By Parker Holland
Chapter 90 - The Electric Ballroom, Camden London
PROGRESS x Knucklelocks pre-show match
Billy Haze vs Levi
Billy wins with a roll up after Levi goes for what looked like a gory bomb, and is countered.
Billy is a thin, pale, tattooed punk rock looking kid who came out with a similar looking punk rock valet woman.
Levi is a large and very muscular black man who oozed confidence from the start.
Billy gets in his strikes and is much faster than the large Levi, but is still unable to keep Levi off his feet for very long. Levi is throwing him around like a sack of feathers, until Billy retaliates with a trio of running forearm smashes in the corner. On the fourth Levi turns Billy inside out with a massive counter lariat.
It’s not enough for the pinfall though, and as Levi is lifting him up for something that looked like a Gory Bomb, Billy rolls through and pins him.
Solid match for some beginners and the crowd was polite even through a couple of spots that didn’t quite hit.
Jim out for his intro to start off the show proper.
Jim asks for a moment of applause for the recently departed Lionheart. Even though he never performed in Progress he was a very large part of British wrestling.
NIWA (w/Travis Banks and TK Cooper) vs Rickey Shane Page
NIWA wins with a running lariat after distractions from Banks and Cooper
RSP is on the offensive from the beginning. This is the first time I’ve seen him work without a shirt and it seems he is slimming down a bit. RSP is displaying a range of ground wrestling and a little bit of lucha, until NIWA spits in his face.
RSP unloads on him with strikes. Banks and Cooper keep mostly to themselves until towards the end where they beat on RSP outside while the ref is distracted by NIWA.
RSP gets back in the ring and tries to mount a comeback, but NIWA never lets him get too far ahead, and hits a running boot followed by a lariat for the win.
Brent Banks vs Jordan Devlin
Devlin wins with a side suplex variation
Banks is from Toronto and is making his Progress debut. He controls most of the match and shows off a lot of aerial offense mixed with some solid ground work.
Devlin makes a come back right at the end and counters Banks into a suplex for the win.
Banks gets “Please Come Back” chants from the crowd and was very impressive.
Candy Floss vs Lana Austin
Candy wins with a modified Rings of Saturn
The match begins as fun and games as the two exchange a few holds, but Candy ends up escaping one by giving Lana a hug. They then trade hugs with the referee.
A few moments later it gets a little more vicious as Candy keeps trying to wear down Lana. She is able to powerbomb out of one arm bar attempt, but is caught when Candy goes for it again, rolls through to an omoplata, and pulls the opposite arm back for the submission victory.
After the match the hug, but the lights go out and Holidead appears, taking out both women.
Trent Seven and Dan Moloney vs LAX
LAX wins with their double reverse suplex on Moloney
A fun match with a good mix of trash talk paired with some excellent wrestling.
Moloney is Trent’s protege and pick for the upcoming Natural Progression Series.
LAX isolates Trent for a good deal of the match, and Moloney comes in hot at the end, only to be taken out.
INTERMISSION
Jim out to begin the 2nd part of the show. He announces he will not be at the show next month as he is going on holiday with his wife and kid. So. We need a replacement ring announcer. It will not be Kid Lykos as he is too good. Instead it will be the Pride of Wales Eddie Dennis!
The 198 (Flash Morgan Webster and Wild Boar Mike Hitchmen) out to address the crowd following their attack on Aussie Open at Super Strong Style 16 Day 3.
They say they are the longest performing progress wrestlers who have never won gold. That is why they stole the title form Aussie Open.
Unfortunately, Webster says he dislocated his right shoulder again.
Aussie Open comes out and the 198 hand their titles back. Travis Banks, TK Cooper, and NIWA run out and attack them from behind.
Banks takes the mic and says when he was champ the ballroom was selling out. But then Walter came along and the fans liked Banks less.
Cooper takes the mic and says he broke his body for this company and couldn’t even get in the venue when he was on the shelf. But as soon as he threatened to release a tell all video magically he was back on the shows.
The South Pacific Power Trip tried to leave with the titles, but Aussie Open says if they really want them they can challenge for them in the main event tonight. Jim takes a mic and makes it official as the main event.
WALTER and Veit Müller vs David Starr and The O.J.M.O.
Starr wins with an Ushigoroshi on Irie.
Veit Muller was in a car crash today and was unable to make the show. Walter has chosen a replacement, Shigehiro Irie!
OJMO starts out against Irie but quickly tags out after being dominated. Starr wears Irie down a bit then tags OJ back in. OJ says he wants WALTER instead.
WALTER rags in and rag dolls OJ around the ring. OJ gets back to his corner where Starr asks if this is what he wants? He slaps OJ in the face and OJ fires up! He dropkicks WALTER multiple times and brings the champion to his knees!
The crowd is HOT for OJ, but he is slowed down by WALTER and sent to the outside.
WALTER and Irie take turns isolating him, before OJ finally makes it over to tag Starr.
Starr runs wild but is worn down by the bigger Irie and WALTER. OJ gets back in and hits and amazing frog splash on Irie for two. He tags Starr and OJ goes over the top rope to the outside to take out WALTER.
Starr hits the Ushigoroshi on Irie and pins him as WALTER is being restrained by OJ and forced to watch.
Connor Mills vs Paul Robinson
Robinson wins with the Double foot stomp to the back of the head
Tough position for both these guys as the crowd was still coming down from the tag match before. They had a basic match focused around Mills knee being taken out. Any time Mills would start to come back Robinson would target the knee with strikes and knee bars.
Main Event for the Progress World Tag Team Titles
The South Pacific Power Trip (Travis Banks and TK Cooper W/NIWA). Vs Aussie Open
Aussie Open wins by pinning TK Cooper with their double team finish (double team pump handle slam)
A wild brawl that saw more than a few saves and counters from out of nowhere. Towards the end, Cooper grabs the titles and attempts to leave with them. Banks seems conflicted but eventually gives in and starts to leave. This proves to be their downfall as Fletcher flies over the top rope to stop them, throws Cooper into the ring, and both he and Davis hit their finish to pin him and retain the tag team titles.
A really great match, and worth your time to go seek out when it drops on demandprogress.com in about a week.
Jim comes out and sends the crowd home.
Overall this show was a good rebuilding and it introduced some new talent. It seems a lot of the Progress mainstays aren going to be around, including those just working NXT UK, so Progress is bringing up more local talent. The standout from today was definitely O.J.M.O. He had the crowd any time he was in the ring. We will see how he does in the Natural Progression Series later this year.
Aussie Open keep pumping out great match after great match, no matter the opponent. Hopefully Progress, and the rest of the UK wrestling scene, can hold onto them for awhile longer.
