Chris Ridgeway challenges WALTER for the PROGRESS World Championship! It’s PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 84!
PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 84
Eskeewd beef! Have anybody got any bokkle oran doove?
February 24th, 2019
From the Electric Ballroom in London, England
The title of the show comes from a sketch from the show “League of Gentlemen.” It’s a pretty funny sketch.
Mark Haskins def. Do Not Resuscitate (Chuck Mambo & Spike Trivet) by disqualification
Mark Andrews had gotten injured at the NXT UK tapings the night before, leaving Haskins to willfully fight on his own. I know this wasn’t the plan Progress had, but there is genuinely no reason that DNR could not have won this match. Handicap matches are so contrived and poorly done nowadays, mostly because WWE have done them so poorly for the past 20 years. If two guys can’t figure out a way to beat up one person, why would I ever take them seriously?
Haskins was able to fight both guys off for the most part, and had both Trivet and Mambo in submissions when Drew Parker came in and beat up Haskins to get them disqualified. There was a moment where DNR could have been an interesting group, but they’re quickly going down as another ineffective stable group of like-minded individuals. After the match, Jimmy Havoc comes back and runs off DNR, which wasn’t necessary, as Haskins was already fighting them off anyway. *
Millie McKenzie def. Bea Priestley
This was a very solid match here. Both Priestley and McKenzie have taken tours of Japan (Priestley with STARDOM, McKenzie with Sendai Girls), and you can tell it’s made them more ambitious. Priestley in particular looked much smoother than she had in her previous Progress appearances, and McKenzie was running with her as well. Millie won by countering a springboard dropkick with a spear. ***
Before the next match, Eddie Dennis came out and reminded everyone that he has a Progress World Title shot in his back pocket. He says he’ll use it when the time is right, and he’ll win. Sounds like a plan.
Nina Samuels def. Jinny
The Progress Women’s Title will be defended in a fatal four-way on Super Strong Style weekend, and the winner of this match will be one of those fatal four. This was a standard Jinny match. She flew into the chairs, her second got involved, and it was fine. Samuels was ok here, but the only reason to get behind her was because she was fighting Jinny. Her offense was sound, but lacking a bit of flair. Jinny went for a Styles Clash, but Samuels rolled her up to win. Jinny out of the Women’s Title picture for the time being is probably for the best, as her character is very stale right now. **1/2
Jordan Devlin def. Travis Banks by disqualification
We were meant to see this on the NXT UK Takeover show, but instead we saw it in the Ballroom. It was very good, but it wasn’t as good as I thought it could have been. Part of it was the work, but the crowd seemed like they were willing themselves into the match instead of actually being into it. That has happened a lot with the Ballroom crowd.
We got a lot of Goofy Trav here, with him swimming through the crowd to get away from Devlin and running into the ringpost. Devlin was in control for a good amount of this match, with Banks getting a big shot in every now and again. Devlin was ready to put Banks away with the package piledriver when TK Cooper and NIWA came in and beat up Devlin. Banks laid him out with a Slice of Heaven, and the new South Pacific Power Trip stood tall over Devlin. This felt like they were holding back a bit, and the ending plays into that theory. Hopefully we see more of it in Progress. Meanwhile, it’s good to see TK back in Progress. ***1/2
After intermission, Progress announces LAX vs. CCK 3 for the Ballroom show in March.
PROGRESS Tag Team Titles: The Swords of Essex (second defense) def. Aussie Open
It’s so wild to see Will Ospreay in Progress. I just watched him wrestle in a New Japan main event, and here he is back in the Electric Ballroom like it’s 2014. This was a good match, but it was another one where I was hoping for more. I think I will get it after the post match, where Mark Davis cashed in his Natural Progression Series title shot for a rematch with the Swords. It will be in a TLC match, which worries me greatly. A broken ladder sandbagged the much-anticipated Sumerian Death Squad/London Riots, and an unbreakable table turned the equally hyped Eddie Dennis/Mark Andrews into a meme. I would prefer a no-disqualification type match, but hopefully the furniture is sorted out.
The match was a highlight reel of innovative tag moves. Credit to Progress, they use Will Ospreay in a different way to everyone else in the world by putting him in a team with Paul Robinson, and he is great in this role as well. He talked a lot more crap knowing that he’s got backup in Robinson. These two just come up with great spots that no one else does. Pairing them up with Aussie Open will give you a match that at worst will be really good. Ospreay hit Davis with a belt to get the win. ***3/4
PROGRESS ATLAS Title: Trent Seven (sixth defense) def. Timothy Thatcher
I groaned when Thatcher came out. I don’t think he’s bad, I just don’t enjoy his brand of soulless grappling. He brought more of the striking style that he used against WALTER in their MOTYC last year, and that made this a bit more interesting. I think my issue is that Thatcher’s style doesn’t really warrant itself to building excitement. His stuff goes more toward unpredictability and finding a finish out of nowhere. I do appreciate wanting to work that kind of style, but as a fan it isn’t my favorite to watch.
Thatcher went after Seven’s taped up ribs, using suplexes and throws to wear him down. Seven chopped away at Thatcher’s chest and legs to break down the taller Thatcher. Seven went for the crossbody that won him the title, but Thatcher rolled it through into an armbar. From there, Seven grabbed Thatcher and hit a piledriver for 2. Seven hit a Burning Hammer right after to win and retain the title. ***
PROGRESS World Title: WALTER (eleventh defense) def. Chris Ridgeway
This felt like a beta version of WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr, with a smaller, submission and strike-based wrestler trying to take down the domineering champion. It ended the same way, with WALTER being too much for them to handle and putting them down. The difference between the two matches was primarily the crowd. That electric (no pun intended) atmosphere in the Electric Ballroom is gone. A 2015 Progress crowd would have been red hot to see if Ridgeway could slay the monster, but that buzz wasn’t there. I’m not sure whether the crowd have gotten used to the action, or if there is a perceived lack of quality. Maybe the partnership with WWE has affected the cool factor of Progress, but something has taken the liveliness out of the Ballroom.
As far as the in-ring goes, it was acceptable for a main event. Ridgeway did well in what was undoubtedly the biggest opportunity of his career to date, taking WALTER down with leg kicks and submissions. But every time he had WALTER vulnerable, WALTER would swat him away with a chop or a boot. Eventually, WALTER was able to clobber Ridgeway with a lariat to put him away and retain the title. Post match, Atlas Champion Trent Seven came out and challenged WALTER to a title unification match at Super Strong Style 16 weekend. A smart decision, as without WALTER, there just wasn’t much of an Atlas division. A solid choice for a night two main event. ***1/2