In Progress’s final stop before Wrestlemania weekend in New Orleans, Thunderbastard winner Flash Morgan Webster challenges Travis Banks for the Progress World Title. It’s PROGRESS Chapter 65, Have Some Faith In The Sound!
PROGRESS Chapter 65: Have Some Faith In The Sound
Filmed March 26, 2018 from the Electric Ballroom in London, England
Commentary by Glen Joseph and Dahlia Black
Available To Watch On Demand Progress
Doug Williams vs. Rob Lynch
VALHALLA! This is Rob Lynch’s first match in Progress since Chapter 53 last July.
This was definitely a match. It leaned toward the technical side of things, which was done well. This was just an odd match-up on paper, and a bit dry in execution. Dahlia Black did say on commentary that Williams trained Lynch for wrestling, which helps it make more sense. Lynch got the win with a spear after Williams missed the Bomb Scare knee drop.
I’m of two minds of the booking in regards to this match. On one hand, it was smart to have Lynch get a win his first match out over someone the crowd respects. It didn’t hurt Williams in the slightest to lose here, as he has legend status in the UK. However, does it help Lynch to beat someone who hasn’t won a match in Progress since 2013? The next steps they take with Lynch will be interesting to see where he ends up fitting in. **1/2
Winner: Rob Lynch
Chakara (w/ Jinny) vs. Charlie Morgan (w/ Jinny) vs. Session Moth Martina vs. Millie McKenzie
Charlie Morgan is replacing Killer Kelly, who was injured at the WXW London show the night prior.
This was fun, if a little sloppy. The crowd love Millie, but Progress seem to be keeping up with the House of Couture at least until Jinny gets her title shot. She is cleared to compete, and will be wrestling in New Orleans, but isn’t getting her title shot until the big Victoria Warehouse show after Super Strong Style 16. That means the women’s division is basically frozen until then, which really takes the wind out of my sails regarding the women’s division. Morgan pinned McKenzie. **1/4
Winner: Charlie Morgan
No Disqualification Match: Chris Brookes (w/ Kid Lykos) vs. TK Cooper
This was an intense sprint, and I loved it. It was a bit clunky to start, mostly having to do with the guys looking for stuff under the ring. But this match quickly kicked into a second gear and never stopped. Cooper had control for most of this one, hitting a Spanish Fly off of the apron through a table that would’ve gotten the win if Kid Lykos didn’t pull the ref out of the ring. Cooper took care of that by scissor kicking Lykos through a chair to huge boos. Brookes leveled Cooper with a chair after that. Tacks got pulled out and both guys took massive falls into them. Brookes dropped Cooper with a Praying Mantis Bomb onto the tacks, and got the win with a deep Octopus Stretch.
This was the most impressive singles performances both men have ever put on in Progress. They matched each other’s intensity and upped the ante as the match went on. I’m a bit upset that TK seemed to fully turn here, as I thought he had something special in Progress after his varied issues last year. However, there’s something special with him being a slimy heel too, so I’m not all that mad. ****
Winner: Chris Brookes
PROGRESS ATLAS Championship: Rampage Brown vs. WALTER (c)
WALTER won the ATLAS Championship for the second time at Chapter 55. This is his third defense. Rampage Brown, the inaugural ATLAS champ, earned this match by beating Roy Johnson at the latest “Live At The Dome” show. These two have wrestled twice before, with Rampage winning both.
Rampage’s dub music has become his live music. RIP I Will Be Heard. This was exactly what the ATLAS Division was designed for, giving heavyweights a special division and showcasing a style of wrestling not usually seen at the independent level. This, like most WALTER matches, was a war of attrition. Move-wise, this match was very simple. It was mostly chops and boots, with a few suplexes thrown in as big spots. In one of my favorite spots, Rampage got a nearfall with a BODYSLAM. WALTER took advantage though by winning a chop battle. You could see Rampage losing steam as his chops got weaker and weaker. WALTER eventually put him away with a powerbomb and a rear-naked choke. Great stuff here. ***3/4
Winner: STILL PROGRESS ATLAS Champion, WALTER
Natural Progression Series V First Round Match: Danny Duggan vs. Danny Jones
The Natural Progression Series is a tournament used to spotlight up-and-coming talent in the UK scene, much like ROH’s Top Prospect Tournament. The winner of this match will take on Mark Davis in the second round.
This was rough. Duggan was fresh off of training at the New Japan LA Dojo, and commentary had mentioned that Jones had toured with All Japan before. This looked like two guys who googled “Strong Style” and just did whatever came up. The beginning was tecnically sound, but lifeless. Duggan jammed his knee on something, which threw them off. Jones tried to have fighting spirit, but the crowd was having none of it. Eddie Dennis came out and appeared to be cheering on Jones, who had the advantage. But he got on the apron, which took Jones’s attention away from the match he was in control of. Duggan then rolled him up and won. A tedious match, with a finish designed to make Jones look like a moron.
Post match, Dennis said that Jones’s loss wasn’t his fault, it was Mark Andrews’s fault. If Andrews was there instead of gallivanting with WWE, he could’ve stopped Eddie. He tried goading Jones to fight him, but Jones left. Dennis said that he would keep doing this to Mark’s friends until he got his fight. Eddie was good, but the match was not. *1/2
Winner: Danny Duggan
PROGRESS World Tag Team Championship Elimination Match: Sexy Starr (Jack Sexsmith & David Starr) vs. Mark Haskins & Jimmy Havoc (w/ Vicky Haskins) vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) (c)
The Grizzled Young Veterans won the titles for the second time at Chapter 64. This is their second defense. Haskins & Havoc are getting a rematch after an injury to Havoc cost them the titles at the last show. Sexy Starr are in this match because they called out Haskins & Havoc prior to them losing the titles.
This was a great change of pace from the previous match. Gibson cut an awesome promo beforehand about the Vets going doing their own thing instead of following the trend of the day, which got massive heat from the crowd. The match equaled the energy of the crowd, as this was a non-stop sprint to the finish. When all 3 teams were in, the match flowed like water, with all the teams seemingly perfectly in-sync. Sexy Starr hit their double team German/double stomp to Havoc to eliminate that team.
After that, the Vets and Sexy Starr went after each other. For the types of wrestlers they are, the Vets really thrive in high-tempo matches like this one. I still remember their debut match when they killed Never Say Die in a couple of minutes, it’s like they never stopped moving. This was a lot of the same, as they kept going for their tag moves to put Sexy Starr away. Starr and Sexsmith showed a ton of fight as well, having the match won at one point before Havoc pulled the ref out of the ring. After that, it came down to Starr against both Vets, with The Ticket To Mayhem putting him away in the end. ***3/4
Winner: STILL PROGRESS Tag Team Champions, The Grizzled Young Veterans
PROGRESS World Championship: Flash Morgan Webster vs. Travis Banks (c)
Travis Banks won the Progress World Title at Chapter 55. This is his tenth defense of the title. If he wins, he will tie Pete Dunne’s record for most successful title defenses at ten. Flash Morgan Webster earned this title shot by winning the Thunderbastard match last month.
Flash came to the ring with Vicky Haskins, but sent her to the back before the bell rang. He wanted to know if he could get the job done on his own. The subtleties of Travis Banks’s heel turn were quickly pushed aside, as after shaking hands with Flash, Trav cocked his fist and dropped him with a Superman Punch. I was going to say that this was hamfisted and lazy, but not only did Travis have fun with this, it turned the crowd on him immediately. That quickly added some juice to this match, and it allowed Banks to knock the hell out of Webster with kicks and chops. The crowd were against Travis, but they were a bit cold on Flash. I never thought he was winning this, but the finish was done well.
Travis started his sequence of death. Slice of Heaven, cannonball, Kiwi Krusher, Lion’s Clutch. I was writing the result when Flash actually made the ropes, breaking the Lion’s Clutch for the first time ever. Flash hit the Eaton Rifle and locked the Strangler on when Banks ran them both into referee Paz. Flash went for the Shadows over Malice when TK Cooper came in and leveled him with a spear. TK and Travis went for a tag move, but Flash knocked TK out of the ring and laid Travis out with the Shadows over Malice. Referee Chris Roberts came in and counted the pin, giving Flash the title!
Or so we thought. Paz, the original referee, saw Travis’s foot in the ropes and ordered a restart. The two guys traded rollups until Banks got the win and retained the title. If this finish sounds familiar, that is because Progress did it last year on the show before Wrestlemania weekend, where Thunderbastard winner Mark Andrews had the same thing happen to him against Pete Dunne. I hated the finish last year, but this time I think it works with Flash’s story of being the Nearly Man. This situation breaking him and being the catalyst that drives him into Team Never Explain (Haskins and Havoc) makes a lot of sense. I still hate the finish, but the story makes me hate it less. ***
Winner: STILL PROGRESS World Champion, Travis Banks
Post match, Travis thanked the fans for their continued support, which made me cackle with laughter. He claimed that Progress was “his yard”, and that in Progress, he was unbeatable. Those may end up being his famous last words, as WALTER came out to an incredible reaction. Banks tried giving him a Superman Punch, but WALTER had none of it and chopped him out of the ring. This crowd is ready to see a new World Champion, and they know who they want it to be. An awesome segment to head into Wrestlemania weekend!
My reviews of Chapters 66 and 67 will be a bit different, as I will be attending them live at the WWN Experience in New Orleans!