Jonathan Gresham defends his newly-won PROGRESS title against Warren Banks as the company returned to their roots for their 10th anniversary show.
Quick Results
Laura Di Matteo submitted Rhio, Alexxis Falcon and Skye Smitson in 6:21 (**¾)
Charles Crowley submitted Danny Black in 6:51 (**½)
Ilja Dragunov pinned Cara Noir in 21:22 (****¼)
Dan Moloney & Man Like DeReiss won a gauntlet to win the PROGRESS Tag Team Championships in 33:00 (***¾)
Gisele Shaw submitted Alex Windsor to retain the PROGRESS Women’s Championship in 11:29 (***¼)
Jonathan Gresham pinned Warren Banks to retain the PROGRESS World title in 19:15 (****)
Ten years ago to the day, PROGRESS held “in the beginning” at the Garage in Islington… they’re back for their 10th anniversary show, with Simon Miller looking a lot like Jim Smallman in the classic eagle shirt and baseball cap… just with a little less hair than Jim back then! There’s a slight rewriting of history (originally PROGRESS was Jim Smallman & Jon Briley, with Glen Joseph jumping on after the original show.)
Speaking of Jon, he hit the ring on what’d be his final day with the promotion, getting “thank you Jon” chants as he got choked up while talking up some highlights of his ten years in the company, before symbolically leaving his headset in the ring…
Commentary from the packed Garage comes from Hustle Malone and Olie Spring.
Alexxis Falcon vs. Laura Di Matteo vs. Rhio vs. Skye Smitson
This was for a shot at the PROGRESS Women’s title down the line…
This one started quickly with di Matteo pulling ahead with dropkicks and a release Fisherman suplex to Smitson, before Rhio pulled di Matteo to the outside. Rhio and Falcon take over in the ring with a tornado suplex, before Smitson took aim at Rhio, boxing her into the corner ahead of a leaping knee. Di Matteo’s back with headscissors to Smitson, while a low clothesline to Falcon saw Smitson break up the resulting pin. A stalling suplex drops di Matteo as all four women stayed in the ring, leading to Smitson powerbombing Rhio out of the corner. An avalanche German suplex from Falcon keeps the Parade of Moves going, before Rhio and Smitson hit Air Raid Crashes.
A tornado DDT from di Matteo took care of Smitson, only for a back cracker from Falcon to nearly win it. Smitson’s cobra clutch slam to Rhio led to another broken up pin, as Smitson and Falcon got in it on the floor… earning them a share of a dive from di Matteo, who then won it with a short DDT to Rhio, before Veni Vidi Vici forced the submission. This was fine for an opener, but felt pretty short given it was for a title shot. **¾
Something of an apt win for di Matteo, whose move away from her initial “Elizabeth” character came in this venue…
After the match, Smitson attacks Falcon from behind, finishing her off with that cobra clutch slam… and we have a new feud!
Charles Crowley vs. Danny Black
An unadvertised match here, with Charles Crowley fighting feedback while baiting the fans for wanting to see someone like Yoshi Tatsu. He’s interrupted by Danny Black, and we’ve got a match on…
A slap from Crowley gets us going as we’ve some lucha leapfrogs and roll throughs before Black’s dropkick took Crowley into the corner. Black’s step-up ‘rana and springboard armdrag keeps him ahead as I get incredibly distracted by the white noise that keeps appearing in the audio mix when commentary falls silent. Crowley’s clothesline stops Black’s momentum, as did some choking in the ropes before an attempted Vader Bomb Elbow caught Black for a near-fall. An O’Connor roll gets Black a near-fall, while a cartwheel into an enziguiri allowed him to boot Crowley in the corner… with a springboard ‘rana coming next.
Black goes for the Ranhei, landing it for a near-fall. From the kick-out, a pop-up powerbomb and a twisting suplex put Crowley back in it. The Merry Go Round slam from Crowley’s turned into a DDT, which only became apparent when Crowley rolled outside for respite, only to be met with a low-pe stunner on the floor!
Back inside, Black hits a second springboard stunner, but Crowley’s out at two before an eye rake and the Merry Go Round slam drew a near-fall. Black stuffs a move and stomped on Crowley instead, then went up top for a 450 splash… only to get caught in a move that I couldn’t hear commentary call, but think of it as a triangle armbar meeting a mandible claw. A good, sudden finish to a match that was starting to get a little rough around the edges. **½
Video package time to bring us back around for the Ilja Dragunov/Cara Noir feud…”witness a theatre of violence.”
Cara Noir vs. Ilja Dragunov
Until the prior Sunday, Cara Noir was the PROGRESS champion, but now he’s a few pounds lighter up against the NXT UK champion… redoing a feud that apparently defined PROGRESS? Definitely, it’s one of the few you can still bring up in 2022.
Dragunov’s got his imposing drum music here, as opposed to the marching band that NXT UK’s put over his recent entrances. Except that song’s a little short, and it ended before he did a lap of the ring… We open with a handshake as Dragunov looked to work the arm of Cara Noir early on, throwing him to the mat as headlock takedowns were the order of the day. Headbutts from Dragunov in the ropes woke up Cara, who clung on with a side headlock as Dragunov tries to break free, before see-saw shoulder tackles took us back to a headlock takeover.
Getting free, leapfrogs and dropdowns get telegraphed as a spinning back chop from Dragunov took Cara Noir down. Commentary mused whether Cara’s lost back-to-back matches in PROGRESS before (he has), as Dragunov chopped his way free of some forearm smashes. A swivelling lariat downs Cara, before Dragunov just threw Cara over the top to the floor. In another territory, that’d be a DQ…
A Konstantin-spezial from Dragunov followed for a near-fall, then a deadlift German suplex, which he rolled together before Cara broke the grip… only for Dragunov to counter back with a bridging teardrop suplex for a near-fall. Some rapid-fire palm strikes help to strike down Cara Noir, before he booted Dragunov… following up with a headbutt as the former PROGRESS champion finally looked to get something going. Another boot from Cara Noir knocks Ilja into the ropes, while a clothesline spun down the NXT UK champion. German suplexes from Cara Noir keep things trucking along, before palm strikes led to one more German suplex from Cara. Forearms from the mount looked to stop the match as Cara got more aggressive, throwing Dragunov outside for a tope.
Back inside, the white noise from earlier ratchets up as Cara looked for a suplex, but Dragunov sinks to his knees to block it… but Cara deadlifts Ilja up, only to get rolled down as some Danielson-ish elbows on the mat almost forced the stoppage. Heading up top, Cara found a second wind to land a superplex… rolling through into the Madame Guillotine over-the-knee brainbuster. They continue to go tit-for-tat as both men were on the proverbial and literal ropes, as Dragunov hits a powerbomb and a falling elbow for a near-fall, before Cara Noir blocked a Torpedo Moscau with… a hug.
Rapid-fire palm strikes from Cara earned him a German suplex… before he hit a Torpedo Moscau of his own… only for Dragunov to chin Cara Noir with two more of those for the win. This didn’t get as overly dramatic as their first series of matches, which was somewhat divisive, but this was a heck of a match. Back to back losses put fresh questions over where Cara Noir goes from here, mind you… ****¼
Dragunov exits stage left as we got “Cara’s our champion” chants… and that’s a set-up, right? Of course it is, as the lights go out… and come back on with Spike Trivet in the ring, choking out Cara Noir with a chain. There’s some padlocks too, as he chained Cara Noir to the top rope by the throat, before reiterating some of that post-show speech from last time out, as he ended up headbutting a defenceless Cara. Trivet heads outside for a chair, then whacked Cara against the ropes with it, repeatedly striking him as referees finally came out.
Trivet eventually relents, once he’d bruised Cara Noir up something rotten, but not before he took Cara’s mirror mask hostage as he threatened to show everyone “how ugly” Cara was. They end the segment focusing on a locket and a key, with a photo of an unpainted Cara Noir in it… This felt like the Tommy Dreamer/ECW “please sir, may I have another?” angle, with Cara Noir visibly calling for those chairshots…
After interval, Simon Miller’s back with a velvet bag. Is it full of drawing pins? Nope, it’s the old PROGRESS Atlas title… they’re doing a two-night tournament for it over the Easter weekend. The reveal didn’t exactly get a reaction, a little like the dates for Super Strong Style 16 2022… I’m hoping that’s just bad crowd micing.
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Gauntlet: Smokin’ Aces (Charlie Sterling & Nick Riley) (c) vs. North West Strong (Chris Ridgeway & Luke Jacobs) vs. Lykos Gym (Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II) vs. Sunshine Machine (Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper) vs. The 0121 (Dan Moloney & Man Like DeReiss)
The reigning champions start in the gauntlet against North West Strong… Sterling and Ridgeway open us up, heading into the corners for a rather terse break. Shoulder tackles off the ropes ended with Ridgeway just booting Sterling in the head, before an uppercut knocked Ridgeway down. Heading into the corner, Luke Jacobs tagged in and snapped Sterling down with a headlock takedown, before a double-team back suplex/kick combo gave Ridgeway a two-count.
Ridgeway grounds Sterling with almost a Bully choke, clinging onto the side headlock as Sterling eventually threw his way free. All four men hit the ring for a while, settling down to Riley and Jacobs… but Ridgeway’s back to save Jacobs with an enziguiri, before a Northern Lights suplex nearly caused an elimination. Riley’s kept in the North West Strong corner, as Ridgeway came in to slap him around, before Riley fought his way free, hitting a moonsault to Jacobs before tagging out to Sterling, who hit a flip senton to North West Strong on the outside. Rushing back in, a back suplex onto Riley’s knees gives Jacobs a bad landing, before a wacky roll-up cutter and a Tiger Driver nearly won it.
Jacobs recovers to lariat Riley, then hit a brainbuster to Sterling for a near-fall as North West Strong were throwing bombs here, kicking and chopping Sterling ahead of an attempted sit-out tombstone… but Sterling rolls through Jacobs and despite Ridgeway’s attempts, the pin counts as North West Strong fall at the first. That’s a judgement call, as I’ve definitely seen referees stop pins for less…
Lykos Gym are out third, but instantly the champions focus on Kid Lykos I and his Hallowicked-inspired mask. The Pumpkin Wolf cracks Riley with a step-up knee, while an Orihara moonsault from Lykos II took out RIley… a Code Red and a facebuster followed to Riley, who took a Busaiku knee for a near-fall. Lykos II keeps going for brainbusters, but ends up taking the Dick Dastardly from Riley, before Sterling’s press-slam and springboard moonsault nearly won it.
A double ‘rana from Sterling took care of the Lykii, as Lykos II’s lofted into a back suplex onto Riley’s knees… ahead of an assisted tombstone attempt which is countered, as Lykos II nearly wins with a roll-up. We get the start of some shenanigans as Lykos I distracts the ref, while Lykos II waffled Riley with the baking tray… except Lykos I lost the ref, who saw it all, and there’s the obvious DQ.
Charlie Sterling kills the wolves with the baking tray, as Sunshine Machine take the penultimate spot… giving commentary enough time to speak their lyrics. There’s bottles of water for the champions, who were looking spent… but they spray water on their next challengers, only to get taken outside for dualling topes. A pump kick and a neckbreaker nearly puts Sterling away, as did the Macho Moonsault combo, before a Captain Midnight’s Revenge was broken up.
Riley’s spinning heel kick drops TK, who takes that back suplex onto the knees… but confusion over who’s legal gave TK time to kick out, before a superkick-aided tombstone was broken up by a big splash off the top from Mambo. A Smokin’ Ace Crusher gets another near-fall, before TK brought the Aces down with a Spanish Fly off the top. On the apron, Riley and Mambo trade strikes, leading to TK breaking up a piledriver attempt as a Designated Driver onto the apron nearly ended Riley.
Sterling’s left on his own in the ring, sandwiched by a superkick and a headbutt, before the B-Roll drew Riley in to break up the pin. All four men are in the ring as a hockey fight breaks out, ending with a superkick to Riley and a shooting star press from TK to Sterling for a near-fall as Riley again breaks up the cover. Trading superkicks and headbutts have the Sunshine Machine ahead again, as Captain Midnight’s Revenge finally lands as the champions are eliminated! Sunshine Machine are your “current” tag champions, I guess, much like how Brian Kendrick was a “current” WWE champion…
…and it’s down to Sunshine Machine vs. the 0121 to decide who leaves with the belts. Dives from TK and Mambo greet the 0121 at ringside, as all four brawl around to the bar, with the bemused bar staff watching as DeReiss leapt off the bar into TK and Mambo. Returning to the ring, Mambo ducks an enziguiri and hit the ropes for an armdrag on Moloney… only to get yanked down.
DeReiss tags in to suplex Mambo for a two-count, as he proceeded to stomp a mudhole in Mambo in the corner. Recovering, a superkick from Mambo sets up for the springboard armdrag, but DeReiss joins him in the ropes, only to get ‘rana’d to the mat. The frog splash/reverse DDT combo meal nearly puts DeReiss away, as did the German Suplex Turbo Charged By The Power of Friendship…
A spear from Moloney, sending TK onto the pile breaks up a pin attempt from Mambo as we break into a Parade of Moves… ending with a Designated Driver to Moloney. Mambo climbs up onto TK’s shoulders… but Moloney’s waiting to leap off the top to spear Mambo, while DeReiss capitalises with a Destroyer off the top rope to TK. From there, a Drilla and the 4-Fiddy splash land on TK… and the 0121 leave the Garage with the titles. Start to finish, this was over half an hour long, but didn’t drag in any way… and we’ve got some rematches set up too, given the 0121 lost to the former champions, while Sunshine Machine beat the champions, only to not leave with the belts. ***¾
Jody Fleisch is out to celebrate with Moloney and DeReiss afterwards…
PROGRESS Women’s Championship: Alex Windsor vs. Gisele Shaw (c)
With Gisele Shaw signed to Impact, pretty much every defence has some expecting it to be her last…
Opening with a lock-up, Shaw takes Windsor into the corner to start, before shoulder tackles back-and-forth eventually put Windsor down. Windsor returns the favour, before she took Shaw into the buckles, then hit a slingshot roll-up for just a one-count. A floatover in the corner led to an armdrag, then a low dropkick on the champion, before a cannonball off the apron caught Shaw unawares on the floor.
Back inside, another dropkick took Shaw back outside, but she returned with a leg sweep to dump Windsor onto the apron. Shaw followed that up by throwing Windsor into the crowd, before returning to the ring to try and take the count-out. Windsor beats the count, only to get thrown into the buckles for a two-count, ahead of a draping DDT off the middle rope as Shaw began to dominate. Fighting back, Windsor throws some forearms, with Shaw returning in kind before she charged into Shaw to take her off the mat. A sunset flip’s rolled through, with Windsor’s Shining Wizard nearly winning it, as did a spear from Shaw…
A trip up top from Shaw led to her getting caught, as a headbutt and a Blue Thunder bomb off the top led to a near-fall. Shaw’s back in it though, going for a Fujiwara armbar, but Windsor escaped and hit a powerbomb as the near-falls kept coming. Shaw nearly wins it with a knee strike, but from the kick-out it’s back to the levering armbar… tying up Windsor’s other arm to roll the pair into the middle of the ring before she leaned back to force the submission. ***¼
PROGRESS World Championship: Warren Banks vs. Jonathan Gresham (c)
Banks won a scramble match on PROGRESS’ return show to get this shot… meanwhile, Gresham got far from a positive reaction as he came out rocking only the PROGRESS title, and deliberately pouring away half of a fan’s drink. He’s fully heeling it up, even if some of it’s a little on the cheap side…
We’ve a tentative start, quickly breaking into headlock takedowns and headscissors as Gresham looked to assert himself early. The pair lock up into the ropes, forcing the referee to separate them, before another lock-up ended with the pair rolling to the outside amid a stand-off.
Back inside, Banks takes Gresham into the corner before he tried to intimidate the champion, tripping him on the way out. Gresham replied with chops and stomps into the corner, before a leaping leg lariat wiped out Gresham… as did a forearm. Chops become part of the menu, leading to Gresham distracting the ref so he could chop Banks in the balls as a low dropkick took the challenger off his feet. Working over Banks’ wrist and fingers, Gresham torques away as he then hammerlock’d Banks and snapped back on the arms, but a leaping knee bought Banks some time. Forearms trapped Gresham in the corner ahead of a Meter Burn knee, then a corkscrew suplex for a near-fall. Gresham countered a Bullet Vehicle spear with a sunset flip as some pinning attempts added on near-falls, including one from a missed Banks senton, before Gresham moved to a crossface.
Banks gets to the ropes to force a rope break, but Gresham stays on Banks with forearms. The damage has been done as Banks can’t even whip Gresham into the ropes, but was able to hit an enziguiri and a Michinoku driver for a near-fall. Gresham snaps back, shoving Banks off the top rope and down to the floor, before he shoved Banks into the crowd as things very much began to break down. Gresham launches chairs into the ring as the Garage was turning into a mess… with Warren Banks getting buried beneath a sea of chairs as he looked to take the count-out. The crowd pull Banks up and help him back into the ring… but it’s a moot point as Gresham stayed on top of Banks, only to run into a pump kick… recovering with a quebrada and a stomp.
Banks heads outside and is wiped out with a flash tope, before Gresham springboarded back in and got a near-fall. A Bullet Vehicle out of nowhere gets the win… but Gresham clearly had a foot under the rope, and despite the bell ringing, the crowd quickly sensed something was amiss. Lykos Gym come out under the guise of protesting for Banks… but with the referee distracted, Banks gets punted in the balls, then cradled for a near-fall. Gresham keeps pushing on with rujnning forearms… but they’re not enough, as a series of knees nearly had Gresham away. A Gut Check bounces Gresham, but Kid Lykos II pulls the referee out of the ring at two. Cue a baking tray shot from Gresham… and that’s enough to retain the title. I liked how Banks’ resiliency made Gresham break from his usual game plan, but the finish was more than a bit perplexing. Just a week earlier, Banks was rocking the Kid Lykos-ish gear as part of Lykos Gym… but Gresham has longer-running, if not as direct ties to Lykos via Chris Brookes as part of the original CCK. ****
A reasonably solid six-match show, which unfortunately came with some concerning signs. Running back Cara/Ilja was about the only nod to the past that they could have done for the anniversary show, while the return of the Atlas title too much like a retread. With a lot of shows on the books for the coming months, the first year under new ownership for PROGRESS is going to be as vital as the company’s first year.