Wrestle Ropes' Ready for the Weekend: June 2016 Week 3 - PROGRESS, Absolute Wrestling & ICW (Andy Scotland)

After having a break for a fortnight due to real life taking over (damn this real life nonsense!) we are back and what a weekend we have coming up. Or to be more precise what a Sunday we have this weekend in British Wrestling. Anyway enough of this intro talking, let's get Ready For The Weekend!

First up on Sunday and an PROGRESS Wrestling are back up north against at The Ritz in Manchester for Chapter 31: All Hail The New Puritans. 

After Chapter 30:  Super Strong Style 16 was over, Chris Hero sent out a challenge to 'The Villain' Marty Scurll for this Sunday. After hearing what Scurll had said about him on commentary and that he didn't rate him as a top wrestler, Hero countered that with why is he a villain other than him calling himself one. Therefore, Hero has challenged Scurll to a match this Sunday for the PROGRESS Championship to show him why he should rate him as one of the best. 

Over a year ago, Damon Moser was a part of The Origin, however they quickly threw him out of the group before Dave Mastiff and Zack Gibson joined the ranks. If they thought that would be the last of Moser then they recently found out that is not the case. Moser has now decided it is the right time to gain some revenge on his former Origin team-mates and Gibson is the first on his list. Moser may have the fans behind him but Gibson does not come alone and will have Nathan Cruz in his corner in Manchester. While Gibson will look to stop Moser's retribution dead in it's tracks, Moser shall be looking to use Gibson to send a message straight to The Origin. 

This Sunday will see the climax of one of PROGRESS's longest running feuds in recent history when Pollyanna faces Dahlia Black. These two women have had matches for months. Black then involved her other half, TK Cooper into the mix to steal wins from Pollyanna. To counter this PROGRESS management firstly had "Flash" Morgan Webster team with Pollyanna to face The south Pacific Power Couple. Then Jack Sexsmith was the special referee in a match between the two yet still Cooper got involved. So now PROGRESS have scheduled one more match for this Sunday with the stipulation that if anyone interferes in the match then both Pollyanna and Black shall be fired from PROGRESS . This feud will end this Sunday in Manchester one way or another with no exceptions.

Match Card

*PROGRESS Championship*

‘The Knockout Artist’ Chris Hero vs ‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll (c)

*PROGRESS Tag Team Championship*

The London Riots: Rob Lynch & James Davis (c) vs The Dazzler Team: Darrell Allen & Earl Black Jr

*Atlas Championship Tournament - Group B*

‘The Beast Of Belfast’ Big Damo O’Connor & ‘Iron Man’ Joe Coffey vs Rampage Brown & Michael Dante

Pollyanna vs Dahlia Black

Damon Moser vs ‘Liverpool’s No.1’ Zack Gibson (w/ Nathan Cruz)

The Dunne Brothers: ‘Number One’ Damian Dunne & ‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne) vs F.S.U: ‘White Lightning’ Mark Andrews & ‘The Pride Of Wales’ Eddie Dennis

Pastor William Eaver vs Mikey Whiplash

Also this Sunday, Absolute Wrestling will hold it's second show at NE6 Suite in Newcastle with The Championship Suspect. 

The event shall see the continuation of the Absolute Wrestling Championship tournament with two quarter final matches taking place. After "Flash" Morgan Webster was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to injury, Tyler Bate was announced to take his place and he'll be in action this Sunday when he faces 'The Gimmick Killer' HT Drake. Bate is a powerhouse of a wrestler while Drake is known for being rather aggressive in his offence. This match should be rather hard-hitting with added spice as the winner will move on to the semi-finals. 

The second quarter-final match taking place at the NE6 Suite will see Martin Kirby face Micky The Dragon. Both these men are local to the area so the crowd may be split on Sunday but both men will not give half measures in their quest to continue in the tournament and move close to the Absolute Wrestling Championship. 

Back at February's Wrestling Isn't Dead in South Shields, The British Empire's Prince Ameen and Assassin lost to Alexander Henry and Jason Prime of The New Nation. Since then, British Empire have been looking for a rematch and this Sunday they will get their opportunity. That opportunity will not be an easy one as they well know. New Nation are a dominant team not only in Absolute Wrestling but in British Wrestling as a whole. British Empire have a fire in their belly to even the scores with The New Nation. The question is, will it be enough to overcome the domination of The New Nation.

Match Card

*Absolute Championship Tournament Quarter-Final*

Tyler Bate vs HT Drake

*Absolute Championship Tournament Quarter-Final*

Martin Kirby vs Micky The Dragon

Toni Storm vs Little Miss Roxxy

‘Mr Massive’ Chuck Cyrus vs Johnny Moss

Liam Lazarus vs Dave Mastiff

The New Nation: ‘Class Apart’ Alexander Henry & ‘The Primate’ Jason Prime vs The British Empire: Prince Ameen & Assassin)

Finally on Sunday, Insane Championship Wrestling are holding another taping of their Friday Night Fight Club show at The Garage in Glasgow. These shows are usually packed with matches and this event looks to be no different with nine matches currently scheduled to take place. The show will see the continuation of the ICW Tag Team Championship tournament as well as two championship matches. 

The ICW Tag Team Championship tournament will see the return of the Sumerian Death Squad to ICW to face Mike Bird and Wild Boar. Bird and Boar made their ICW debut in Cardiff, Wales at Gladys the Groovy Mule back in March when they challenged for the ICW Tag Team Championship. Despite losing, they made an impression with everyone hence their inclusion in the tournament. The SDS are well known for their tag team wrestling and are considered one of the best in Europe. This will be an interesting match to see who does pick up the win as either team could be a serious contender to win the tournament. 

The first of two championship matches this Sunday will see Sammii Jayne challenge Carmel for the ICW Women's Championship in a Last Woman Standing match. This match came about after Carmel offered to defend the championship against Jayne. Jayne was quick to take up the offer after having a number of big wins in ICW recently, most notably over Nikki Storm which resulted in 'The Best In The Galaxy' leaving ICW. Carmel has been a fighting champion and has defended the title at every opportunity. While the opportunity is huge for Jayne this could be Carmel's biggest challenge to date as a champion. Add in the Last Woman Standing element in this match and it may come down to a battle of endurance over experience. 

From one fighting champion in Carmel to another in the ICW World Heavyweight Champion; 'The Beast Of Belfast' Big Damo. Damo won the championship in his homeland of Northern Ireland in February and since then has defend the championship in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland, a feat that no-one has done before. This Sunday he puts his ICW World Heavyweight Championship on the line once again, this time against former champion, Grado. Both these men have been travelling all over the world in recent months so the moniker of World Champion would be very fitting for both. Grado will be looking to reach the top of the mountain again in ICW while Damo shall be looking to stay as the man-mountain of ICW for the foreseeable future.

*Match Card*

ICW World Heavyweight Championship

Grado vs ‘The Beast Of Belfast’ Damo (c)

ICW Women’s Championship – Last Woman Standing

Carmel (c) vs Sammii Jayne

ICW Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarter-Final

Sumerian Death Squad (‘Anti-Hero’ Tommy End & Michael Dante) vs Mike Bird & Wild Boar

‘Iron Man’ Joe Coffey vs ‘Local Hero’ Joe Hendry

Iestyn Rees vs DCT

Trent Seven vs Wolfgang

Davey Boy vs Jack Jester

‘Flyin’ Ryan Griffin vs Aaron Echo (w/ Austin Osiris & Kyle Khaos)

Kenny Williams & BT Gunn vs Stevie Boy & Lionheart

Mark Dallas And Red Lightning Sign The Contract For The Match At ‘Shug’s Hoose Party III’

That wraps up this week's preview of the weekend's wrestling schedule. Of course, there are many more events taking place over the three days. To find out more about the shows we've highlighted here as well as all the others, check us out at www.wrestleropesuk.wordpress.com for the latest show and match announcements, British Wrestling event list, interviews, exclusive columns, reviews, reports and results!

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Wrestle Ropes Ready for the Weekend: May 2016 Week 2 - GPW, AOW & PROGRESS

We're back for another edition. Another edition where we take a little look at just some of the action taking place in British Wrestling this week. Firstly, we'll be off to Hindley in Wigan for the (un)luckiest day of the year. Then we travel to Morecambe for a War On The Shore. Before we end the weekend back in London for another PROGRESS Wrestling ENDVR. Let's get Ready For The Weekend.

friday

gpw friday the 13th

hindley, wigan, england

Starting off the wrestling weekend and we head to Grand Pro Wrestling for their aptly named 'Friday The 13th' event in Hindley, Wigan at The Rose Club. The show will see another Fast Track 4-Way match where either Craig Kollins, Nick Maguire, Dylan Roberts and Jimmy Jackson will fight for the opportunity to challenge for either the GPW British or GPW Championship. Opportunities like this do not present themselves that often so the pressure will be on all four men to win. While one champion will be defending their championship, the other will be in an even more challenging situation when they face The Hate League's Danxig and Soner Dursun. Both men have been under the tutelage of Dylan Roberts for the past few months and a win over a current champion would be a great way to impress their leader. When Ricky J McKenzie made his return to Grand Pro Wrestling a few months ago, he did it at the expense of Matthew Brooks' musical performance. The following month, Brooks would  gain a small measure of revenge when he cost RJM a chance to compete in the Fast Track 4-Way. These men have outstanding issues with each other and there is only one way to sort out these differences, in the middle of the squared circle.

friday the 13th match card

Fast Track Challenge – GPW Championship or GPW British Championship

Fast Track 4-Way Winner vs T-Bone or Bubblegum

Six-Man Tag Team

The Circus (‘The Extraordinary’ Jack Gallagher, Noah & ‘Ringmaster’ Nicholas Cartier) vs The Bad Lads (Drill, Mickey Barnes & Don Meacho)

CJ Banks vs Travis Banks

RJM vs ‘Magnificent’ Matthew Brookes

2-On-1 Handicap

The Hate League (Danxig & Soner Durson) vs T-Bone or Bubblegum

Fast Track 4-Way

Craig Kollins vs Nick Maguire vs Dylan Roberts vs Jimmy Jackson

saturday
aow war on the shore
morecambe, lancashire, england

Moving on to Saturday and Alpha Omega Wrestling will be back at the Winter Gardens in Morecambe with 'War On The Shore'. This event will see a number of long running issues hopefully settled although there is a big chance some won't. The main event of the evening will see 'The Heavyweight House Of Pain' Stixx defend the Alpha Omega Championship against 'The Psychotic Warrior' Johnny Phere. These two men have only ever face each other once before and it ended in chaos with no winner. Almost four years after that match these two men meet once more, this time with gold on the line along with Stixx's 8-year undefeated streak. A feud with over 4 years of history will come to a head this Saturday. A feud that could see a championship reign and undefeated streak ended. Back in 2014, The Referendum came into existence and one of the first victims was Danny Hope. Since then, Hope has done all he came to get back at The Referendum. This Saturday he looks to deliver another blow as he faces 'The Best Young Wrestler In The World' Lewis Girvan. While Hope looks to continue this war, Laird Grayson will be hoping that his young warrior will stop Hope's attacks for good. Speaking of The Referendum, another victims of their countless attacks is Lana Austin. She was first attacked back in December 2014 and since then Austin has made it her mission to take on every female member of The Referendum. After defeating a veritable who's-who of Scottish female wrestlers, there is just one female left of The Referendum. The Alpha Omega Women's Champion, Viper. While Austin has defeated everyone that The Referendum have thrown at her, Viper is the champion for a reason. She's world-travelled and has competed against some of the biggest female wrestlers. Viper is indeed a formidable opponent but it is matched by Austin's desire to win.

war on the shore match card

Alpha Omega Championship

‘The Heavyweight House Of Pain’ Stixx (c) vs ‘The Psychotic Warrior’ Johnny Phere

Alpha Omega Women’s Championship

Viper (c) vs Lana Austin

Sexy Kev vs ‘The Man For All Seasons’ Xander Cooper

Kiss The Flag Match

Laird Grayson vs Ryan Hunter

Solar Power (Cyanide & Solar) vs Prime Beef (‘100% Welsh Beef’ Dylan Roberts & ‘The Primate’ Jason Prime)

‘Delicious’ Danny Hope vs ‘The Best Young Wrestler In The World’ Lewis Girvan

Ricky J McKenzie Calls Out ‘The Leader’ James Drake & ‘The Following’

Marty Jones Is Inducted Into The Morecambe Wrestling Hall Of Fame

sunday
progress endvr: 16
london, england

Finally ending the wrestling weekend we are back at PROGRESS Wrestling who are hosting another edition of the highly successful ENDVR events at The Garage in Highbury, London. Over the last six months, Sweet Jesus' Chuck Mambo and Pastor William Eaver, and The Dazzler Team's Earl Black Jr and Darrell Allen have been trading wins back and forth with no one team standing a clear victor. PROGRESS have therefore taken the step to have these two team face each other one more time, this time in a 30-minute iron man match. Both teams claim they are better than the other and an iron man match will show who the truly better team is. When Pollyanna and Dahlia Black are mentioned in the same sentence, the word friendship isn't normally included. The reason is simple, they hate each other with a passion. Pollyanna's hatred grew larger after Black defeated her twice after Black's significant other, TK Cooper delivered a straight right hand to Pollyanna's face. Cooper's interference was brought to a stop at Chapter 29 when Jack Sexsmith got in the way of Cooper's interference in a tag bout involving Pollyanna and Black. Fast forward to this Sunday and Pollyanna will look to gain revenge on Black on her own. However to ensure that TK Cooper's right hand doesn't become a factor again, Sexsmith shall act as the referee on May 15th. The main event for 'ENDVR:16' shall be a first in PROGRESS as Wild Boar and Paul Robinson look to end their long running rivalry in a chain match. These two men want to get their hands on each other and this Sunday they will have no choice as they shall be joined together by a steel chain. What happens when you join to men together with a legalised weapon? We'll find out this Sunday but chaos and violence are an almost certainty.

endvr: 16 match card

Chain Match

‘Wild Boar’ Mike Hitchman vs Paul Robinson

30-Minute Tag Team Iron Man

Sweet Jesus (Chuck Mambo & Pastor William Eaver) vs The Dazzler Team (Darrell Allen & Earl Black Jr)

Atlas Championship Tournament – Group A

T-Bone vs Iestyn Rees

Special Guest Referee – Jack Sexsmith

Pollyanna vs Dahlia Black

Dillion D’Angelo vs Hayden Yorke

10 Man Battle Royal – Winner Gains Entry Into The Super Strong Style 16 Tournament

Confirmed Entrants: James Best, Kyle Ashmore, ‘Bodyguy’ Roy Johnson, Freddie King, TK Cooper, A-Jay Benjamin, ‘Fantastic’ David Francisco, Alex Cupid, Jack Sexsmith, Aiden Iomi

Jinny Calls Out Elizabeth To Explain Her Actions At ‘Chapter 29: Practically PROGRESS In Every Way’

That wraps up this week's preview of the weekend's wrestling schedule. Of course, there are many more events taking place over the three days. To find out more about the shows we've highlighted here as well as all the others, check us out at www.wrestleropesuk.wordpress.com for the latest show and match announcements, British Wrestling event list, interviews, exclusive columns, reviews, reports and results!

Live Event Review: PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 26: Unknown Pleasures (Haskins vs. Scurll *PROGRESS Wrestling Championship*

On Valentine's Day 2016, PROGRESS Wrestling presented their first show in Manchester of the year, with Chapter 26: Unknown Pleasures taking place at O2 Ritz. The show featured Marty Scurll's first PROGRESS Wrestling Championship defense, as he put the belt up against Mark Haskins, a huge Four-Way Tag Team bout featuring The Origin's Dave Mastiff & Zack Gibson, Sweet Jesus, The Dazzler Team and the make-shift pairing of Big Damo & Joe Coffey and an Inter-Gender Tag Team match pitting "Flash" Morgan Webster and Pollyanna against The South Pacific Power Couple...but was it any good? Let's find out.

chapter 26: unknown pleasures match card

Match 1 - Four-Way Tag Team - The Origin (Gibson/Mastiff) vs. Sweet Jesus vs. The Dazzler Team vs. Big Damo & Joe Coffey

Match 2- Singles - Bubblegum vs. Jack Sexsmith

Match 3 - Inter-Gender Tag Team - The South Pacific Power Couple vs. "Flash" Morgan Webster & Pollyanna

Match 4 - Singles - Timothy Thatcher vs. Jack Gallagher

Match 5 - Singles - Mikey Whiplash vs. Rampage Brown

Match 6 - Singles - Tommy End vs. James Davis

Match 7 - PROGRESS Wrestling Championship - Mark Haskins vs. "The Villain" Marty Scurll (C)

jim smallman opens the show

Jim Smallman's introduction's to each Chapter at PROGRESS always end-up being some of my favourite part's of the show. Not just because it means that the long wait between doors opening to the start of the wrestling is almost over, but also because Smallman handles the crowd with ease, speaking in relatable language, telling jokes and making sure that the crowd is nice and loud for the action that is about to follow. This time around there was, of course, plenty of Valentine's Day based banter, as Smallman noted a number of couples in the audience, which the rest of us lonely singletons either saw as a ray of hope or just another reason to be miserable. But hey, wrestling.

the origin defeat sweet jesus, the dazzler team and big damo/joe coffey

Just as you'd expect the action was thick and fast in this one, with eight bodies in there this was always going to be a lot of fun. All the performers seemed very comfortable with their characters, and this lead to a strong character-driven narrative, as not only did the two heel teams take turn to cut off the ring and control the tempo with a babyface counterpart, but we also got to see Dave Mastiff and Zack Gibson rip the piss out of The Dazzler Team, before Earl Black Jr. tagged himself in. As a fan of character development and narrative I got as much of a kick out of this as I did for Joe Coffey's spinning butterfly suplex, the double suplex spot with Dave Mastiff and Big Damo or a Tope Conhilo from Chuck Mambo. 

After mostly slick action, I felt like the finish more than a little messy. After Black Jr. had been hit with a Discus Lariat from Coffey and a Running Senton by Damo, Coffey seemed to tease a dive to the outside then awkwardly climbed out to brawl with Allen. Damo, Mastiff, Eaver, Coffey, and Mambo then all had attempts at pinning Black Jr. with each breaking up the earlier man's pin to throw him to the outside, with the exception of Eaver as Black Jr. actually managed to kick out of that one. With Mambo taking a silly amount of time to go for his pin, he then got school-boyed by Zack Gibson to give The Origin the victory. The idea was okay, but poorly executed on the most part with a pace that didn't quite live up to what it needed to be to make it work. Throwing the need for a legal man out of the window also undid some of the story-telling that I had praised earlier on.

We do however have an interesting situation in the tag division now, as Mastiff and Gibson have managed to defeat a good percentage of the PROGRESS tag division in one match and their stablemates El Ligero and Nathan Cruz are the current PROGRESS Tag Team Championships. Big Damo & Joe Coffey turning heel after the match, destroying both The Dazzler Team and Sweet Jesus seemed to signal that we'd be seeing both men more regularly in PROGRESS which is definitely a good thing. With the stipulation that was added to the Sumerian Death Squad vs. London Riots match at Chapter 27 later in the night, it's pleasing to see a new dominant tag team already positioned to cause havoc in the Electric Ballroom and O2 Ritz very soon.

bubblegum defeats jack sexsmith

How does one even go about reviewing Jack Sexsmith vs. Bubblegum? Well, I think it'd be right to start by saying this contest probably wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. If you're uncomfortable with male sexuality and bare arses and valets in gimp suits then this might be one for you to steer clear of. I don't know what it says about me as a supposedly straight male, but I found this to be a lot of fun. There was a lot of comedy based around the clashes of the two characters, with a "highlight" including Bubblegum doing his signature "Say Cheese" attack, which for anyone unfamiliar with the sequence, see's the current GPW & JDW Champion put his hand down the front of his trunks before attempting to rub his hand in his opponents face, only for Sexsmith to hold him at arms length before allowing Bubblegum's fingers to enter his mouth. It was one of those cringey, yet laughable moments, with the "You Sick Fuck" chants that followed topping the moment off.

Whilst there was much silliness, Sexsmith seemed more than capable in the ring and whilst the experience of Bubblegum helped, the up and comer more than did his part in a handful of nice wrestling sequences. I'm looking forward to seeing how this particular character can keep evolving in PROGRESS, as it is an act that could get tired out quickly. There is, of course only, so many times you can rely on getting your arse out. Sexsmith using Joel Allen's hand to tap out whilst in a Boston Crab, to make Bubblegum think he had the win, was a sign that there might be more up the sleeve of both the character and the performer. Quite rightly however, it was Bubblegum who picked up the victory after dodging Mr. Cocko (Yes, that's a condom instead of a sock) and after an accidental distraction from referee Joel, it was a superkick and a pedigree that gave Bubblegum his first victory inside a PROGRESS ring. 

"flash" morgan webster and pollyanna defeat the south pacific power couple

Although announced as a Mixed Tag Team Match by Smallman, this contest was actually more of an intergender contest, as all the competitors exchanged blows here. This was used throughout the match as a way of driving the narrative, as Pollyanna quickly found herself in the face in peril role. I adored the earlier part of the bout, as I found The South Pacific Power Couple very easy to hate, as we all know that PDA is disgusting and TK Cooper seemed to revel in beating on Pollyanna, whilst it was perhaps even easier to empathise with Pollyanna as she fought from underneath looking for a hot tag. The moment when Dahlia pulled "Flash" Morgan Webster off the apron, after Pollyanna had managed to create enough space between herself and Cooper to be able to make the hot tag, was superbly crafted and timed to perfection.

After the hot tag to was made to Webster, the match became very different. Moving away from the storytelling of the first portion of the contest, things became much more spot-orientated. This lead to a lot of near falls, that had the crowd buying into pretty much each one, with each kick-out met with loud gasps. Those gasps were testament to the series of great moves that were on display as the likes of Pollyanna's Pollenator (Double Underhook Facebuster) & Finish-Her (Sunset Driver) and Double Stomp/Samoan Driver combination from SPPC had the crowd reaching fever pitch come the end. However, I once again have to mention how the need for tagging in and out and the concept of a legal man was dropped after the hot tag, which again diminishes the good work that was put in during the earlier portion of the contest.

A thrilling home straight saw all four competitors impressing, beginning with Dahlia pulling out a reverse rana on Webster and closing with Webster hitting a 630 splash on Cooper to pick up the victory for his team. In reflection, this was a great bout and one of the best intergender tag matches that I can remember seeing anyway, thanks to the variety of action that was on offer. I do, however, feel that the two distinct portions of the match could have been integrated into each other better. It could be argued that having to work tags would have taken away elements of the pace and crispness of the near falls of the second half of the bout, but in my opinion each near fall could have meant a lot more if the story that had been told earlier, with Pollyanna searching for a hot tag after a sustained beating, had been able to be maintained. A great match, that could have been just that little bit better.

jack gallagher defeats timothy thatcher

I'm going to cheat a little bit with the review of this one, as having watched this contest back on the Demand Progress VOD service, I have a completely different opinion of it to what I did while sitting inside the O2 Ritz. I'm not sure whether I was worn out by the Intergender Tag bout, but I couldn't get into Jack Gallagher and current EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher. I love technical wrestling, you might have noticed I love storytelling as well, but I couldn't get my brain to adjust to the style, as the two exchanged intricate submission holds. By the time Gallagher had managed to dodge a charging Thatcher and roll through into the King Crab submission, I hadn't gotten into the action and therefore was surprised to see the match end this quickly. For whatever reason it may have been, I actually came away disappointed with what I had seen.

I now realise what an idiotic boob I was while watching live and don't feel like it would be fair of me to have written more of the review that you saw above. Quite frankly, this bout was an absolute master-class between two of the best scientific wrestler on the planet today. Watching back I was hooked by Gallagher's dominance as he focused his efforts on Thatcher's leg, with a series of painful looking submission holds that were beautifully transitioned from one to the next. Thatcher's selling of the injury throughout, his flashes of offence attacking Gallagher's arm and hard-hitting strikes sequence also added something to the drama of this old-school British grappling contest. Having not fully appreciated this live, I'm now desperate to see this match booked again and would love to see Thatcher booked to return as the Super Strong Style 16 Tournament in May.

fast-forward...As the second half began, Jim Smallman was back in the ring for a slim-line re-introduction, as we headed straight back into the action after a lengthy interval...

rampage brown defeats mikey whiplash

With Mikey Whiplash returning to a PROGRESS ring for the first time since his victory over then PROGRESS Champion Jimmy Havoc at Download 2015 - Day 4 in June 2015, this was a heavyweight collision that had the crowd split as the majority chose their favourite quickly and created a terrific atmosphere from the outset. Whiplash and Brown didn't mess around, being extremely physical from the outset, as Whiplash attempted to re-establish his position within the company, whilst Brown look to re-build some momentum having suffered defeat to Marty Scurll at Chapter 24: Hit the North in December. The contest was a sprawling brawl that went around the venue in the opening stages with both men using the outside environment to do damage, including Whiplash getting thrown into the ringside chairs and Brown taking a nasty looking back drop onto the hard wooden floor.

When inside the ring the match went back and forth with Whiplash and Brown throwing bombs at each other, in well-crafted slice of strong-style action. A personal highlight saw Whiplash miss a running dropkick in the corner and land almost straight into a tree of woe position, before Brown climbed to the top rope and delivered a huge back superplex. It flowed beautifully and ended with an impressive impact move, exactly what you'd want from two of Europe's most experience heavyweights. The finish was just as satisfying as Brown caught Whiplash coming through the middle rope, transitioning straight into a big piledriver to pick up the pinfall victory. I'm curious to see where both men are heading in 2016 for PROGRESS as Brown hasn't had much of a purpose since last year's Super Strong Style 16 tournament, and as for Whiplash, a competitive loss on his return against a former PROGRESS Champion, will surely mean he'll be cropping up again sooner or later.  

tommy end defeats james davis to decide a stipulation for london riots vs. sumerian death squad at chapter 27

Just like a match between two guys with considerable beef over the last few months should be, Tommy End and James Davis were straight out of the traps, battering each other with hard strikes. With both still popular among the fans, the match went back and forth and didn't seem to drop in pace for the duration. This felt very much like a preview of what to expect come Chapter 27 when the two will be on opposite sides of TLC match. Kept fairly short to allow for the pace of the bout, End picked up the victory with a beautifully timed Octopus Stretch that closed off a terrific sequence of reversals and strikes. A solid piece of storytelling as well, as it could easily be argued that under usual circumstances Davis would have held on, but with the TLC match just around the corner and with Davis' partner Rob Lynch having already chosen that TLC match stipulation after a victory over Michael Dante at Chapter 25, that he decided to fight another day in this one.

Following the bout it was Tommy End's chance to decide a stipulation for the Sumerian Death Squad's bout with the London Riots at Chapter 27: The Lost Art of Suffering. With the Riots already having chosen the Tables, Ladders and Chairs stipulation at Chapter 25, I think there was a feeling among the fans that the second stipulation would have to be something rather different and fitting for a feud between two of the promotions most popular tag teams. Of course, being PROGRESS that is exactly what we got, as End added a Losing Team Must Disband stipulation. I'd predicted the stipulation or something very similar based off the TLC stipulation being in place. It provides the opportunity for added drama to a bout, that mixed with the highspots that a TLC should provide, very well could steal the show come 27th March in the Electric Ballroom.

marty scurll defeats mark haskins to retain the progress wrestling championship

Mark Haskins and Marty Scurll are two of the United Kingdom's top professional wrestlers, and they proved it with this epic encounter that managed to close PROGRESS' 1st Manchester show of 2016 in style. Both men didn't seem to put a foot wrong in 25 minute epic, that had pretty much everything you'd want from a main event championship match. The wrestling was spot on, with the two exchanging holds beautifully, transitioning from perfectly from one to the next. The character work was brilliant, with Scurll in particularly hamming up his Villain character, whilst Haskins underrated no-nonense gimmick really came into it's as well. The narrative played out just as one would have hoped, with the pacing that can only come between two well-travelled veterans, who've wrestled each other all over England over the last eight years.  

As anyone who's read one of my reviews over the past few years will know, I'm a sucker for some storytelling, so I was having a bit of moment for most of this. Haskins' coming out with kinesiology tape on his arm was the target for Scurll, as if The Villain needed a target, with the current PROGRESS Champion went to work, and looked to lock on the Crossface Chicken Wing whenever the opportunity presented itself. On the other side of the coin, Haskins was locking on any submission hold in his repertoire in an attempt to wrestle his way to his first PROGRESS Championship. For a match, that didn't have a whole lot of backstory in the promotion heading in, the two created it all within the ring and managed to make the PROGRESS title look like even more of a prize than it did going into the contest.

Two fiery comeback sequences from Haskins, accompanied by some superb near falls, provided the bout with some real drama, that had the O2 Ritz getting louder and louder as the match built towards it's climax. A particular standout moment saw the Villian begging Haskins to hit him with an umbrella, with referee Chris Roberts confiscating the item, allowing Scurll to hit a low blow and hook Haskins in a small package, in a perfectly executed near fall to got a great reaction out of the crowd. Haskins got a handful of near falls off his own turning a Superplex into a small package and hitting a flurry of offense that finished with Made in Japan for some more big crowd reactions. By the time Scurll finally locked in his Crossface Chickenwing and Haskins' was forced to submit, it had been twenty five minutes of quality wrestling that could have graced pretty much any card around the world. Whilst it was lacking in the emotional investment that was produced by matches like Jimmy Havoc vs. Will Ospreay last year, the duo more than made up for that in the effort they put forward throughout the contest.

Following the match, the feud would become personal. The Villain threatened to stamp on Haskins' arm with a steel chair wrapped around it, in scenes reminiscent of what Scurll did to, then Champion, Will Ospreay at Chapter 24 in December. With that little bit of sports-entertainment style sheen, Haskins' wife appeared at ringside and begged Scurll not to proceed with his plans...but of course, Scurll being the Villian that he is, this only seemed to egg him on and his stamped away. With Scurll being built and built as an absolute bastard, I did find it a little frustrating to hear a few cheers from portions of the crowd. For me, if you think a guy is doing a good job at playing the bad guy, then you reward him by booing and throwing insults his way. But hey, if you want to cheer, that's your right as paying customer, I suppose. Heckling Haskins as he sold his arm injury, with his wife comforting him, does however almost certainly go against the one rule of Progress? 

finally...

atpw scale rating - 7.09/10

Whilst missing a number of PROGRESS regulars like Eddie Dennis, El Ligero, Will Ospreay and Paul Robinson, this was a strong outing from the company as they look to establish themselves within the North-West scene. With a main event that could stand up against anything, the show was bolstered by a strong under-card that was the wrestling equivalent of Kellog's multi-pack. Whilst sticking to promotions "Strong-Style", there was a little something for everyone here, from the thrilling mixed tag team bout, to the technical master-class between Timothy Thatcher and Jack Gallagher, Rampage Brown and Mikey Whiplash's heavyweight war and even Jack Sexsmith and Bubblegum's arse-based tomfoolery, if you didn't find something for you here, then wrestling probably isn't your bag. 

With Chapter 27 looking to celebrate the promotions 4th anniversary on 27th March, and a return to Manchester set for Chapter 28 on 10th April, PROGRESS Wrestling continues to move from strength to strength. Long may it continue.

Thanks to PROGRESS Wrestling for allowing for allowing the use of photos from their event to be used in this review. All credit for these brilliant images goes to Rob Brazier Photography.