This was my first Progress Wrestling show live, and I had a great time. There was a real party atmosphere, which was guided along by Simon Miller’s interactions in-between each match.
Team Damo Vs Team RSP – 2⭐
This was great, silly, sports entertainment. From the football being introduced to all the picks everything was well done. Crowley coming out first and waiting to be picked also added that extra comedy. This was my first time seeing Crowley and his entrance and look was awesome!
After Damo picked Jody Fleisch, Maggot and Callum Newman and Rickey Shane Page chose Dean Allmark, Charlie Dempsey and finally, forced to take Crowley, the teams had a photo op with the champions League music playing.
The match began with each team’s opposite styles facing off. Once Crowley got in, and beaten up, his team left him for dead for a while.
I’d never seen Dempsey before either and he was awesome, really quick and technical ability. After a few high spots from Newman, RSP was about to get the pin when Crowley tagged in and dropkicked him out of the ring, and stole the win. He was then chased off by his team.
Warren Banks Vs Johnny Progress – 2.5⭐
The mood then shifted as the first semi final for the Super Strong Style tournament and Progress World Championship began. The match stakes and star power of Johnny Progress really made this a big match feel.
The match began with a good feeling out process and nice slow build. They kept the fun party feel of the night with Johnny hiding under the ring, leading the crowd to chant “Johnny Missing”.
Sadly the finish fell a bit flat for me, and the two botch a top rope Spanish fly from Johnny to Banks which I think would’ve led into the finish. They got back up and did the spot in the opposite corner. Banks picked up the win shortly after but the momentum was halted.
Gene Munny Vs Chris Ridgeway – 3.5⭐
The second semi final was next, and these are two more guys I’ve not seen before. Gene’s gimmick, I won’t lie, didn’t get it at the start. But as the match progressed I got more and more behind him to win.
Ridgeway’s look is really cool, a proper badass technician. And his kicks are awesome. He worked over Genes padded and taped up knee for the match. Ridgeway then took off the boot and all support on Munny’s knee, putting on a figure four.
Gene had some good comeback moments and played a great baby-face in peril. He had some great near fall kick outs, but after a punt kick to the head, brainbuster then a knee bar locked in from Ridgeway, Gene passed out. And the final will be Chris Ridgeway Vs Warren Banks.
Kanji Vs Giselle Shaw (c) – 2 out of 3 falls Progress Women’s Championship – 3.5⭐
The promo before this match was awesome. Telling the story of Shaw targeting Kanji’s injured arm in their last match. This led into this match with multiple angles and story beats.
The first fall was almost immediate, with Shaw locking in an arm bar on the injured arm for Kanji to tap instantly.
The match then didn’t slow down from here, with Shaw taking most of the offence and Kanji having some nice comeback moments. After Giselle threw Kanji into the chairs (Kanji FLEW!), some massive strikes and a lovely top rope corkscrew followed by a very near fall, Kanji rolled Shaw up for the second fall.
The final fall came after Shaw teased the arm bar again, after taking all the tape and padding off (a theme for the night apparently). Officials and crew rushed to ringside to try to stop her. The distraction and taunting allowed Kanji to put the triangle choke on and tap Giselle Shaw out.
A really great match to crown a new champion, and one of my favourite women’s matches I’ve seen live. I’m not sure why Shaw didn’t just lock in the arm bar with everyone ringside, but it did add some realism to the match.
Spike Trivet Promo
Spike then came out too a very hostile reaction. Chants and Boos echoed around the electric ballroom. He paid the crew to protect him (this was odd but fine) and called out Tom Dawkins.
Dawkins came out, and Spike offered him the proposal that he can still wrestle in Progress, after losing their “Loser leaves Progress – I Quit” Match, but without the Cara Noir gimmick.
Tom Dawkins replied “yeah fine”. This did exactly what it set out to, Spike is a HUGE heel, and it progressed the next story beat for these two.
Lykos Gym Vs Jack Evans & Aramis – 3⭐
I love Lykos Gym, great look, awesome music and very good funny heels. It was also nice seeing Jack Evans live, I always thought he was great in AEW.
This was a good place for this match after the serious promo before, it started with Lykos asking for a dance off. The music began, Evans started dancing and Lykos attacked both him and Aramis. A very fun start which got good heat from the crowd.
The match featured lots of fun high spots and great heel work from both Lykos’. A highlight being Evans jumping off the turnbuckle, onto a lykos who was on Aramis’ shoulders, and jumping off lykos to do a corkscrew on the second lykos on the floor.
Aramis then got both Lykos’ onto his shoulders, did an aeroplane spin into a bomb. Picking up the pin, a very fun high flying match.
Tate Mayfair Vs Anthony Ogogo – 2.5⭐
This match began with Mayfair interrupting Simon Miller, to say Ogogo has no showed. This led to Ogogo’s music to hit and the match followed the format of Mayfair being a coward heel occasionally getting some offence in.
Mayfair hit a huge coast to coast elbow drop on Ogogo who was in the tree of woe. He then continued to work Ogogos left arm, causing him to not hit some moves.
This match’s purpose felt like a way to showcase Ogogo’s moveset and boost his stat power, which it did very well and Mayfair was a near perfect opponent for this.
After Ogogo picked up the win, Mayfair kept talking smack, leading him to get beat up twice more, and the GB and Progress flags placed over him.
Luke Jacobs Vs Axel Tischer – Atlas Championship – 4⭐
This lived up to the Super Strong Style name. These boys slapped and chopped the life out of one another. Another theme from the night was front row chair spots, and we got two in this match. Jacobs threw Axel into two different blocks of chairs.
The two hit some huge power moves on each other and the crowd was hot for it all. They had great sequences together and lovely reversal spots, which led to multiple near falls (which I bought a few of them).
The finish came after Jacobs hit a massive lariat on Axel and got the 3 count. A show of respect after, and Luke Jacobs gets better and better each time I see him I feel.
Warren Banks Vs Chris Ridgeway – Progress World Championship – 4⭐
The final of Super Strong Style 16, and world championship match. There was a big match feel for this one, which elevated after Banks walked out second, stood on the stage and threw his ice pack off his shoulder.
Chris Ridgeway attacked Banks behind his back to start the main event and he kept the momentum for almost the whole match. We got some more chair spots, as the two worked their way to the main stage.
Ridgeway hit a thudding suplex onto Banks on the stage, and just kept working him over. Banks got some brief comeback moments but this felt like a dominating performance.
There was a lovely flurry of kicks from Ridgeway, then a massive slap to Banks face which echoed round the room. At this moment I, and I think most of the crowd, suspected Banks to have a huge comeback to be crowned the new champ.
At one point Ridgeway took his wrist tape off and used it to choke Banks, it was supposed to be out of the refs vision but I’m pretty sure he saw and just didn’t DQ. This was the beginning of the end, as Banks laid on the floor he took 3 huge punt kicks to the head, Chris Ridgeway rolled him over for the pin and got the win.
The crowd was stunned and almost silent for a few seconds, the whole match felt like it was building up to a big baby face comeback for a feel good moment to end the show. This was brilliantly done though and really got over how vicious Ridgeway is.
The post match saw Gene Munny come out on a crutch to embrace Banks, who was still laying in a streamer filled ring. Bringing the show to close on an emotional moment for those two.
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