Top 5 matches from Brendan White: (All available to watch on rpwondemand.com)
- BRENDAN WHITE vs EL PHANTASMO vs KID LYKOS vs MK MCKINNAN – Live in Northampton (Debut)
- BRENDAN WHITE vs GABRIEL KIDD – Epic Encounter 2019
- BRENDAN WHITE vs ZACK SABRE JR – Mayhem 2019
- BRENDAN WHITE vs REN NARITA – British J-Cup 2019
- BRENDAN WHITE & GABRIEL KIDD vs DAN MAGEE & KURTIS CHAPMAN – Live in Southampton 7
In our final in-depth look at the Contenders division, we we document the Contenders career, so far, of BRENDAN WHITE.
WHITE didn’t originally debut as a contender for Revolution Pro Wrestling, instead debuting in a fatal-4-way match against EL PHANTASMO, KID LYKOS and MK MCKINNAN. WHITE wanted to prove that he could be in the mix as a contender while RevPro management looked to create a new Contender's division.
At Live at the Cockpit 40, WHITE was revealed to be a member of the Contenders division, with his performance in Northampton, turning the heads of RevPro management.
Over the coming months, WHITE would find it difficult to pick up a victory in Revolution Pro Wrestling, however, he would knock down barriers for the Contenders division. Within his first two months, himself and fellow contender, GABRIEL KIDD, would be the very first members of any Contenders division to wrestle at York Hall, as he says “My proudest moment is York Hall, definitely, wrestling GABE in-front of that amount of people within two months of RevPro was a big deal. I think it was an even bigger deal as I was told the previous Contenders division weren’t ever considered to wrestle at York Hall”.
Two days after his, and the Contenders division, York Hall debut, WHITE had arguably the most high-profile Contenders match to date. With no one to face ZACK SABRE JR at Mayhem, in the Portsmouth Guildhall, WHITE, looking to prove himself after his loss to KIDD, stepped up, accepting the open challenge, with ZSJ laughing off the challenge, as he felt that the match would be nothing more than a formality.
WHITE didn’t take the opportunity lightly, challenging the Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion to go to the limit. ZSJ simply relied on his technical wrestling to begin, thinking the Contender was going to be light work, however, WHITE’s power, intensity and endurance was a shock to the system for the champion. WHITE spoke fondly of this moment, “Wrestling ZACK SABRE JR, that was a big deal. Going 17 minutes with one of the best wrestlers in the world, that was a big deal for me personally” and not only for WHITE but also for the Contenders division on a whole, as he proved that the Contenders can go toe-to-toe with the best wrestlers in the world.
After such impressive performances, BRENDAN WHITE still struggled to pick up a win, as he seemed to lack that killer edge, but WHITE always showed a huge amount of endurance, no matter what the situation or match-up entailed.
The revelation that GABRIEL KIDD was leaving the Contenders division to move onto the New Japan LA Dojo did not affect WHITE as much as it did the other Contenders, with WHITE, almost taking it in his stride, to prove and better himself as he saw first hand what it can mean to be part of the Contenders division.
WHITE’s first win came swiftly after this, against KENNETH HALFPENNY, a man who would later have a fair few problems with his fellow Contender. Swiftly after his first victory, WHITE claimed his biggest victory at Live in Southampton 10 in mid-October. As all four members of the Contenders division went to battle for the chance to face NJPW LA Dojo Young Lion, REN NARITA at York Hall as part of the prestigious 3rd Annual British J-Cup. The four Contenders pulled out all the stops for this once in a lifetime match up. WHITE’s experience showed, as he noticed JJ GALE was the only man alone in the ring with him, as he went for his patented springboard rotating cutter, WHITE countered, laying GALE out to pick up the victory.
WHITE’s battle with NARITA was nothing short of admirable, however, the endurance and intensity of the ‘workhorse’ was not enough against NARITA, as the education of KATSUYORI SHIBATA and technique of NARITA was too much for the Contender to handle.
WHITE has recently been teaming with JJ GALE, taking on the Undisputed British Tag Team Champions, THE LEGION, as well as taking on fellow Contenders KENNETH HALFPENNY & SHAUN JACKSON. The recent two matches, involving all four Contenders, has upped everyone’s game in the division, each trying to top the other, WHITE went on to explain “the goal is to have the best matches and not see the Contenders division as a limitation, rather a division where people expect to see great matches. The goal is to change the dynamic of the Contenders division”.
As we sat down with WHITE, we asked him as to what makes him different compared to the other Contenders in his division. “I don’t think it’s a case of me being any better than the other guys in the division, but rather I have more experience, I believe I have 200 more matches under my belt than the others. I travel more, I learn more things”.
We also spoke as to how life outside of the wrestling ring has deeply affected WHITE and his drive to be the best he can be. “I ran a marathon at 25 with cancer. I didn’t know at the time, but I was in a lot of pain, but I ran it because I thought I was being weak. When I found out what actually happened, it started my drive to wrestling, and for me now, there is no going back!”
BRENDAN WHITE, as a competitor, stands out, a man of great strength, drive and endurance, drawing on his personal experiences outside of wrestling to drive himself to be the best. WHITE seems like he will stop at nothing to be the best he can be forcing himself forward, no matter what the sacrifice, to be at the top of the mountain.