PROGRESS Wrestling's Top Ten Matches of 2017

Progress Wrestling had a very ambitious 2017. 2017 saw more Chapter shows than any other year in history. They took their first sojourn to the United States, with a show in Orlando for Wrestlemania Weekend. They built upon that by returning in the summer for shows in New York and Boston, as well as having shows in Germany. Despite their growth, Progress didn’t leave their British fans in the cold, debuting in Birmingham in January and holding their big fall show in Alexandra Palace.

Here I will take a look back and list the top ten Progress matches of 2017. There were only two guidelines that I followed.

The match had to happen in a Progress ring.
Instead of ranking the matches 1-10, the list is in chronological order.

All of these matches can be seen on Progress’s on-demand service, Demand Progress. Let’s get started!

January – Ringkampf vs. South Pacific Power Trip (Chapter 43: Tropic Thunderbastard)

TK Cooper and Travis Banks had a legitimate case for Tag Team of the Year halfway through the year. Their match with the Ringkampf duo of WALTER and Axel Dieter put them on many people’s radars as a team to look out for. This was a perfect mix of characters, with the Power Trip screwing around and testing the patience of Ringkampf. Add Dahlia Black playing her role perfectly on the floor, and you have a Tag Team match of the year candidate.

February – Sebastian vs. Pastor William Eaver (Chapter 44: Old Man Yells At Cloud)

While the storyline between these two ProJo graduates was…interesting to say the least, the conclusion of it was an absolute spectacle. Sebastian had been holding (a secret) a lawsuit over the Pastor’s head. However, he screwed around too long and let the statute of limitations on his charge expire. Sebastian’s stupidity was rewarded with a no-disqualification match with the vengeful Pastor. A violent affair followed, one that involved chairs, kendo sticks, and a running Razor’s Edge into the crowd! A fantastic blowoff match.

March – Pete Dunne vs. Jimmy Havoc (Chapter 45: Galvanize)

The main event of my Progress show of the year was a match nearly 18 months in the making. Jimmy Havoc, the longest reigning Progress Champion of all time, had returned from injury and self-imposed exile in October of 2016. He earned the right to a one-on-one title match with his stipulations. Jimmy’s big one-on-one title match became a deathmatch, on his birthday no less. He had taken out any interfering parties throughout the show. This was a spectacle of violence, with things being done that wouldn’t look out of place in a Saw film. This was violent artistry, and the cherry on top of the sundae that was Chapter 45.

May – Matt Riddle vs. Jeff Cobb (Super Strong Style 16, Night 2)

The best match of this year’s Super Strong Style 16 tournament took place between regular tag team partners Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb on in the Round of 8. Just a belter between these two, as they knocked the hell out of each other for a spot in the final four.

July – Matt Riddle vs. WALTER (Chapter 51: Screaming For Progress)

On the same show, Matt Riddle and WALTER had their second of three belters for the ATLAS Championship. WALTER had a real breakout year in 2017, and this series with Riddle was a large reason why. These two mix like bread and butter, WALTER’s overbearing strength and size against Riddle’s undeniable charm and fighting spirit. Watch the other two (from Chapter 46 and Progress: NYC), but this one was the peak.

July – Eddie Dennis vs. Pete Dunne (Chapter 53: Vote Pies)

July was a hell of a month for Eddie Dennis. He announced that he was leaving his job as a school principal to become a wrestler full-time. A few weeks later, he finds himself in a match with the Progress World Champion after being hand-picked for it by Travis Banks. This match was incredibly heated, with the crowd damn near begging Eddie to pull off the win against the maniacal Dunne. One of Eddie’s best Progress matches to date.

September – Mark Haskins vs. Jimmy Havoc (Chapter 55: Chase The Sun)

In the months leading up to the big Alexandra Palace show, Mark Haskins and Jimmy Havoc had growing issues between each other. Both men wanted the Progress Title, and took verbal jabs at each other in the process. The two would try to team up, but soon, tensions grew too high. It culminated in a spectacular deathmatch where both men raised the level of brutality.

November – Matt Riddle vs. Travis Banks (Chapter 58: Live Your Best Life)

After winning the title at Alexandra Palace, Travis Banks embarked on a mission to beat the people who pinned him on his road to the title (except Jack Gallagher, but let’s not mention that). This led him to take on the (naturally) double-booked Matt Riddle. This was a fire-hot opener. The intensity was at an 11 as these two mowed each other down for the title.

December – Aussie Open vs. Grizzled Young Vets (Chapter 59: Whatever People Say We Are)

If you had told me in January that James Drake would be in a Progress match of the year, I’d have called you insane. This tag team title match was meant to be between the Vets and Moustache Mountain, but snow caused the change. Newcomers Aussie Open had been good in their previous appearance, but this was their coming out party as they took full advantage of this opportunity.

December – Will Ospreay vs. Travis Banks (Chapter 60: Unboxing Live 2 – Unbox Harder)

At the final chapter show of the year, Progress’s prodigal son Will Ospreay returned to the Ballroom to take his chance at the title. This was a fast-paced, balls-to-the-wall, absolutely action packed match in front of a white-hot crowd. A late contender for Match of the Year.

Honorable Mentions: