PROGRESS is back for another week, as Chris Ridgeway defends his upcoming title shot at Cara Noir, as he took on Doug Williams in the main event.
Quick Results
Gene Munny pinned LK Mezinger in 9:02 (**½)
Ethan Allen & Luke Jacobs pinned Charles Crowley & Elijah in 13:59 (***)
Dan Moloney pinned Jody Fleisch in 12:36 (***)
Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II pinned Brendan White & Danny Jones in 13:38 to retain the PROGRESS Tag Team Championships (***½)
Alexxis Falcon & Ronnie Knocks pinned Mercedez Blaze & Taonga in 13:26 (**¾)
Chris Ridgeway pinned Doug Williams in 14:23 (***¼)
What the hell, two hours and two minutes. Are you feeling alright lads? Roy Johnson’s at the Theatre Peckham in London, with Hustle Malone and Olie Spring on commentary.
LK Mezinger vs. Gene Munny
Mezinger, still in search of his first win at PROGRESS, tries to jump Munny with a cradle after Gene’s slingshot-splash entrance… but because we have a competent ref, he’s not waving for the bell…
We eschew ring introductions as we get started with a series of roll-ups as Mezinger tried in vain to get the win. Forearms keep Munny on the back foot, but he springs out of the corner with a back elbow before turning a Mezinger leapfrog into a spinebuster for a near-fall. After a brief chase, Munny hung up Mezinger in the ropes, only for his slingshot spear to miss as Mezinger hits a legdrop instead. Munny’s chopped in the corner, but fought back with boots that sent Mezinger to the outside. A baseball slide sees Gene trapped in the apron as Mezinger threw some strikes a la Finlay, but Munny gets his own back by pulling Mezinger down off the apron as he went to stomp on him. After crawling under the ring, Munny tries for another dive, but gets punched away… he does the same trick again, this time returning with a slingshot spear for a two-count.
Mezinger returns with another boot, but took his time rolling Munny over and could only get a couple of two-counts. Munny returns with splashes in the corner, then an overhead belly-to-belly, before a wacky TKO led to another near-fall. LK’s boots have Gene down to a knee, before he shrugged off a powerbomb attempt to hit Gene with a half-and-half suplex. A cannonball from there followed, before Mezinger lifted up Gene for an Electric Chair Driver that almost got the win. Mezinger tries to add a moonsault, but Munny dropkicks it away, then lands Ainsley Lariat, and that’s enough to keep Luckless LK’s run going. **½
Backstage, Charles Crowley’s a little too hyped up in convincing us all that Elijah is going to be a future PROGRESS champion… then reveals he’s gotten Elijah an opportunity. A tag match. With Crowley as his partner. I think that’s the first time Elijah’s ever cracked a smile, in sheer disbelief at the news…
Elijah & Charles Crowley vs. Young Guns (Ethan Allen & Luke Jacobs)
Of course, this was Crowley’s in-ring debut for PROGRESS, doing a markedly different act to the times I’ve seen him wrestle. He’s got the cinematic entrance that Cara Noir used to have…
To their credit, Hustle Malone on commentary (once he’d stopped wetting himself over the prospect of instant doom for Crowley) did talk up Crowley’s prior work as a wrestler, stressing “this isn’t some civilian we’ve just put on the apron.” Jacobs and Elijah start with a lock-up, heading into the corner as Jacobs eventually took down the Welshman for an early two-count. A front facelock from Jacobs rolls Elijah to the mat, but there’s still no clear advantage as Ethan Allen tagged in. He’s charged down and met with a chinlock from Elijah, then a side headlock… but Allen gets free as the pair reset. Crowley blind-tags in, clearly not wanting to wait to get in there, and began to work over Allen’s arm and wrist.
An arm whip takes Crowley down though as Allen got free, before Crowley took things into the corner. He grabs a side headlock, but a slap in the ropes sees Allen snap as he ground Crowley down with a bulldog-like headlock. Pushing free, Crowley then telegraphs a back body drop, as Allen came right back at him with a front facelock, before he got backed into the corner as Crowley tried to swing at him. Chops sting Crowley, who dragged Allen towards Elijah, who tagged in and ran into a hiptoss as Jacobs came in to hit an elbow drop for a two-count. Kicks from Jacobs target Elijah’s legs ahead of a takedown, but Elijah gets up and into the ropes… only to get caught with chops. A springboard armdrag has Jacobs down, as does a dropkick, which gets a two-count, before Allen came in and renewed his aggression on Elijah.
A dropkick to the knee from Elijah targets the knee – which had been weakened by Spike Trivet last week – and that’s Allen on the back foot. Crowley’s in to kick away on the knee too, before… a Kevin Nash boot choke in the corner? Allen Bret Hart’s the turnbuckles from an Irish whip, then gets caught with a back body drop for a two-count. A kneebreaker’s next out of Crowley, then a Vader Bomb elbow for a two-count, before Elijah tagged in to put the boots to Allen. Ethan sits down to block a suplex, turning it into an inside cradle before bringing in Jacobs who cleared house. There’s a German suplex for Crowley, then a regular one for Elijah, before Crowley tagged in and ate a powerbomb for a near-fall.
Allen tries to get back up, but Elijah dropkicks him off the apron… prompting Allen to try and get back in the ring. The ref’s distracted by that as Elijah looked for a Dangerbuster, but gets thrown away. He’s back to hold onto Jacobs in the ropes to stop an O’Connor roll, but Crowley accidentally superkicks his man, before nearly upsetting Jacobs with backslides and roll-ups… only to get murderised with a lariat instead. From there, Allen tags in kick Crowley (who was in a piledriver), and that’s all folks. I’ve not been a fan of Crowley in PROGRESS thus far, but him actually doing a match showed he was more than just a “mouthy gobshite” – sure, it was a loss, but he held his own for a spell, even if the accidental kick to Elijah perhaps sets up more dissension between the pair. ***
Post-match, Elijah picks up Crowley and seemed to shrug off the accident…
Backstage, Dan Moloney talks about his upcoming rematch with Jody Fleisch – the third show in a row he’ll have been in the same match with Jody.
Jody Fleisch vs. Dan Moloney
Moloney won the last time these two met one-on-one, but Fleisch did eliminate him in last week’s Thunderbastard match to “level it up”…
We’ve a tentative start, but Moloney takes down Fleisch with a headlock before Jody backflipped away from a leapfrog… only to run into a Moloney dropkick. A second one misses as Jody ends up landing his, taking Moloney outside for a springboard moonsault. Back inside, Fleisch looks for a 720 DDT, but Moloney avoids that, blocks a reverse ‘rana and then hit a clothesline for a two-count. A knee lift drops Fleisch for a two-count, before Moloney unceremoniously chucked him to the outside. Following him, Moloney charges Fleisch into the side of the ring, getting a two-count eventually after that.
Some stomps from Moloney keep Fleisch down, as did a back senton and some punches on the mat, before Jody began to fight back. A roundhouse is shrugged off, unlike a trio of axe kicks as Fleisch chopped down Dan. Going to the well once too often, Fleisch gets met with a powerbomb, before he armdragged out of a torture rack. Another roundhouse kick sets up for the reverse ‘rana to Moloney, before a fake out led to Fleisch hitting a Fisherman buster for a near-fall. Fleisch leaps over Moloney after that, then ‘rana’d him out of the corner for a near-fall, before an attempted shooting star press led nowhere as Moloney cradled him for a near-fall. A spear’s next, but Fleisch kicks out again, before a Drilla gets the win. That’s 2-0 for Dan in singles meetings, as commentary seemed to give away that this was meant to be on back-to-back shows… ***
Doug Williams has a post-show interview after the last chapter… where he asked Chris Ridgeway for a rematch as he felt that he had shaken off the ring rust from their first meeting.
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship: Greedy Souls (Brendan White & Danny Jones) vs. Lykos Gym (Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II) (c)
The Greedy Souls talked their way into this shot after they’d “softened up” Charlie Sterling and Nick Riley last time out.
The Lykii try a jump start, but their kicks are caught and met with forearms as we have a Benny Hill chase before the bell. It’s a shame Yakety Sax is copyrighted, because it’d have fit in! Lykos hits Danny Jones with a water bottle, while Lykos II’s thrown into a table as the two teams brawled around ringside. They hit the ring, but it’s the Welsh lads who seemed to have the upper hand as a Brendan White backbreaker on Lykos II prompted the ref to ring the bell. Hey, what happened to starting the match on an even keel, like the opener?! The ref makes a two-count to get us going, before Lykos II was Biel’d across the ring, then slammed as White picked up a two-count.
Lykos II slips out of a Black Hole slam and chop blocks White’s knee… before tags brought in Lykos and Jones. Lykos looks to go for the feet, but Jones stops him from the boot licking and tied up the wolf in a wacky half-crab-like submission before settling for a one-count from a cover. A drop toe hold puts Lykos down again as White tagged in to get a two-count from a neckbreaker. White’s shoulder tackle leads to a near-fall, as he proceeded to rake the eyes in the ropes… before Lykos II tried to interfere. The young wolf manages to trip White, then cannonball him in the ropes as the ref struggled to contain the pair.
Focusing on Brendan, the Lykii go after White’s knee, before an Indian deathlock from Lykos had Brendan in trouble in the middle of the ring. Lykos II is in with a brainbuster, but of course he telegraphs it and it’s reversed as White hits it instead. Lykos “accidentally” falls into the ring to distract the referee, but Danny Jones dives in with an uppercut to him, knowing what was going to happen to stop him from tagging in. Lykos II grabs a title belt, but misses his shot at White, then got flung with a belly-to-belly instead. Danny Jones gets the tag, and rips off a turnbuckle… throwing Lykos II towards there ahead of a big boot and a Falcon arrow for a two-count. The Lykii are in to rake eyes, before their dualling belt shots saw them smash belts together as German suplexes clear the ring.
Lykos II’s cornered by the Welsh lads, then slung into a Black Hole Slam that nearly won the match. An Octopus stretch from Lykos II stops Jones though, as White’s held in the ropes by the elder Lykos, but Brendan dragged him in and charged into the pile to break it up. Tags bring us to White and Lykos, as we rush to a brainbuster… it’s escaped as Lykos tries a low blow, only to get pulled into a backbreaker, before the ref all of a sudden decided to stop Danny Jones from coming into the ring. That distraction allows Lykos II to come in with his marching powder, throwing it in White’s eyes before a small package got the win. Inconsistent officiating aside (one of my many pet peeves), this was a good little tag match with White and Jones outsmarting the Lykii’s attempts to get DQ’d – but got caught out big time when the wolves found a way through. This is building to something, but we’ve already had the wacky no DQ stipulation match with them… ***½
Post-match, Nick Riley and Charlie Sterling meet the Lykii in the aisle for a non-violent staredown.
Backstage, Luke Jacob’s interviewed about his team’s win earlier tonight. He calls out Spike Trivet for injuring Ethan Allen’s knee last time out… and offered a match with him so he could “change his face.”
Backstage again, we’ve got the Sunshine Machine. Charles Crowley interrupts their love-in with his wind-up monkey, as Mambo prepares a mini cream pie for “Sebastian” the monkey. I guess that’s going to lead to Crowley & Elijah against those two next time?
Gisele Shaw’s out for commentary…
Ronnie Knocks & Alexxis Falcon vs. Taonga & Mercedez Blaze
We’ve a jump start as Falcon and Knocks attack before the bell.
Things get going in the ring with a Falcon bulldog to Taonga, before Blaze came in and had her knee nicked out. A dropkick’s barely good for a one-count from Falcon, who mounts her with punches before a snapmare from Falcon and a low Knocks dropkick drew a two-count. Commentary’s busy quizzing Gisele about a possible rematch with Falcon, but Shaw’s insisting she had the match so there’s no cause for a rematch. Knocks comes back with forearms on Taonga before a double-team suplex flung Taonga for just a one-count. Some double-teaming has Mercedez Blaze up in arms, as a double-clothesline earns a two-count, before a handful of hair helped Taonga take Knocks into the corner. Blaze gets her licks in behind the ref’s back, before tagging in and running in with double knees ahead of a butterfly suplex to take Knocks into the corner for a two-count.
Taonga’s in with a forearm in the corner, then a running knee for a two-count, before Blaze’s front suplex morphed into a Muta lock. A neckbreaker’s next from Blaze for another near-fall, while Taonga took Knocks back to the corner for forearms. Knocks manages to retaliate with a swinging DDT, before making the hot tag to Falcon who cleared house. A bulldog/clothesline combo took out Blaze and Taonga as Falcon then threw Taonga with a German suplex. A head kick’s next as the ring began to fill up. Taonga’s Flatliner starts a brief Parade of Moves, before we reset with Falcon and Taonga throwing strikes. We’ve a knee strike from Taonga for a near-fall as Knocks ran in to break up the cover…
Knocks tags back in to hit a missile dropkick to Taonga, forcing Blaze to tag in as a neckbreaker landed on Mercedez… but Blaze recovers to quickly land a Tower of Blaze as Falcon breaks up the cover. Falcon drags Knocks over to tag out, as she proceeded to rain down blows on Blaze ahead of a backpack stunner, but Blaze gets her shoulder up just in the nick of time as Knocks dove on Taonga on the outside. From there, the Falcon’s Fury spikes Blaze, and there’s no doubting the pin this time as Falcon picked up the win while staring down Shaw. **¾
Post-match, Falcon has some words for Shaw at ringside, but Alexxis’ ring music drowns everything out, apart from Shaw seemingly accepting the rematch.
Backstage, Spike Trivet’s asked about Luke Jacobs’ challenge earlier… Spike does a terrifying impression of Terry Christian to mock Jacobs, before promising to break Luke’s nose and drink his blood. Is coal even edible?
Doug Williams vs. Chris Ridgeway
Ridgeway won on Doug’s return a few shows back…
We got going with Williams getting taken into the corner, before Ridgeway took his back as he looked for a hold. They end up in the ropes, as Ridgeway then looked to test Doug with some kicks, only for Doug to take him down with a waistlock in search of a pin. A headlock takedown and escape follow as Ridgeway takes over with some headscissors on the mat. Williams escapes and ties up Ridgeway’s legs in a deathlock, but that ends in the ropes with Williams perhaps offering a little more to start with. A shot to the gut from Ridgeway has Williams in the corner, but Doug’s right back as he kicked Ridgeway’s leg in the opposite corner, ahead of a short clothesline for a two-count.
Figure Four headscissors from Williams are rolled out of as Ridgeway takes the back, but it’s right by the ropes as Williams rolled to the apron for respite. Back inside, Ridgeway locks in a cravat, then rolled Ridgeway down for a knee drop that gets a two-count, before Ridgeway started to come back with some more kicks. An Ace Crusher from Williams has Ridgeway down as he targeted the neck some more, leading to some two-counts out of a lateral press. From the kick-out, Williams goes to work with a toe hold, but Ridgeway kicks his way free, only to get caught with a chinbreaker. Williams follows with a Saito suplex, then a neck crank, before Ridgeway fought free and began to trade elbows.
Williams’ strikes seemed to have more effect though, prompting Ridgeway to rattle off more strikes ahead of a gut punch and a running elbow to take both men down. Ridgeway’s up first to make a cover, but Doug’s up at two before Ridgeway went back to the arm. Doug punches free, then charged Ridgeway in for a Chaos Theory… but Ridgeway maneuvers out for a guillotine… which is broken up with a suplex! Williams throws a release Fisherman suplex next for a near-fall, before Ridgeway kicked Williams as he was setting up for a Bomb Scare knee. Ridgeway brings Doug down with a superplex, then threw another forearm after the landing, which gets a near-fall. A PK is next, but Doug’s able to peel a shoulder up just in time, only to get met with some more kicks as a punt finished off Williams for the three-count. A spirited effort from Williams, but Ridgeway was able to overcome the veteran’s tricks and hold onto his future title shot. ***¼
PROGRESS returns next week for Chapter 121: In Twenty Years This Will All Be Orange. Haven’t we just had four years of that? There was perhaps a little too much going on as far as rematches here – either in terms of matches that happened or stuff being set up – but I’d take this sort of an easy watch over the ten match big chungus shows every day of the week. At least until the fans are allowed back. They will be… right?