WALTER & David Starr finally brought their feud to the Electric Ballroom – as PROGRESS shoehorned in some build for their big title match and the Natural PROGRESSion Series!
Just one week on from WALTER overcoming Starr in Dublin, PROGRESS put on this tag match – which was meant to be WALTER & Veit Müller taking on David Starr and The OJMO in a “pros and rookies” match that warmed up September 2019’s Natural PROGRESSion Series show. Unfortunately, Veit was ruled out after being in a car accident on the way to the airport for this show, so WALTER found a replacement…
David Starr & The OJMO vs. Shigehiro Irie & WALTER
This was meant to have been another “original NXT tribute” match, but WALTER’s selection for the Natural PROGRESSion Series (Veit Müller) couldn’t make it to London. Step forward his replacement… Shigehiro Irie, the man WALTER first brought to PROGRESS at the end of 2018 as a chosen opponent.
Going by OTT math, this is #27 in David Starr’s search for a win over WALTER. Extra kudos for Starr freaking out to the music again, as he then proceeded to trash talk WALTER during the intros. Interestingly, WALTER threw down the PROGRESS belts for his intro, and chose to hold the WWE strap aloft. Perhaps he’s been told off for something…
Unlike with Dan Moloney in the previous match, OJMO was shown as perhaps needing some help if Starr’s request to tag in against Irie was anything to go by. Still, at least Starr managed some offence, trapping Irie in a seated surfboard before he had to roll away from a slingshot splash as both men tried to stay a step ahead of each other. Tags took us to OJMO and WALTER… and yeah. OJMO has a death wish. WALTER just flings him to the mat with a headlock takedown, before he patronisingly lifted him onto the apron. The ROAR OJMO got when he slapped WALTER was immense, but the size difference quickly told again as OJMO got to the corner, and had to be convinced into tagging Starr.
Who just slapped his own man as those two were far from on the same wavelength, as OJMO stayed in and managed to find some headroom with some dropkicks. Until he went to the top rope, as WALTER just shoved OJMO into the aisle. That was a bad landing. As you’d expect from there, WALTER and Irie (admittedly, reluctantly) isolated OJMO in the ring, with WALTER throwing in cheeky shots whenever and wherever he could as he continued to establish himself as a bit of a dick here. There’s no shades of grey here. Starr tries to make the save, but it just went from bad to worse as OJMO took the Earthquake sit-out splash from WALTER and Irie in a matter of seconds.
OJMO gets to the ropes after a STF, but Irie distracts the referee so WALTER could keep the hold locked on, before Irie came in and spiked him with a brainbuster. The ragdolling continued, but eventually Starr got the hot tag in as he went after Irie with a Violence Party in the corner. A cartwheel kick catches Irie too, but a kick through the ropes just led to Irie dropping Starr with a Bossman slam for a near-fall. WALTER suddenly wants in, as he and Irie catch Starr in the corner ahead of… a massive Doomsday Device! That left Starr on the mat as WALTER was beginning to toy with him, in spite of some Han Stansen lariats, before Starr shrugged off a chop and landed a German suplex… only to get wiped out with a clothesline seconds later.
OJMO tags back in to catch Irie with dropkicks, before a Quebrada helped him take the former DDT star down. The half crab followed, but WALTER just boots it away as he ended up getting caught up in the ropes as the OJMO lifted him to the floor. An attempt at the Fosbury flop’s just POUNCE’d away as Irie quickly rushes in with a cannonball as a brief Parade of Moves opened up. A frog splash from the OJMO almost puts Irie away, before Starr came in to help double-team Irie some more. OJMO’s dropkick and Fosbury flop keeps WALTER on the outside… only for Starr to run into a pair of Beast Bomber lariats. Those almost put Starr down for the count, but he gets a shoulder up and mounted one last comeback, finishing with a Blackheart Buster that put Irie away, as somehow the OJMO was able to hold WALTER back. I bloody loved this one, but it’s still 27-0, David… ****¼
You know what’s next. The last match (for now). WALTER. David Starr. Alexandra Palace…