Revolution Pro Wrestling/Rev Pro will be holding their first set of Television tapings this September. The British based company is part of the ‘Big Four’ UK brands alongside PROGRESS, OTT and ICW. We recently spoke to company owner Andy Quildan on the upcoming tapings. Rev Pro’s working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, WoS and more.
SEScoops: Thank you for your time Andy. The television tapings for Rev Pro ‘International Wrestling’ take place on September 5th/6th in York Hall. What was the catalyst for bringing about a television show for Rev Pro?
Andy Quildan: We were asked nicely to do it! In all seriousness though I’ve always maintained (and still do) that television isn’t the be all and end all of any pro wrestling product, especially with how the business has evolved & with the advent of new technology. For me having a product on TV needed to be right for us.
We were approached by a company about providing the wrestling content for a show whilst they provide the production. Anyone that knows me and knows my story knows that I’ve built RevPro from the ground up. Through necessity we’ve had to do a lot of stuff in house & teach ourselves how to do things.
I understand fully the fact we’re not perfect as every single day is a new learning experience (& I expect this venture to be no different). What I do know is I know how to put on a good wrestling show! This venture has given us the opportunity to work with people who know what they are doing when it comes to production. That means it’s a chance for us to not only grow but also learn which will hopefully help our all around production methods moving forward. It really was a no brainer.
Was WoS a Factor?
SEScoops: Did the return of WoS/World of Sport have an impact on your decision? Was Television always going to be the next step for Revolution Pro?
Andy Quildan: No and no! WoS had no impact on our decision. In all honesty whilst I watch as much product as possible from WWE, ROH, NJPW, CMLL to all the indies here in the UK, aside from learning best (or at times worst) practice I try not to let what others are doing dictate the way I choose to run my business.
I feel if you are constantly comparing yourself to others you will never measure up as everyone has their strengths, things they do better than others. This can lead to quite a negative mindset. Therefore the only thing I compare myself to is myself yesterday. So I speak for myself and RevPro when I say WoS had literally no baring in this.
Did it open the eyes of the production company and TV station? I don’t know the answer to that. But it’s possible. Was TV the next step? As I discussed earlier, no. It really never was the plan. But I’m open minded and I know when opportunities arise you need to take them. I don’t want to ever be one of those people that finishes up and asks ‘What if I’d given it a go.’ Carpe diem and all that!
Working with NJPW
SEScoops: Your working relationship with New Japan has brought some incredible stars over to the UK and even given the likes of Will Ospreay, Zack Sabre Jr and Marty Scurll a platform to reach NJPW. If you could send another U.K. scene star/tag team to New Japan on an ‘excursion’ who would that be?
Andy Quildan: If you mean to compete I think we have a number of candidates who would do tremendously well there. Aussie Open, El Phantasmo, Chris Ridgeway to name a few. As far as an extended stay I feel the likes of our recently graduated ‘Contenders’ Kurtis Chapman, Dan Magee & Rob Lias would all benefit greatly from the experience.
NJPW Stars on UK TV?
SEScoops: You’ve already announced several New Japan stars for the show including Zack Sabre Jr, Roppongi 3K and even Kevin Kelly on commentary. Were New Japan talents always going to be part of the new TV project or did that materialise after you begin preparing for the tapings?
Andy Quildan: We are just being us, presenting a product that represents us, our values, beliefs. Wrestlers from New Japan and indeed around the entire world are a big part of our identity & it wasn’t even something I needed to think about. Kevin Kelly got the role of announcer as I believe him to be the best play by play man today. It was of course the Strong Style Evolved UK shows that opened up our working relationship and again he was an absolute pro, did a great job and that has led to us continuing that relationship. I think his involvement can only be seen as a positive.
British J Cup
SEScoops: You have the British J Cup event coming off the heels of the International tapings on September 8th and 9th in Manchester. The Super J Cup styled tournament had a very successful start in 2017 and appears to be becoming a staple of the Rev Pro calendar. Would you ever consider running a G1 style tournament for heavyweights?
Andy Quildan: If the market was there for it I would love to. I’d run wrestling shows every day of the week if I could, but it’s one step at a time. Let’s keep growing, moving forwards, entering new areas, putting together a strong team and hopefully one day we’ll be in a position to do that.
SEScoops: You recently held your Summer Sizzler 2018 event at York Hall. How on earth did Tomohiro Ishii face WALTER 5 days after the G1?
Andy Quildan: I often wonder how Tomohiro Ishii does a lot of things. He is consistently outstanding and for my money the best wrestler in the world. He has been the MVP of so many of my shows and Summer Sizzler was no different.