PCW The Fourth Awakens LIVE Review

Just under four weeks since Tribute to the Troops 2 (which saw Dave Mastiff defeat Chris Masters for the PCW Championship) PCW was back to celebrate the promotions fourth anniversary in style, with The Fourth Awakens. Packed with talent from around the world, the show was main-evented by current WWE NXT star and former ROH World Champion, Samoa Joe taking on an unannounced opponent, with the likes of Dave Mastiff, Drew Galloway, Joey Hayes, Martin Kirby, Noam Dar, Sha Samuels, reDRagon and more also appearing. The event also featured the well-anticipated return of Kris Travis, in his first PCW match since June 2014, after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.

Due to being stuck by the bar (outside of the main room in Evoque), I completely missed comedian Chris Brooker's opening speech, although I'd imagine it was a hilarious affair, as usual.

One Fall Six Way Match

Ophidian 

vs. 

Luther Ward 

vs. 

Dean Allmark 

vs. 

El Ligero 

vs. 

Charlie Garrett 

vs. 

Ashton Smith

 Anyone who's seen a PCW show will be more than familiar with the company's six way bouts, by now. If you're not, I'm sure you can figure out what six of PCW's cruiserweight division going at it could potentially look like. The match has become a calling card for the promotion. Plenty of fast-paced action and some quality spots spread throughout the bout, with Ashton Smith's double Olympic Slam and a superplex to the outside standing out as the pick of the bunch. The bout had an interesting dynamic, with the debuting Luther Ward impressing as the only heel in the bout. My only real complaint was that the match was fairly short, and all six of the men in the match could have benefited from a having a bit more time here. I also would have liked to have seen the bout have some kind of consequence (a shot at the Cruiser-weight title being the most obvious option), which could have added a little extra bite, when El Ligero picked up the win with a C4L on Smith.

One Fall Tag Team Match for the PCW Tag Team Championships.

Team Single (C) 

vs. 

The Broleivers

Hmmm...How to review this match? Essentially, what was supposed to happen, didn't happen, and what was supposed to happen wasn't much in the first place. Without going into it too much, Rampage Brown and T-Bone legitimately battered Josh Bodom and Ryan Hendricks for an uncomfortable couple of minutes. The majority of the Preston crowd couldn't have cared less for the debuting Broleivers or their fate chanting on for the usually hated Team Single. The finish saw the referee call for the bell with Bodom in a rear-naked choke from Brown, despite the move clearly being in the ropes and Bodom seemingly never tapping. Make of this what you will. It was not an enjoyable experience to watch this one at all, I'd paid to watch pro wrestling and this wasn't pro wrestling.

Following the match T-Bone, who for some reason was suddenly sporting a funky hat, challenged the winners of the upcoming reDRagon vs. Martin Kirby & Joey Hayes bout for a match later down the line, a strange thing for a heel tag team champion duo to do.

One Fall Match

Dave Rayne 

vs. 

Iestyn Rees

Going in, I was wondering how exactly Dave Rayne and Iestyn Rees would approach this one, with their styles of wrestling being very different. However the pair put on an enjoyable encounter, that although fairly short, played to the strengths of both men well. With a strong structure, that involved Rayne giving Rees the old fashioned run around in an attempt to take control of the match and plenty of comedy thrown into the mix, as one would expect with Rayne. The finish furthered Rayne's issues with General Manager Joanna Rose, as she appeared at ringside with Rayne's #Boom belt, allowing Rees to take control and hit a huge powerbomb to pick up the win. Plenty to enjoy in this one, with some strong storyline development, as Rees' powerbomb after the match suggested that we may see a rematch between the two, further down the line.

One Fall Match

Noam Dar 

vs. 

Drew Galloway

This bout was right up my alley, with Galloway and Dar putting together a top-quality effort. Some strong story-telling which saw Dar focus the majority of his efforts on Galloway's right knee, including hitting a dragon screw leg whip in the ropes, as well as off the top rope! The former Chosen One's selling was spot on throughout, with just enough touches  and winches on the knee, to keep the injury in the mind of fans, meaning that when Dar locked on the Champagne Super Knee Dar, twice, it meant so much more, and got a lovely reaction out of the Evoque Nightclub.

Whilst the crowd in many places around the country would have been split down the middle for these two Scotsman, Preston quickly decided they were behind the regular Noam Dar, serenading him with the usual chants. Galloway's demeanour, walking out slowly with head down and hair across his face, made it easy to side with Dar, over the more well-known former WWE Intercontinental Champion, with Galloway clearly playing to this kind of reaction, unlike previous imports who have clearly been thrown by the reaction opposite the ever popular Dar. The current leader of The Rising's offence seemed very scrappy, suiting his demeanour and adding something different to the show as a whole. 

With two huge near-falls, that got both got terrific reactions out of the live crowd, for Galloway, including a Tombstone Piledriver, it was Dar who was able to pick up the victory, capturing a frustrated Galloway in a small package for the pinfall. Whilst it was a shame not to get a true pay-off on Dar working the leg earlier in the match, it could easily be argued, in kayfabe, that the injured leg made it harder to escape the small package, so all is well with me. A post-match attack from Galloway following a handshake, turning him full-blown heel in PCW, would suggest this isn't the last we've seen of the current ICW World Heavyweight Champion in the promotion, a rematch with Dar certainly wouldn't go a miss for sure.

Elimination Three Way Match for the PCW Championship

Chris Masters 

vs. 

Dave Mastiff (C) 

vs. 

Bubblegum

I can't say I was particularly over joyed when Joanna Rose added Chris Masters to the match, mainly because Master's does very little for me, however his involvement here did provide a solid narrative, and allow babyface champion Dave Mastiff to be seen as the underdog, a role that one of our top five bastards is very rarely able to be in. The best reaction of the match came when Masters' asked Bubblegum to lie down for him, and whilst the logic may have been a little flawed (Why not wait to eliminate Mastiff?), the masses rallied behind their favourite Rent Boy, with Bubblegum eventually able to eliminate Masters with a roll-up. Strangely, Joanna Rose instantly banished Masters' from F.W.B. and PCW, turning him into an awkward babyface, whilst Bubblegum remained heel, despite having the crowd support earlier on. 

With Mastiff quickly able to take advantage once inside the ring, the big man from the Black Country picked up the win with a Cannonball in the corner to retain his title. It was a shame not to be able to see a little more of a one-on-one contest between Mastiff and Bubblegum, as I was interested to see how the dynamic was going to play out when heading to the show. However, this worked well as a way of building Mastiff as a dominant champion, who the crowd is clearly behind when placed against the right opponent. Another potential match for a future show, whilst the Bubblegum babyface turn tease seemed well received, there was a lot to take away from this bout. 

That wasn't the last we'd see of Mastiff on the night, as Joanna revealed that he would Samoa Joe's opponent in the main event, with the current WWE NXT star heading out for an intense stare down.

After a quick fifteen minute interval, with your regular wetting of whistles and perusing of the merch desk, it was back into the action.

One Fall Match

Rockstar Spud 

vs. 

Lionheart

Unannounced before the show, this match seemed to fall flat with the crowd. The problem seemed to be that both men are currently protagonists in the promotion, and so, as can often happen, the crowd was unsure on who they wanted to get behind and therefore...didn't get behind anyone. There were smattering of chants for Spud and a "Sexy Bastard" chant or two for Lionheart, but beyond that the match was mainly played out to crickets. The match having very little consequence or a build heading in, didn't help proceedings either, as there was no particular reason for anyone to care about who picked up the win.

The action in the ring was perfectly fine, as you'd expect with two of the most well-travelled performers here in the UK. The pair flowed nicely in the ring together, and every move looked crisp throughout, I don't think I could pick fault with the action at all. Rockstar Spud's selling was particularly strong, which perhaps made it even more frustrating to watch, as if Lionheart had been playing a full-blown heel role, which was teased at points, it would have completely changed the match around with the crowd being able to truly get involved in the action. Lionheart picking up the win cleanly with a Lifting Side Slam, followed by a Frog Splash, was a big win for the Pro Wrestling Elite promoter and gives him some momentum heading into PCW's autumn and winter shows, with particular eye on the collaboration with Ring of Honor in November.

One Fall Tag Team Match

reDRagon 

vs. 

Martin Kirby & Joey Hayes

With an intriguing pace and slightly off-kilter story, this was a delightful slice of tag team action from start to finish. Almost all of the story was focused on PCW regular's Joey Hayes and Martin Kirby's precarious partnership, with Hayes presenting Kirby with a brand new pair of trunks with his name on them prior to the match, setting the tone for what was toe come. reDRagon worked over Hayes for a good portion of the bout with their usual hybrid style, much to the delight of the Evoque, building nicely to a hot tag to Kirby. With the bout lifting in tempo for the closing stages, with the highlight of Kirby's run as the proverbial house of fire being a double Northern Lights suplex. 

The action was spot-on from bell to bell, and as the bout headed to a climax (following the hot tag to Kirby) the two teams lifted their respective games and the pace to create some good tag team action, with the performers seeming to gel together early on. reDRagon's combination that see's Fish hold an opponent in a wheel barrow position, followed by a double underhook DDT by O'Reilly, before O'Reilly pushes the opponent into a wheelbarrow suplex from Fish, always impresses me for it's creativity and flow, and worked nicely as a near fall here, with the teams going back and forth for a good few minutes either side. 

The Hayes and Kirby story continued to develop when after Kirby had hit Kirby's Dreamland and seemingly had the match won, Hayes tagged himself in, leading to a disagreement between the two and Hayes kicking Kirby in the stomach and tossing him to the outside. Whilst this worked as the finish to the match (after reDRagon took advantage and hit their Chasing the Dragon finish for the win), it was surprising to see Hayes and Kirby split up so early, meaning that the incident was a little underwhelming at the point it came at. reDRagon move onto a Tag Team Championship bout in November, whilst Hayes and Kirby will supposedly now be working a singles feud, perhaps involving Kirby's Money in the Bank briefcase, over the next few shows.

One Fall Match

Kris Travis 

vs. 

Sha Samuels

The moment Kris Travis walked out to wrestle for the first time in a PCW ring since June 2014, was a truly special moment. One of those moments that only pro wrestling can create, when a full to brim Nightclub can show their appreciation to a man who suffered with stomach cancer, for coming back to entertain us. Kris Travis is certainly a one of a kind performer in the ring, but making a return to pro wrestling, when many would have called it a day, makes him a one of a kind human being. Trav is the fucking man, man.

The match itself featuring some superb storytelling and Travis and Sha Samuels had the crowd in the palm of their hands from start to finish. Samuels, the cockney wanker that he is, made Travis' stomach the focus of his attacks throughout the contest, with Travis' selling being so good that at times it was uncomfortable to watch. Travis' fight back produced a stellar false finish with the Shooting Star unable to put away Samuels with a Double Underhook Piledriver. Travis even became the first person to successfully escape Samuels' sleeper hold for another big moment. It was, however, not the fairytale comeback that the crowd was looking for with Samuels able to put Travis away with another Sleeper Hold, this time with his leg wrapped around Trav's waist. For me, having Samuels win here was the right decision for everyone involved, with Samuels getting some lovely heat from the crowd, whilst Travis now has a much more interesting story to follow as his comeback continues. 

A raffle happened, who doesn't like a raffle. With the crowd being directed to the screens, former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat was announced as making an appearance for the promotion on October 31st. 

One Fall Match for the PCW Championship

Samoa Joe 

vs. 

Dave Mastiff (C)

For what would many would mark as a dream match, Evoque was very subdued for this one. Maybe it was that the match started way after ten o'clock, maybe it was the crowd needed to come down after the emotional rollercoaster that was Travis vs. Samuels, maybe the match suffered from a similar problem as the previous Spud vs. Lionheart match, maybe it was because we'd already seen both Mastiff and Joe earlier in the night, I'm not quite sure what it was that caused the crowd to be relatively quiet for this heavyweight clash. 

The pace of the start of the match seemed to suggest that the match could potentially be going long, with the pair exchanging holds at a low pace and Joe especially working a headlock for a long time. Although this wouldn't come, there were a handful of nice suplexes delivered from both men (although not warranting the "Suplex City" chant that broke out) and a submission sequence from Joe also stood out, with Joe transitioning from an STF into a Crossface. With F.W.B. and Iestyn Rees charging the ring following a Cannonball from Mastiff, I was left scratching my head a little bit, as the run-in caused the disqualification that allowed Mastiff to retain the title, exactly what the pinfall on Joe would have done. 

The show closed with Chris Masters heading out to make the save for Joe and Mastiff and the trio being able to fight off the four heels. It was Joanna Rose however who had the last word, announcing that Mastiff would be defending his title on October 31st opposite former 5 time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Jeff Jarrett. With the pair having a heated exchange back in April at 5upershow - Show 3, this one looks set to be an intriguing encounter indeed, especially if Jarrett's wife, Karen, is involved.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.69

Another strong showing from PCW, that produced a number of matches that I wouldn't argue if someone wanted to call match of the night. Travis vs. Samuels had some superb emotional storytelling, Dar vs. Galloway produced top performances from both men, whilst reDRagon vs. Martin Kirby and Joey Hayes was an unusual bout, but worked well thanks to four top-quality workers.

While there wasn't a "bad" match on the card (let's not talk about Team Single's Open Challenge at this point) there were points when the match failed to capture the crowd, with the biggest example being Lionheart and Rockstar Spud's bout, which would be heavily based around the reasons mentioned above, but could also have done something with the match being chosen to open the show, in a show that seemed to struggle to a gain good flow, in terms of match placement. Having Travis vs. Samuels directly before the main event would work as an example of this. 

With some pleasing storyline development (Mastiff vs. F.W.B., Dar vs. Galloway, Travis/Lionheart vs. Samuels, Hayes vs. Kirby, reDRagon vs. Team Single) this anniversary show seemed much more focused on the future than it did the past. This is a PCW that is continuing to grow as a promotion, and it's was great to see the promotion looking to build, rather than looking back at past successes.

With just over three weeks until the promotion hits Blackpool for Bank Holiday Bash (which is free by the way), which will feature 2 time ROH World Tag Team Champions The Wolves, 3 time TNA Knockout's Champion Mickie James, former  WWE United States Champion Mr. Anderson, former IWGP Tag Team Champion Magnus and former WWE World Tag Team Champions Too Cool, you can find out more about Preston City Wrestling by clicking the name.

Wrestle Ropes' Ready For The Weekend (7th-9th August 2015)

This weekend sees numerous shows and anniversaries taking place in British Wrestling. Here is just a selection of what is scheduled to take place. Let's get Ready For The Weekend.

Photo credit - Preston City Wrestling

On Friday night, Preston City Wrestling will celebrate their 4th anniversary in style at their home of Evoque in Preston with The Fourth Awakens. The one match that everyone is talking about is the in-ring return of Kris Travis who shall face 'The East End Butcher' Sha Samuels. This match came about during a previous PCW show when Samuels interrupted Kris Travis and told the former PCW Heavyweight champion that he should go home and wait to die. Travis overcome a lot in the past year. On Friday, he's looking to show that he's back, he's very much alive and he's ready to kick Sha Samuels arse. Sitting right at the top of the championship tree, Dave Mastiff will make his first defence of the PCW Heavyweight Championship against the winner of the Road To Glory 2015 tournament, the current PCW Cruiserweight champion, Bubblegum. Dave Mastiff has fought for years to become the man in PCW, Bubblegum on the other hand has shown he'll go to any length to win, be it legally or not. Mastiff is a huge challenge for Bubblegum to overcome but he's overcome a lot in the past. Either man could be walking out with heavyweight gold. The Fourth Awakens will also see the return of the Team Single Open Challenge, this year won by Josh Bodom & Ryan Hendricks via public vote. Team Single are the longest reigning champions in PCW history but The Brolievers present an unknown to the champions as they never face each other before. Could The Brolievers upset the PCW Tag Team champions or will Team Single's dominance continue to reign? The show will also feature the débuts of Samoa Joe and Drew Galloway plus the return of reDRagon's Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish who will join Noam Dar, Joey Hayes, Dave Rayne and many more in various matches.

Photo credit - Futureshock Wrestling

Saturday see's Futureshock Wrestling back in action, this time at The Rylands Recreation Club in Warrington. The main event will see Dave Rayne join forces with Jack Gallagher to face the man who he challenges for the Futureshock Championship at Underground 12 with his career on the line, Xander Cooper and his partner, Damon Leigh. Rayne will be looking to send a message to Cooper on August 8th and may well do so with Gallagher by his side. On the other hand, Xander Cooper will look to show why he's been so dominant as champion and why he'll end Dave Rayne's career. Talking of champions, Soner Dursun will once again put his Adrenaline Championship on the line, this time against the hard-hitting Mark Massa of The Uprising. Dursun has faced all challenges for the championship since winning it and Massa is one of the biggest challenges to date. From one championship to another as Danielle Hunter look to regain the Futureshock Women's Championship from the woman who won the title from her, Lana Austin. Austin has been on a huge winning run since capturing the championship. However, Danielle Hunter was a dangerous champion, she's an even more dangerous challenger. If Lana Austin want to walk out with her winning run and still champion, she'll need ever bit of heart and desire she has to do it. All this and a lot more including matches with Ashton Smith and Ryan Hendricks takes place this Saturday.

Photo credit - IPW:UK

Then moving on to Sunday, IPW:UK host their Summer Bonus 2015 in Tonbridge at The Angel Centre. The show will see the beginning of the UK Super 8 qualifying round with Jody Fleisch taking on Iestyn Rees and Scott Star facing a hand-picked opponent from the IPW:UK training academy. Those in attendance will also see Danny Duggan & Cieran Donnelly defend the IPW:UK Tag Team Championship against arguably the best tag team in the world, reDRagon's Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish. This will be a big test for D&D and shall show what they are capable of against world-class talent and former world champions. The main event will see the unification of the IPW:UK World Championship and All-England Championship when Bad Bones meets Jimmy Havoc in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs match. The original match was supposed to take place at 'Title Showdown' but was postponed due to Jimmy Havoc suffering an injury. However nothing is stopping the match this time. Added in the stipulation that Jonny Storm & The London Riots are banned from ringside therefore aiding Jimmy Havoc, it really will come down to which man has the toughness, endurance and the desire to become a double champion on August 9th.

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!

WWE WrestleMania 31 DVD Review

WWE WrestleMania 31 is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now, available from www.wwedvd.co.uk Broadcast live on Pay-per-View (and the WWE Network) from the Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, USA on 29th March 2015, the three-disc set features Roman Reigns challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, alongside appearances from The Undertaker, Daniel Bryan, Sting, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and many more. The special features include two matches from the WrestleMania Kick-Off show and the 2015 Hall of Fame ceremony in full. 

Disc One

A fun, spot-laden ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship, involving the likes of Daniel Bryan and Dean Ambrose, kick-off the show in good fashion. The crowd is loud from the out-set, making this a great match to open the show, with a feel-good finish making things even better. Randy Orton and Seth Rollins' grudge bout is an underrated scrap with the pair working together nicely on a series of strong reversal sequences. A spectacular finish caps off a throughly enjoyable contest.

Whilst it may not be a great wrestling match, Sting and Triple H's No Countout, No Disqualification bout is a great spectacle. From the entrances onwards (especially Triple H's) this is fun and slightly ridiculous contest, that may be the epitome of sports-entertainment. Choc-full of nostalgia, any fan of the Monday Night Wars would get a big kick out of this one, although younger fans may get a little lost in it all. A musical performance from Skylar Grey, Kid Ink and Travis Barker is not the worst musical interlude in WWE history, but perhaps could have been cut from the DVD release. 

Paige teams with AJ Lee to take on the Bella Twins in a completely watch-able Diva's effort, with a nice story. John Cena and Rusev's Fastlane rematch fails to reach the heights of their previous match, but is still a good slice of action. Based heavily on the pairs submission holds, there's a solid story to be told here, with Rusev's relationship with manager, Lana, also playing a part throughout. The main draw back to this one is the crowd's lack of interest in the contest, which may be down to many international fans in the crowd, not buying into the USA vs. Russia storyline.

An appearance from Ronda Rousey (UFC/The Expendables 3/Furious 7/Entourage) works well for what it is, with The Rock, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H all involved also. As cool as it is to see Ronda on WWE television, it's Stephanie who steals the segment with some superb work on the microphone, especially opposite Rock.

Disc Two

The return of The Undertaker produces a decent encounter opposite Bray Wyatt, in what is a bout driven by character. It's a shame that this bout wasn't held in darkness, as the level of light, takes away a little from the mystique of the characters, especially during the entrances. Whilst the match feels a little formulaic, the crowd is into every near falls, which certainly helps.

Whilst it would be easy to cast away the Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar World Heavyweight Championship main event, due to the excitement of the finish, the two put on a terrific, hard-hitting bout. With Reigns out to prove that he was worthy of his spot in the main event, the 29 year old puts on a great performance, with his facial expressions bringing a lot to the story of the bout. A fantastic piece of booking, that allows every man involved to shine throughout, there's a reason why this bout won ATPW's Match of the Month poll in March.

Special Features

The special features begins with two bout's from the WrestleMania Kick-Off show, starting with a lively four-way bout for Tyson Kidd and Cesaro's Tag Team Championships. With the crowd warming up nicely throughout, thanks to the multitude of well-timed spots, this bout is a lot of fun to watch. The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, including the likes of Cesaro, Hideo Itami and Kane, is fun battle royal, despite the match lacking on any real star power. Damien Sandow and The Miz's storyline is furthered nicely throughout the bout, that includes some cool elimination spots.

Hall of Fame

The Uso's begin the Hall of Fame ceremony with a slick and humours speech, as they induct their Father, Rikishi. Rikishi's speech is well-delivered, with a strong focus on his family, as it to be expected for a member of Anoa'i tribe. Anyone looking for some stories about Rikishi's time in WWE (especially during the Attitude Era) may be a little disappointed, as the speech rarely ventures into that area. 

With a strange combination of kayfabe and real-life stories, the content of Bruno Sammartino's induction speech for Larry Zybysko, is interesting in-terms of content, it's a shame that the delivery is dull as dishwater. In contrast, Zybyszko's speech is charismatic and engaging, with a handful of great stories about his time in the business. It's a shame however that Zybyszko hasn't planned any of it, leading to a number of repeats and the speech descending into a complete car crash come the end. 

Alundra Blayze's acceptance speech works as an extended list of people she has met throughout her year's in the business, which has it's moments. The gimmick at the end, in which Blayze's reenacts her infamous appearance on Monday Nitro, is about as cringey as could be.

Disc Three

Hall of Fame

The Ultimate Warrior's widow, Dana, produces a speech, that is both heartbreaking and fantastic in equal measure. As Daniel Bryan presents the late Conor the Crusher with the Warrior award, the former World Heavyweight Champion's speech is emotional, but focuses on the lighter times he spent with Conor. Conor's Dad, Steve, put's on stellar job, under the circumstances, and Conor's brother's final words would be enough to bring even manliest of manly man to tears. 

The Bushwacker's acceptance speech is just as absurd as you'd want it to be, with the pair seemingly completely off their collective rockers. They do, however, manage to produce some quite interesting stories about getting into the business, in what is perhaps the surprise gem of the Hall of Fame ceremony. Hulk Hogan's induction speech for Randy Savage fails to hit the mark, with the pairs difference at the time's of Savage's death quickly becoming the elephant in the room. Savage's brother Lanny Poffo's acceptance speech focuses more on Savage's relationship with the Special Olympics, rather than Savage's time in the business, and also shuns Savage's first wife Ms. Elizabeth.

Triple H works as a strong inductor for Arnold Schwarzenegger, with The Game putting together  a slick and funny intro for the Hollywood star. Schwarzenegger (Conan the Barbarian/The Terminator/Commando/The Running Man/Predator/Twins/Total Recall/Kindergarten Cop/True Lies) puts on one of the best celebrity inductee speeches to date, with a strong focus on his relationship with wrestling over the years. Shawn Michaels has charisma coming out of his arse, as he talks about his old pal, Kevin Nash, with some great personal stories surrounding major moments in Nash's career. Big Daddy Cool's acceptance speech works nicely as a close to the show, with the crowd lapping it up, before inevitable appearance from the Klique.

Special Features

John Cena prepares for Rusev is an interesting interview between Cena and Byron Saxton, with a handful of added clips to illustrate the points made. Seth Rollins is the Future is a similar venture, with Booker T, and whilst the feature is well produced, it's placing at the end of Disc Three is curious indeed.

Finally...

One of the best WrestleMania's in recent memory, there isn't a bad match on the main card here. The Hall of Fame ceremony is a mixed bag as ever, but there's still plenty to enjoy here, especially with the help of the skip button. Throw into the mix two decent matches from the Kick-Off show that are both worth a watch and you have a DVD that is well worth the money.

Pro Wrestling Chaos - Hell is for Heroes LIVE Review

We were contacted by Darren Dyer (@AxelMulligan on Twitter). About whether we'd be interested in posting his review of the recent Pro Wrestling Chaos show (as highlighted in last week's Ready For The Weekend). After a bit of back and forth between Darren and ATPW head honcho James Marston, we have the review below. All feedback welcome to @ATPWrestling on Twitter.

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On Saturday August 1st 2015 a promotion Pro Wrestling Chaos, held their Hell is for Heroes event at The BAWA Club in Filton, Bristol, England. They've had some hot shows up until now, would this show be the exception? Or would it keep the roll going, let's find out!

One Fall Three Way Match

Morgan Webster

vs.

Damien Dunne

vs.

Chris Sabin

Rockstar Spud

Kicking off this show, we had a three way bout, featuring former TNA X Division Champion, Rockstar Spud. Morgan Webster played the role of the heel to perfection here, bailing from the ring to keep away from Spud and Dunne, giving the crowd the two fingered salute (similar to flipping the bird) and insulting members of the audience. It’s fair to say that he has very quickly became the most despised wrestler in all of Chaos after retiring Dave Mercy at All or Nothing back in May. Spud and Damien Dunne were both over and the crowd was hot for both men with lots of vocal cheering when either man finally got a shot in on Webster, or on each other for that matter. 


Whether you love him or hate him, Morgan's talent is undeniable. He’s great to watch in the ring and can work a variety of styles such as the high flying game, a vicious ground and pound style or he can work a good technical match also. He’s one of the fastest rising stars in British professional wrestling right now. I've had the distinct honour and privilege of seeing him wrestle on at least half a dozen occasions now and he just gets better and better with each match. He's rapidly become one of my favourite wrestlers, not just in the UK, but across the world! If he's not wrestling in a major promotion within the next five years, I'll be surprised!

One Fall Tag Team Match

The Hunter Brothers

vs.

The Wild Galleons

Next up was a tag team match between The Hunter Brothers, Jim and Lee, taking on the fan favourite team of Captain Dick Morgan and Roger The Cabin Boy, The Wild Galleons. I'm usually one to cheer for the heels because I find I can relate to heels more than I do babyfaces with the way they can hold a crowd in the palm of their hands and have everybody despise them, yet they can entertain the hell out of you as a fan whilst doing it. However, there's something about The Wild Galleons that appeals to the inner child in me and I get a great deal of enjoyment out of watching them.

This was a nice, solid tag team match. I've seen both teams on several occasions now and I'm a fan of them both. The Galleons are one of the most entertaining teams I've seen live and thoroughly enjoy their performances. Captain Dick is an awesome character, because of the way he puts himself about both in and out of the ring. For example, he needed a boost of energy here so he stroked a man’s beard in the front row and took a mouthful of his beer to re-energise himself.

Roger is a rather interesting character. He has no problem in giving his opponent a spanking should he be looking to gain a psychological edge, but at the same time he’s a very well rounded wrestler who knows what it takes to get the job done in tag team wrestling with quick tags to his more powerful partner and doesn’t hesitate in taking advantage of situations when opportunity knocks. They picked up the win when Captain Dick, who wasn’t legal in the ring, hit a Stunner allowing Roger to quickly go for the pin much to the dismay of Lee and Jim Hunter.

I've often thought at Chaos shows about them having a tag team title. I personally think The Wild Galleon's would make great champions if they were to introduce them. They're over with fans both young and old and have great chemistry together. Hopefully the Chaos management will introduce something for the tag division sometime in the future! As much as the crowds are usually hot for the tag team matches we get in Chaos, I think this would really add another dimension to the division and gives wrestlers outside of the King of Chaos division a goal to work towards.

One Fall Match

Rampage Brown

vs.

Jeckel

with Pariah Khan

Up next was one of the more anticipated match ups of the evening. I love the combination of Jeckel and Khan. Jeckel is an extremely talented wrestler and Khan is an awesome mouthpiece for him. The fans love to hate them as well, especially Khan with the "BUTLINS, BUTLINS, BUTLINS!" chants which Khan reacts to brilliantly!

Jeckel set the pace before the bell in this one, attacking Rampage with a chair as he was making his entrance, although, bringing in the chair was probably not the best move by Jeckel  Towards the end, Khan was getting visibly frustrated on the outside and threw the chair into Jeckel to use on Brown. Brown avoided a shot and managed to gain control of the weapon. Brown had a choice, either put the chair down and have a chance of winning, or take out a measure of revenge for Jeckel's earlier attack and side with the crowd by taking out Jeckel. He went with the latter of those two options in what was one of the sickest chair shots I've ever seen! And I'm a man who's seen plenty of ECW over the years!

Rampage chased Khan to the back as referee's came out to check on the condition of Jeckel. Khan eventually came back out to help his man to the back. Don't expect this to be over! In fact, this may only be the beginning of what could be a thrilling rivalry. Personally, I’d like to see some form of no disqualifications match. Whether that be at the show in Hanham in October, or the show in Yate in December. Both men seemed to like swinging the chair on this night, so a chairs match may very well be an appropriate way to follow this match.

One Fall Match

Eddie Dennis

vs.

Chris Hero

After a 20 minute intermission, we had the match that I was personally looking forward to more than any other and by the sound of it, so was the rest of the crowd. They were on fire! I don't know if I can speak for anyone else but I was mainly pulling for Hero, yet at the same time really would not have been upset if Dennis picked up the win. I've never heard a crowd like that at any wrestling show before, and having been to a couple of WWE house shows, that's certainly saying something! I was on my feet throughout the entire match and popped for pretty much everything these two men did. There was a moment where Eddie was on the ring apron and Hero caught him with a big boot. Eddie managed to hang on to the apron and screamed at Hero to do it again…so he did, over and over again and with each shot Eddie took, he got more and more fired up and you could really feel the emotion coming out of Eddie. As he got more and more fired up, so did the electric crowd!

From bell-to-bell the match was just amazing, lots of counters, lots of hard hitting shots (I lost count of how many rolling elbows Hero hit), lots of near falls and most importantly of all, well-timed drama. I find in wrestling you can have as many near falls as you want but unless those moments are built up properly, they don't draw the fans into the moment. These two put on a great spectacle and the fans were loud and hooked throughout.

In what was a surprise to many fans in the audience, myself included, it was Eddie Dennis who picked up the win! Hero looked as shocked as the rest of us and seemingly couldn't comprehend what had just taken place. In fact, Dennis could hardly believe he'd pulled it off!  Hero played the “what the hell just happened?” with a hint of rage look brilliantly, while Eddie sold the shock of winning to perfection. After recent losses to Kenny King and Mike Bird, it was almost as though he didn’t believe he was going to win this match, despite telling us all that he would. 

Hero left the ring to a huge cheer and even louder chants of "Please come back!" He re-entered the ring and cut a promo saying how he will return to face Eddie again at some stage in a rematch. I just hope that the Chaos management can make that match happen because this was incredible! Hat's off to both men! Keep an eye out for the DVD/VOD of this show even if only for this match because it truly was something special. One of my matches of the year so far, and not just in Chaos. I'm talking from any promotion that I've watched so far this year! 

This match was easily main event quality, and I’d have said that this could easily have been the main event of the show. However, I’ve always been a firm believer in the top championship main eventing any card unless there’s a big stipulation involved like we had at All or Nothing with the Loser Leaves Chaos match between Webster and Mercy. If we were to get a “best of three” series between these two, which having spoken to a few fans is what the people desire, the third match should main event whatever card it’s on should Hero win the second match.

One Fall Tag Team Match

The Doomsday Killers

vs.

The Burrito Brothers & Mr. Bananas.

Up next was an "Open Invitational" set by The Doomsday Killers, Ian Williams, Big Grizzly and KillBane. Fresh off of their attack on Gideon at Heir To The Throne last month, these three men were more brash and arrogant than ever before. The challenge was answered by Mr Banana's and The Burrito Brothers. Unfortunately for the guys answering the challenge, they were no match in size or strength for The Doomsday Killers and this one was over relatively quickly.

After the match, the lights cut out and an eerie message came through from Gideon. After the attack at Heir to the Throne, Gideon's message is that soon enough The Doomsday Killers will feel his wrath. When the lights came back on, 'Evil Little Ian' was losing his mind in the ring. He did so even more when he noticed the broken cane, which The Doomsday Killers used to attack Gideon with, appeared in the ring seemingly out of nowhere. We maybe about to see a darker side of Gideon as he seeks revenge on his former allies and I for one can't wait!

I thought that this was how this match would’ve gone after how the last match went with all of the drama and emotion. It kind of felt like WrestleMania X8 where The Rock and Hulk Hogan tore the house down with their match and then there was a “filler” match in between that and the title match. I think it worked fine as it gave the crowd a chance to catch their breath again whilst continuing to build the storyline between The Doomsday Killers and Gideon.

One Fall King of Chaos Championship Match

Mike Bird ©

vs.

Mark Andrews

TNA's Mark Andrews returned on this night to challenge his mentor and trainer 'Flying' Mike Bird for the top prize in Chaos. Bird had held the title for one day short of a full year and wasn't willing to allow one of his former students to take his title from him. With Mandrews showcasing a lot of his acrobatic skills and Bird using his technical, ground and pound style.

With the match was finely poised, Mandrews looked to catch Bird with an enziguri, which "The Ginger Jesus of Professional Wrestling" avoided and the referee took the shot in the face. While the ref was down, Mandrews managed to put Bird down and the fans counted but with no referee, the pinfall was essentially null and void. There was a sense of expectancy in the air now because with the referee down, it’s fair to say it’s anyone’s ball game. Whereas you’d often see another referee come down to officiate, which the fans wanted with chants of “Tom”, a referee making his Chaos debut, it never happened which for me just added to the level of anticipation of what would happen next.
Bird, acting like a desperate champion, then used his King of Chaos belt to take down his former student. He revived referee Baz and thought he'd retained his title, only Mandrews kicked out at two! Bird was soon able to put his challenger away, though, with his signature piledriver meaning he'd kept his title for the 364th consecutive day. 

One Fall Match for the King of Chaos Championship

Mike Bird ©

vs.

“Wild Boar” Mike Hitchman

Not content with his victory, he decided he'd try to teach Mark a lesson in respect and just when we all thought the worst would happen, out came "Mr Heir To The Throne", Wild Boar to save Andrews. The fans lost their minds and did so again moments later when Boar cashed in his title opportunity on his former teacher. And if that wasn't enough, the place erupted a few minutes later when Boar hit a Package Piledriver to Mike Bird to become the new, and only the second ever, King of Chaos! I'm a huge Mike Bird fan, and I'm talking this guy is in my top ten in the world right now, but even I was literally jumping for joy and punching the air for Boar's victory! A huge congratulations to Mike Hitchman for all of his hard work in Chaos over the past couple of years. It's certainly all paid off and he's more than worthy of holding the King of Chaos Championship!

Finally...

A huge thank you to Pro Wrestling Chaos for putting on such an amazing show. I thought the All or Nothing event was great, which it was. This one topped that for me just for the sheer drama, emotion, entertainment and excitement that all of the wrestlers put across. 

For now, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the memories of the show until the VOD is available, when I'm sure I'll be watching this awesome night of professional wrestling over and over again! 

You can check out more from Pro Wrestling Chaos, including upcoming show details here. 

Live Review: PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 20: Thunderbastard - Beyond Thunderbastard

Just under nine weeks removed from Chapter 19: Super Strong Style 16 Tournament Edition, Progress Wrestling was back at the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London, England to present Chapter 20: Thunderbastard - Beyond Thunderbastard. With the hated Jimmy Havoc putting his title up against Super Strong Style 16 Winner, Will Ospreay, as well Bubblegum, Damon Moser, Eddie Dennis, El Ligero, Flash Morgan Webster, Kyle Ashmore, Mark Haskins, Marty Scurll, Mike Hitchman, Nathan Cruz, Rampage Brown, The Sumerian Death Squad, The Hunter Brothers, Tom Irvin and more in action, this show was always going to be amazing...wasn't it? 

It's one of the best introduction in the country and always add an extra level of hype to the show. As soon as The Imperial Death March begins and straight through into Jim Smallman's opening monologue, the anticipation grows to an almost unbearable level. Smallman was once again impeccable at working with the crowd, he clearly knows his audience and being a professional comedian probably helps a little as well. This time we also got the introduction of a brand new commentary team, with Progress recording commentary live for the very first time as Glen Robinson and RJ Singh took their place at the top of the ramp.

One Fall Match

Noam Dar

vs.

Pastor William Eaver

This worked nicely as the opening bout, with the pair going back and forth, with big strikes and a number of pinfall combinations. With the pair both getting loud support from the Camden crowd, the Electric Ballroom was rocking from the very start, as the pair put together a solid encounter. From the laugh out loud moment where Dar refused to pray for Eaver because he's Jewish, to the hard-hitting action that filled the majority of the bout. A Champage Super Knee Bar from Dar, pretty much out of nowhere, worked as close call, with Eaver selling the knee after the hold making me very happy. Perhaps surprisingly, Eaver was able to pick up the win with his Clothesline From Heaven.

I would have liked this one to have gone a little longer, although with Dar having to jet off to Glasgow for ICW's Shug's House Party 2, it's understandable why this one went short. After the bout, Dar seemed to be saying goodbye to the crowd, placing a Chapter One t-shirt over the top rope and waving as he left the ring. An interesting development that has yet to be fully explained, I'm not sure if many in the crowd knew exactly how to react. If this was Dar's last match for a while in Progress, then it's a shame that his scheduled bout with Dave Mastiff didn't happen here, as it would have been sweet to see the end of that particular storyline.


Winner - Pastor William Eaver via pinfall in 7 minutes, 45 seconds

One Fall Four Way Match

Flash Morgan Webster

vs.

Bubblegum

vs. 

"The Wild Boar" Mike Hitchman

vs.

Kyle Ashmore

This was lightning quick, pro wrestling thrill ride, from start to finish. Mike Hitchamn, Bubblegum, Morgan Webster and Kyle Ashmore went hammer and tongs for almost fifteen minutes, producing some, stand-up silly action. There was multiple dives to the outside, a terrific four-way strike sequences, a reverse rana from Webster and a package piledriver variant of the Meltzer Driver from Hitchman and Ashmore. Whilst a few slips on the ropes hurt the pacing of certain spots, every time the performer was able to recover without too much effort.

Whilst it was Webster who was able to pick up the victory with a 450 splash onto Hitchman as he attempted to pin Bubblegum, it was the later who stood out as the star of the match, for me. In only his second appearance for PROGRESS, Bubblegum has been able to garner a decent amount of heat, winding up the Camden faithful with his Manchester City loving, nutsack grabbing ways. Everything Bubblegum did looked lovely, his strikes in particular have become some of the best in the country  and he worked nicely as a foil for the other three men in the bout, whilst still able to remain looking like a star. With PROGRESS heading to Manchester in December, I'd expect him to play a major part on that show.


Winner - "Flash" Morgan Webster via pinfall (on Bubblegum) in 13 minutes, 12 seconds 

Natural Progression Series Quarter Final One Fall Match

Sebastian

with Tom Irvin

vs.

"Number One" Damien Dunne

I was in, what would seem, a rather unique situation during this match. Unlike most of the crowd, I am very familiar with Damian Dunne, from my trips to promotions like Kamikaze Pro, Fight Club: Pro and Shropshire Wrestling Alliance, and this was my first opportunity to see Sebastian in a match. On the other hand, the PROGRESS faithful were very much aware of Sebastian and his GZRS's partner Tom Irvin, showering them with love throughout the match, whilst Dunne was met with a mixture of mild heat and utter indifference from the outset. Dunne did a decent job of getting the crowd into his stuff, but they never seemed to completely warm to him.

The match itself was a decent encounter, which really heated up in the closing stages. Sebastian continued his Damian Dunne facts over from Twitter in the match, all of which were genuinely funny, although a fan's attempt to follow up with the gimmick didn't hit the spot (especially when resorting to just repeating facts from Sebastian). The highlight of the bout was a tremendous false finish, that saw Dunne able to take advantage of the GZRS confusion at being unable to find a table (after a Dudley Boyz tribute) hitting a springboard double knee facebreaker for two, with the crowd seemingly convinced that Dunne had the match there. 


Winner - Sebastian via pinfall in 8 minutes, 58 seconds.


Before the Tag Team Championship bout could get underway, Jim Smallman revealed that the Tag shield's had been "confisticated" by customs as the Sumerian Death Squad entered the country. 

One Fall Tag Team Match for the Progress Tag Team Championships

The Sumerian Death Squad (C)

vs.

The Hunter Brothers

Just as you'd expect from two of the finest tag team's in Europe, this was a silly, silly tag team match. Some of the most ridiculous near falls and false finishes that one could every hope to see, with both teams experience together and opposite each other (they've previously clashed in WXW, Southside and Fight Club: Pro) shining through for the entire bout. With the four men pacing everything down to a tee, allowing a slower opening to set the foundation for the blistering pace of the final five minutes or so, which saw all four getting involved, the crowd was whipped into an absolute frenzy by the finish of the bout, with it being difficult to not get caught up in action.

Similar to the experience with Damien Dunne earlier in the show, it was strange to see The Hunter Brothers not be one of the most over acts on the card, with the crowd solidly behind Michael Dante and Tommy End from the very start of the match. As the pair have only made a handful of appearances in PROGRESS before (all their previous Chapter appearances ending in a loss), it was clear that the fans hadn't quite warmed to the brother's from Tipton. This match seemed to change things, with the pair receiving a standing ovation for their considerable efforts in the bout. I hope there's more opportunities down the line for The Hunters as they clearly have a lot to offer an expanded PROGRESS tag division.


Winners - Sumerian Death Squad via pinfall in 13 minutes, 48 seconds.


Following the bout, Jim Smallman would lead us into the intermission bringing the first half to a close. During the interval, Jim's wife Stacy bravely had her head shaved for MacMillan Cancer Care, you can donate at the following link https://www.justgiving.com/mrs-smallman/ With the 2nd half intro being kept nice and short, there as one hilarious moment involving the crowd chanting "Jim "The Barber" Beefcake" (in reference to the headshaving) and Jim's quick reply regarding Hulk Hogan.

Before the action of the Thunderbastard match could get underway, Smallman's fellow PROGRESS founder Glen Robinson had something to say. Unfortunately, it wasn't happy news as Glen announced that PROGRESS' first trainee graduate, Ali Armstrong, would no longer be competing due to two consecutive injuries. We'd like to wish Armstrong all the best going forward, he'll be missed at PROGRESS and around the country. Of course, this wouldn't be pro wrestling if someone didn't come out to interrupt, and that someone was The Origin's Nathan Cruz, who got some decent heat for his comments about Armstrong. It was Robinson whoever who had the last laugh, with a fiery reply, before making Cruz the first entrant in the Thunderbastard match.

Thunderbastard Match

Tom Irvin

vs.

Eddie Dennis

vs.

Marty Scurll

vs.

Mark Haskins

vs.

Rampage Brown

vs.

El Ligero

vs. 

Damon Moser

vs. 

Nathan Cruz

PROGRESS' Thunderbastard match is at it's core, a Royal Rumble match, but with wrestlers being eliminated via pinfall, submission and disqualification, instead of being chucked over the top rope. A well-structured bout, that told a solid story throughout. This match was all about The Origin continuing to cause trouble for the rest of the PROGRESS roster, with Nathan Cruz and El Ligero working together throughout. This included eliminating their former stablemate Damon Moser from the match, after Ligero joined the pair in the match. The pop when Ligero was eliminated with a small package, from none other than The GZRS' Tom Irvin was huge. Cruz almost immediately eliminating Irvin had almost as strong a reaction in the opposite direction. A match between the two teams at some point in the future would have the Ballroom rocking for sure.

Whilst the story of the bout was strong, the spots and moves placed over the top of it added a little sizzle to the steak. Marty Scurll's trio of suicide dives, a lovely Samoan Drop/Northern Light's suplex from Eddie Dennis and a fantastic tower of doom spot. Dennis and Rampage Brown also brought it, in a great sequence of moves, with the two big men looking on form throughout the match, it was almost a shame to see the pair eliminated when they were. The Pride of Wales elimination directly after being able to joust Brown from the match was particularly disappointing, but seeing as this came at the hands of Cruz, it's safe to say that that was the reaction that was being looked for.

With the final two coming down to Marty Scurll and Mark Haskins (following a quality exchange that saw Nathan Cruz eliminated by Scurll), the crowd was split pretty much down the middle. The closing action between the two was focused on Scurll attempting to lock in his Cross Face Chicken Wing, with the move being incredibly over with the PROGRESS crowd. After three or four attempts at the move, Scurll finally seemed to have the match won, only for Haskins to roll over and manage to grab the pinfall victory, ending a solid exchange between the two. With Haskins announced he'd be after a title shot at Chapter 21: You Know We Don't Like to Use the Sit Down Gun in September, PROGRESS now has a fresh face in the title picture, with the former TNA man recieving his very first show at the promotions ultimate prize.


Winner - Mark Haskins in 24 minutes, 23 seconds.


It was main event time...but before Jimmy Havoc and Will Ospreay got to rip each other apart over the PROGRESS Championship, a special promo package aired on the Ballroom's screen. I was going to write a little about it...but I think it's better watched than talked about...so here it is.

One Fall No Disqualifcation Match for the PROGRESS Championship

Jimmy Havoc (C)

vs.

"The Aerial Assassin" Will Ospreay

If you're not WWE (and sometimes even if you are) big match feel can be a hard thing to get. It's an intangible thing, isn't it? But christ, you know when it's present. It takes a lot of hard work and effort to get, and if you've watched the promo video above you'll see that everyone involved putting together this match has worked incredibly hard for the past twelve months to tell a story that has captivated the fan base of the promotion. Add to that, two incredible entrances and you had a crowd at fever pitch from before the bell had even rung, and despite already watching over two hours of wrestling and cueing for hours before hand, and many travelling from all over the country, the crowd was more than ready to join in with the performers in giving it their all throughout.

The No Disqualification gimmick worked superbly, with it being a style that Jimmy Havoc is perhaps best known for throughout the United Kingdom and elsewhere and also for playing a big part in Havoc's storyline progression over the last two years. However, this wasn't violence for the sake of it, every weapon shot and every table crash, felt like it had a purpose, and an edge behind it, that is often not there. Tables, singapore canes, steel chairs, thumbtacks all got involved, as well as Ospreay repeatedly sending Havoc into the seating area. The brutality throughout was exactly what the feud deserved.

There was also a number of different story elements that came into play throughout the bout, with a handful of nice call-backs to previous events under the PROGRESS banner. Jimmy Havoc taking out not one but two referees stands out as the biggest of these, as he was seemingly intent on having Jim Smallman count the pinfall in the match. There was also the involvement of Havoc's Regression cohorts, Paul Robinson and Isaac Zercher, who caused problems for Ospreay in the later portion of the match, with a nice distraction spot with Zercher coming down the entrance way, whilst Robinson was entering through a side door. 

Once all was said and done this match was about the superb near falls, and the electric reaction that they received from the crowd. Both men had their opportunities to have the contest won, and there were maybe three or four occassions when the majority of the people in attendance (including myself) felt that either Havoc or Ospreay had managed to pull out the victory. Two acid rainmakers from Havoc and a 450 splash and Red Arrow from Ospreay stand out in particular, with Ospreay's kick outs being just that little bit extra special. 

If the reaction to some of the near falls was impressive, the reaction to the finish was like something I've never experienced before. When Smallman's hand hit the mat for the third time, following a 630 Senton from Ospreay, (almost) everyone in the building erupted. There was people grabbing random stranger in sheer joy, people falling down stairs and just a straight-up outpour of emotion, like none I've ever seen at wrestling event before. It was crazy. With the babyface roster spilling out onto the stage to congratulate Ospreay in his title victory, we had a fitting end to a superbly brutal, brilliantly dramatic title match, that will be remembered by those in attendance for a very long time.


WINNER AND NEW PROGRESS CHAMPION - Will Ospreay via Pinfall in 26 minutes, 7 seconds.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 7.37

PROGRESS has built a reputation as one of the best promotions in the United Kingdom and Europe, and continues to prove exactly why that reputation is deserved with every show they put on. Ospreay and Havoc, as well as anyone else involved in scuplting that storyline over the last year and beyond, deserves full credit for producing a fabulous main event and some of the best crowd reactions around today. The Thunderbastard match and the tag team title bout also provided strong slices of pro wrestling, both offering a different change of pace to the rest of the show. Throw in a strong undercard, with the Four Way bout standing out as the pick of the pack, and you've got the makings of fantastic show. 

With just six week's separating this show and Chapter 21: You Know We Don't Like To Use the Sit Down Gun and their first venture of Manchester looming around the corner, PROGRESS is expanding quicker than it has ever done before. If the quality continues to be this strong, they won't have a problem at all.

You can find out more about PROGRESS on their website here, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.