, but Windsor had her number, scoring the tap out in fourteen minutes!

A NEW EVE Champion was crowned at WrestleQueendom, and Jetta showed to be incredibly magnanimous in defeat, handing the championship over to Windsor, and allowing the new titleholder to take her bow.

This was an excellent, almost classic, EVE-style main event, with great back and forth action from two of the best in the country right now.

For some, this may have been too much of a foregone conclusion as Alex came into this as the Ace of EVE, but personally, I thought there was enough jeopardy to Windsor’s challenge to cast a little bit of doubt to that.

As I said earlier, Jetta's been a steadying force in EVE this past year, but in my opinion, 2022 has been a banner year for Alex Windsor - she has been for me, one of the best UK performers, regardless of gender, and this was another crowning moment for her.

Charlie Morgan vs Emersyn Jayne - Lights Out Match

I like how LITERALLY, the lights went out prior to this final match, which didn't see too many people leave either, despite being offered the opportunity to do so. But this was arguably the most highly anticipated match of all – these two modern day icons of EVE, who had a match of the year candidate at the first WrestleQueendom in 2018, were perhaps destined to be drawn together for the fifth instalment of EVE's signature event.

The Main Event Empress and the original Ace of EVE, one more time. Destiny it certainly was…

Now I'll get the only major negative I have out of the way early - this felt way longer than the WQ1 match. Both clock in at around the same time - twenty-two minutes for the closer at York Hall, while this match went nearly twenty-six.

The reason I enjoy the WQ1 match so much is that it feels like it breezed by. On the other hand, this felt like all the twenty-six minutes it went, and to some it may have felt way too long for their liking.

But if we're being honest, that's not an egregiously awful negative to mention, as these two had a "Lights Out" grudge match that lived up to the billing.

This FELT like it was a grudge match, like these two were out to end each other in the worst way, and with a plethora of weaponry used, they continued this energy from bell to bell.

The weapons were standard fare for this kind of battle - from chairs and tables, to chains, and Charlie used her own belt to deliver a birching to an arch-rival, who has been in the past, a bane in her existence in EVE's modern history.

One of those tables saw Emersyn pushed through it in a rather scary throwback to the original match at WrestleQueendom. Both women were thrown headfirst into chairs set up in the corner, and bled as a result of this, and... that was before the thumbtacks came to play. Morgan produced these, before drilling Emersyn onto them for the closest of near falls.

The second table's fate came at the hands of Emersyn delivering a Spanish Fly through it, though the table didn't give way apart from one leg, which looks and probably feels a lot more brutal than if the table did break.

This was followed up by a Ganso Bomb, and one three count later, the Main Event Empress avenged possibly her most devastating loss in EVE, against arguably her most formidable opponent.

Not the finish the fans wanted, nor deserved, but the one they got, fans be damned.

An unceremonious, but nevertheless, not an unearned win for the former two-time EVE Champion.

In the final analysis, the high bar of that magical match these two had at York Hall was always going to cast a shadow on this match, and some have even said they enjoyed the bout these two had at SHE-1 more than this.

But personally, I enjoyed this - it was a war of near attrition that saw a positive winner, and maybe (wishful thinking on my part) sets up the final part of a WrestleQueendom trilogy down the line.

So, there was a lot to unpack from just the first show of a stacked WrestleQueendom day, but to summarise, this lived up to much of the hype that myself and my friends gave it in the weeks prior.

The show gave us a lot of variety, some fantastic wrestling, and of course, it highlighted some of the best that women's wrestling has to offer from around the world. It does have its small issues, but in the grand scheme of everything, the positives far outweighed those small negatives I’ve previously mentioned.

Afterwards, the group decamped to the nearby Nandos up the Great Portland Street and reflected on how the first half of a rather epic day occurred. Once the chicken and halloumi were consumed, we shot back to the 229, where part two of the story can be picked up NOW…

Don’t forget to follow me on the socials that matter at @itsDaveJaVu.

Night Two - Reviewer, Jamie Walker

As I Love You Baby blasts out from the crowd at the end of WrestleQueendom 5 it’s fair to say that this show more than lived up to expectations.

But plenty of twists and turns led us to that moment so let’s get straight into it

Lolo brow starts the show as enthusiastic as ever, insisting that everyone answer her questions with ‘yes daddy’ - she may have gotten a little carried away but who can blame her, this is WrestleQueendom!

Nightshade w/Skye Smitson vs Hyper Misao

Nightshade cost Misao and Moth in their tag team title match on show one and so the Japanese superhero is out for revenge.

Nightshade starts strong, using her size advantage to overpower Misao - ‘Bellissimo’ as Skye calls it.

After being thrown out the ring Misao oddly runs to the back. It’s at that moment the stage where the big screen hangs opens up to reveal a fresh battle area

Things then get even weirder as Misao brings out a Bicycle put Nightshade just avoids it as the hero rams the bike into a stack of chairs.

They return to the ring for a bit of brawl both on the mat and outside the ring. The Bike returns when Hyper has upper hand as she runs over both Nightshade and Skye.

But it’s not all Misao as nightshade planted her on chairs in the ring (this wasn’t advertised as no DQ but nobody seems to care).

Misao wins by planting Nigjtshade on a stack of chairs.

This match was a little slow as an opener, at least for me, but it was really good fun which meant the crowd got into it beautifully.

Nightshade is always great to see and Huper Misao was a fan favourite, would love to see her back.

Session Moth Martina vs Safire vs Laura Di Matteo vs Millie McKenzie vs Emersyn Jayne - Scramble Match

“How do you like your eggs?” Asks Lolo before the next match, not considering that not everyone would say ‘scrambled’.

So with that being the case, this was a Poach/Fried/Scramble match involving four wrestlers who had already featured earlier in the day, plus an excellent opportunity for the up and coming Safire.

Moth and Millie are back to their brilliant mother/daughter dynamic and try to end the match quickly - finger poke of doom style/ then scamper off to the bar when they’re thwarted.

Safire gets a strong start, taking down Emersyn Jayne with several hard hitting clotheslines. She put in a really solid showing, so pleased for her!

Later in the match Mille turns on moth for a brief second, kicking her in the gut, throwing her out the ring and asking ‘who’s my father?’

Then when a Triple submission is locked in on Millie by Safire, Laura and Emersyn it is Moth’s turn for some payback, instead she rescues her ‘daughter’.

And the rescue would prove useful as Millie wins very quickly and out of the blue. This match felt like it was over too soon, it ended very abruptly but was good fun.

Kasey vs Rhio

This match started a bit slow compared to the other two, but that wasn’t a surprise. It just meant that it took the crowd a little longer to get fully invested.

Rhio was on top for much of the contest, particular highlights included A chokeslam backbreaker and ankle lock - which Kasey sold excellently.

Kasey gets back into it for bursts here and there but this felt like Rhio’s big moment, where she could take down an established EVE star and cement her place on the card moving forward.

But the North West Strong member had to work hard for her win. A Spinning neck breaker off middle rope wasn’t enough for the pin and as time ran out Rhio had a submission locked in but Kasey refused to tap.

At the request of both women, five more minutes were added but it only took Rhio another 60 seconds to finish the contest with a package piledriver.

This was the match of the first half for me, it was hard hitting and brutal and gave Rhio a huge lift. Rhio gets on the mic after the match and says she wants the winner of Miyu vs Windsor later tonight.

Kasey then gets on the mic and delivers a beautiful promo about needed to get back to full fitness, but one things for sure, she’s not done with the EVE International Title yet.

Yuu (c) vs Rin Kadokura - Pro Wrestling: EVE International Title Match

Remember earlier when I mentioned everyone singing ‘I Love You Baby’, well this is where it started. The crowd loves Yuu and the feeling seems to be mutual.

She defends her newly won EVE International Championship against compatriot Rin Kadokura.

We start with a test of strength, easily won by Yuu and Rin screams as Yuu comes at her in corner. In fact Rin would let out a few yelps during this contest - including when the pair engage in a battle of chops.

Rin stomps on Yuu’s foot and tries to take control but Yuu powers out of the pin that followed shortly after at one. Yuu then literally makes ring shake to knock Rin off top rope, it was a crazy sight.

Rin was so close to pin on powerbomb reversal, a few people, myself included, thought she’d got it. Yuu wins with splash from middle rope not long after to retain her newly won title.

Dann then gets on the mic and reveals that Rin cancelled post-wedding plans to step in as last minute replacement for injured Takumi Iroha - thank you Rin, you were wonderful and we truly appreciate your hard work!

EVE Hall of Famer and Japanese wrestling legend Chigusa Nagoyo comes out as surprise at the start of the second half!

She cuts promo saying Takumi will be back in EVE next year and then announces her own insane comeback to the ring later this year, and a potential return to EVE in 2023.

She says she wants to wrestle forever and we’d love to see her do so! Then she leads the crowd in chant their first chance of I Love You (Yuu) Baby.

Rayne Leverkusen vs Maria

It was great to see the up and coming Rayne Leverkusen get a big opportunity on one of the biggest nights of the British wrestling calendar.

It’s even better seeing Rayne make the early running in the match, really taking the contest to Maria - and the crowd is right behind her too.

Maria turns tables and gets on top midway through the match, a particular highlight was when she hit a stomp from over the top rope.

Rayne weathered that storm and took control again, hitting a powerbomb for two and transitioning straight into a sharpshooter.

Maria gets to the ropes not once but twice before locking in a triangle choke of her own. Rayne makes her own reversal into a powerbomb.

But it’s yet another reversal that wins it as Maria locks in a submission I’ve never seen before - if anyone was there and can tell me if it has a name that would be appreciated - which makes Rayne tap instantly.

This was a really strong match and it was great to see Rayne given such a big opportunity. She could really be something special.

Lizzy Evo vs Nina Samuels

This is a bizarre match to start with, mainly because both women traditionally show themselves as heels. It was weird, therefore, hearing both getting cheers - I’d say it was a 60/40 split in Lizzy’s favour.

Lizzy starts fast but it’s Nina who takes control in the early running of the game. At one point Lizzy chases her round the ring, I notice photographer extraordinaire Rob Brazier (The Head Drop) scrambling to get out the way of the action.

This was a really hard hitting match with both women really disliking each other and trying their best to get the upper hand, throwing each other from pillar to post…literally.

A particularly brutal spot sees Nina hit a dropkick on Lizzy while she’d tied up in the ropes, it looked seriously painful!

But Lizzy would not be kept down and could’ve had the match won when she hit a Northern Lights suplex, but Nina kicked out.

But the ending of this match truly encapsulated the heel/heel dynamic of this match. Nina goes for the pin but has her foot on ropes, as she argues with the ref Lizzy rolls her up grabbing the rope in process (pretty blatantly to be honest) for a sneaky win.

This was one of the best matches of the night, Lizzy and Nina worked really well together and put on a hell of a performance.

Miyu Yamashita vs Alex Windsor(c) - Pro Wrestling: EVE Championship

Just a couple of hours after winning the title off Jetta, Windsor puts EVE’s top belt on the line against Miyu Yamashita - pitting two of the greatest wrestlers in the world at the moment against each other.

These two put on a hell of a performance a couple of months ago in RCW in Barcelona and this contest was no different.

Both go hell for leather as they battle for the belt with stiff strikes, hard hitting kicks, throwing each other around and outside the ring,

Alex hits a huge dropkick off the top rope for a two count before locking in the Windsor Knot, but Miyu won’t tap. A wicked combo from Windsor also only delivers a two count.

Miyu looks to have the match won herself with a deadly looking manoeuvre off the top rope but this time it’s Windsor’s time to show strength and kick out.

But this is where Miyu pulls one of the shocks of the year; a stiff kick to the back of the head. kickout; another to the back but this time Miyu hits two more before going for the pin and it’s one…two…THREE!

The crowd ERUPTS in both joy and shock! I don’t think anyone expected Miyu to win this one. It was an epic contest, one of the best matches of the year and a truly special moment for Miyu.

As she takes in the applause of the crowd it’s clear how much this win means to her. But it’s not over yet as Millie McKenzie comes to the ring and challenges Miyu to a trilogy showdown match at TJPW - which Miyu accepts.

I was shocked that match wasn’t the main event, but after seeing what happened next I totally understand…

The Uprising (Nightshade and Skye Smitson) (c) vs The Royal Aces (Charlie Morgan and Jetta) - Pro Wrestling: EVE Tag Team Titles

Nightshade was pulling double duty for The Uprising in this show after Rhia O’Reilly had not been fully cleared for action.

Rhia did accompany her stablemates to the ring however and helped them instigate the first part of their plan to retrieve their titles.

Nightshade and Skye held Jetta back as Rhia attacked Charlie with a steel chair. There was a tiny timing error which lessened the impact somewhat but the crowd where still hooked from that point.

Jetta then goes R-rated and calls Nightshade, Skye and Rhia ‘cunts’ in an understandably outraged promo and vows to take them both on herself.

Jetta gives it her all but numbers advantage is too much for her to overcome, despite a couple of impressive fight backs.

But then comes possibly one of my favourite ever live wrestling moments;

Alex Windsor runs out to help even the scores and stop another chair attack from The Uprising, but after prying the chair out of Nightshades hands she accidentally hits Jetta.

The heels take out Alex and pin Jetta to retain their titles in the first shock of this closing segment.

The second shock came as Jetta and Alex began to argue in the ring. “Not everything is about you,” Jetta shouts at Alex before decking her and laying a beat down.

Charlie then makes her return from the back to stop Jetta beating up her best friend. For a moment it looks like The Ace of EVE is going to side with her bestie and shun her fiancee, but the BOOM, superkick to Windsor from Morgan and the crowd goes wild.

Half the crowd is in shock the other half, myself included, loves it! It’s the turn that’s been due for months as the pair attack Windsor and say their tired of her hogging the spotlight.

They go to the back triumphant as Windsor is helped to her feet…Amira is on the sidelines looking devastated.

This was a match that was short, sweet and did exactly what it needed to do. I can’t wait to see where the story of Windsor vs The Royal Aces takes us.

We close the show with most of the locker room emptying out into the ring, Dann takes time to thank everyone and Chigusa leads the crowd in that aformentioned singalong.

Overall this Queendom was one to remember, some incredible matches, brilliant stories told and the crowd loved every second.

Credit to all the workers, crew and to Dann Read for putting it all together.

In the past I’ve been concerned about the lack of storylines at EVE since their return, but this Queendom changed all that. We’ve got three or four great stories to come out of it moving forward.

EVE’s next show will be their 100th, a truly awesome occasion and one that promises to be pretty special, if this show is anything to go on.

Don’t forget to follow me on the socials @walker_this_way

REVIEW - Pro Wrestling EVE: Wrestle Queendom V

Woman Crush Wednesdays: Session Moth Martina

Woman Crush Wednesdays: Lizzy Evo