A star of The Traitors UK is set to make an appearance at the upcoming Wonderbrawl II event on June 7th. Faraaz Noor, who appeared on Season 4 of the show, will be appearing to back up Nathan Black as he takes on Simon Miller.
Several other matches have also been confirmed for the company’s Manchester return this weekend, including Gene Munny (w/Session Moth Martina) defending his PROGRESS ATLAS Title against Pro Wrestling NOAH name Kouga and the The Young Guns (Ethan Allen & Luke Jacobs) defending their PROGRESS Tag Team Titles against New Japan’s Drilla Moloney and UK standout Man Like Dereiss.
PROGRESS Wrestling was recently purchased by Big Damo and Nikki Cross for an undisclosed fee. Cross was released from WWE earlier this year and that prompted the couple to fast-track their plans for life beyond the ring.
PROGRESS Wrestling Wonderbrawl II Card
The card for PROGRESS Wrestling Wonderbrawl II from the O2 Ritz in Manchester is currently as follows:
Simon Miller vs. Nathan Black
Daz Black vs. Cian Noonan
Scott Oberman vs. Charles Crowley
The Experience (LA Taylor & Skye Smitson) vs. LALLIE (Hollie Barlow & Lana Austin)
PROGRESS Tag Team Title Match: The Young Guns (Ethan Allen & Luke Jacobs) (c) vs. 0121 (Drilla Moloney & Man Like DeReiss)
PROGRESS Atlas Title Match: Gene Munny (w/Session Moth Martina) (c) vs. Kouga
A Wonderbrawl II update…
Nathan Black has branded Simon Miller a TRAITOR and has recruited a Faithful traitor hunter, from Traitors Season 4, Faraaz Noor!
What will Nathan Black and Faraaz have in store as they attempt to banish Simon Miller at the O2 Ritz in Manchester?… pic.twitter.com/jvEGvBwNTV
— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) June 1, 2026
Meiko Satomura has an opponent for her return to PROGRESS Wrestling next month.
On her retirement tour, Satomura will return to the United Kingdom to compete for PROGRESS on Sunday, February 23. It was announced today that UK indie star Rhio will be Satomura’s opponent. Both Satomura and Rhio are former PROGRESS Women’s Champions.
The February 23 event is titled My Own Destiny and is taking place from the Electric Ballroom in London.
Rhio — who is from Preston, England — is a former ICW Women’s Champion.
The legendary Satomura is wrapping up her career with her final match set to take place on April 29. She had her first match in 1995 and is now retiring just over 30 years since making her debut. Satomura runs the Sendai Girls promotion in Japan and will be having her retirement match for them.
Satomura appeared as an attraction on the UK indies during the latter stages of her career. Her reign as PROGRESS Women’s Champion lasted for three months in 2019. She later was part of the NXT UK roster as a wrestler and coach.
El Hijo del Vikingo is staying positive while he faces another injury.
While making his PROGRESS Wrestling debut on Sunday, Vikingo suffered an injury to his left leg while facing Kid Lykos II. The match was stopped after Vikingo’s injury and ended in a no contest. PROGRESS Wrestling noted that Vikingo would be checked out by their medical team, and the promotion was hoping for a speedy recovery.
Vikingo made an Instagram post after the match sharing a clip of the spot where he got hurt. He’s hoping that he will be able to recover in a few weeks.
“God knows why he puts these tests on me, I have faith that it will be a few weeks,” Vikingo wrote. “Thank you very much to all the fans in London for such a wonderful welcome.”
In another post on his Instagram stories, Vikingo shared a photo of himself on the flight home to Mexico with a caption that included the words “always positive.”
Vikingo was originally supposed to make his PROGRESS debut in November, but that was pushed back a month so that he could fully recover from an injury that he suffered in October. Before that injury, Vikingo spent seven months out of action from February-September due to knee surgery.
PROGRESS said that Vikingo’s match against Lykos was a “classic in the making” before he got hurt, and they cannot wait to have the Lucha Libre AAA star return soon.
Independent wrestling promotions PROGRESS Wrestling and Defy Wrestling are joining forces.
The two promotions issued a press release on Friday announcing that they are merging together. PROGRESS is based in the United Kingdom, while Defy is based out of Seattle in the United States.
“The merger will create a truly global presence for both organisations with mutual benefits for both parties and aid further expansion plans that will offer something really exciting for wrestling fans around the world,” the press release said.
The announcement was made in advance of Defy’s seventh anniversary show taking place tonight (February 9). PROGRESS has existed since 2012 and was sold to Lee McAteer and Martyn Best at the end of 2021.
With the merger, Defy content will soon be available on PROGRESS’ Demand PROGRESS Plus streaming service.
Friday’s press release included a statement from Best:
Lee and I really welcome Jim [Perry] and Matt Farmer joining us at PROGRESS, and this is a major step in our wider plans for more international collaborations. We previously had a strong content partnership with WWE, and we have a developing relationship with Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling NOAH. With DEFY joining us, I am sure that our many combined fans will be very excited to see what happens next.
We will be continuing our closeness in Philadelphia with us both having shows at The Collective immediately prior to WrestleMania 40, and we are planning our second joint show in London later in the year. DEFY will also soon be seen on DEMAND PROGRESS PLUS, our content and live streaming platform, in the very near future and we have some fascinating ideas to highlight the great wrestling talent we both work with.
Defy’s Jim Perry said:
I’ve been an admirer of PROGRESS from the start, and in some ways, they helped inspire the creation of DEFY. We have known each other for a number of years, and been working on many collaborations, including our successful double-show in London last August. I’m very excited about the opportunities of our more formal coming together, and the fans can expect to see some really neat ideas emerging.
Nigel McGuinness is advertised for PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16.
The promotion announced on Sunday that the 47-year-old will be appearing at the tournament this year. No other details were given regarding what role he will have, however.
PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16 2023 will take place from May 27-29, 2023, in London.
McGuinness was released from WWE last October after having been with the company since 2016. He worked various roles during his time with the company, including on commentary for NXT UK, NXT, and Level Up.
During his in-ring career from 1999-2011, McGuinness was a former ROH World and Pure Champion. He performed as Desmond Wolfe in TNA Wrestling from 2009-2011 and was involved in a lengthy program with Kurt Angle.
The PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16 tournament dates back to 2015. Previous winners include Will Ospreay, Malakai Black (as Tommy End), Travis Banks, Zack Sabre Jr, David Starr, and last year’s winner, Chris Ridgeway.
NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov made his first PROGRESS Wrestling appearance in nearly two years at today’s Chapter 128 event in Manchester, England.
Following Cara Noir’s successful defense of the PROGRESS World title, the lights dimmed. Dragunov then appeared in the ring to confront Noir, who claimed the PROGRESS title back in January 2020 in a five-way match also involving Dragunov.
No announcements were made as to a future match, but the angle would indicate that Dragunov is next in line to challenge Noir for PROGRESS’s top title.
Dragunov had not appeared for the company since February 2020.
Dragunov has held the NXT UK Championship since TakeOver 36 in August of 2021. He defeated Gunther, then known as WALTER, to win the title on that show and has since made successful defenses against A-Kid, Jordan Devlin, and Rampage Brown.
Video of the angle between Dragunov and Noir can be seen below.
AEW talent Anthony Ogogo made his PROGRESS Wrestling debut at today’s Chapter 127 event at the Electric Ballroom in London, England.
Ogogo’s unadvertised appearance came in the form of a match against Hari Singh, which Ogogo won with the Tower of London finisher.
Ogogo’s appearance is notable, as it marks the first time that a contracted AEW talent has wrestled in the United Kingdom, according to a PROGRESS press release.
The political implications of the match are worth noting as well, as the PROGRESS event is currently scheduled to be added to WWE’s video library on Peacock and WWE Network next month.
Today’s match was just the twelfth of Ogogo’s entire career. He returned to AEW in December 2021 following a six-month absence related to an eye surgery. Ogogo has had a total of ten eye surgeries.
Ogogo is a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in boxing. His most high-profile wrestling match came at AEW Double or Nothing in May 2021, where he lost to Cody Rhodes.
PROGRESS Wrestling will return to live shows under new ownership in 2022.
It was announced on Friday that British wrestling promotion PROGRESS Wrestling has been sold to Lee McAteer and Martyn Best. The two are associate directors of English Football League Two soccer team Tranmere Rovers, and McAteer is the founder and former CEO of the company Wrestling Travel.
After running empty arena events since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, PROGRESS will return in front of fans at the Electric Ballroom in London on Sunday, January 23. The show, which is titled PROGRESS Chapter 127:’… and the word was PROGRESS,’ will be headlined by Cara Noir defending his PROGRESS World Championship against Chris Ridgeway in a first-to-three falls match.
PROGRESS was founded in 2011 by Jim Smallman and Jon Briley, with the two later being joined by Glen Robinson (who went by the name Glen Joseph). Smallman departed the company in 2019. Robinson left in 2020 amid the #SpeakingOut movement, with a new management team being introduced as a response to #SpeakingOut.
PROGRESS has also announced that they will hold shows in Manchester on Sunday, February 6 and the Electric Ballroom on Sunday, February 20. Jonathan Gresham will be in action at the Manchester show.
PROGRESS shows air on Peacock/WWE Network.
WhatCulture’s Simon Miller will be the new host of PROGRESS Wrestling.
The full press release announcing the sale is available below:
(London, England) PROGRESS Wrestling, the world’s leading independent professional wrestling company confirms that they will return to live shows in 2022 under brand new ownership, heralding an exciting new dawn in the history of the UK’s most exciting wrestling promotion.
PROGRESS Chapter 127: ‘ … and the word was PROGRESS’ will take place at the spiritual home of PROGRESS, The Electric Ballroom in Camden, London on Sunday 23rd January 2022. The show will be main-evented by PROGRESS World Champion, Cara Noir defending his coveted title against Liverpool’s Chris Ridgeway in a first-to-three falls bout.
This return to live shows will come with new owners at the helm of PROGRESS Wrestling. The company has been purchased by Lee McAteer and Martyn Best, directors of English Football League Two stalwarts Tranmere Rovers FC. McAteer and Best will bring their wealth of business and sporting experience to bear to ensure PROGRESS returns strongly to live events and builds upon the success of the past.
McAteer, previously dubbed by various media outlets as ‘Britain’s Best Boss’ by mainstream media, will be well known to wrestling fans already as the founder and former CEO of Wrestling Travel which has quickly become a fond presence among wrestling fan culture, growing enormously since being founded in 2017. He was also founder and CEO of AmeriCamp and Invasion Camp Group.
Best served as the chairman of Everton Tigers, one of the most successful professional clubs in British basketball history and has developed a wide range of other successful business interests.
As well as the 23rd January event, PROGRESS have confirmed an exciting line-up of events further into 2022. The promotion will return to Manchester on Sunday 6th February with a show featuring current Ring of Honor World Champion, Jonathan Gresham. They will then return to the Electric Ballroom on Sunday 20th February, with a line-up that is sure to wow PROGRESS fans new and old. Many further dates around the UK will be confirmed soon.
McAteer said: ‘We are really excited to have acquired PROGRESS Wrestling and wish to place on record our thanks to the previous ownership for having developed such a distinctive wrestling promotion. A feat that must never go unacknowledged. Besty (Martyn) and I are very excited with the opportunity that we now have as the world hopefully returns to normality to re-establish PROGRESS at the position it deserves, as the leading name in British professional wrestling and beyond.
‘Our intention is to reaffirm the word professional into professional wrestling for what is literally a new chapter for not only PROGRESS, but the entire British Wrestling scene.
Best added, ‘I am hugely looking forward to continuing the story of PROGRESS Wrestling with Lee. We have been directors of Tranmere Rovers for a number of years and our collective experience within UK sport and business generally will bring an added dimension to the promotion that will enable it to scale new heights in the coming years.
‘We would also like to place on record our thanks to the PROGRESS team who have helped keep the show on the road over the past 18 months and to our talent who have continued to provide great wrestling despite difficult circumstances. And… of course to the patience and loyalty of all of our fans.’
Another new name joining Team PROGRESS is Simon Miller who will act as the host of the promotion’s events. Miller has established himself as one of the most influential voices in British wrestling over the last few years due to his growing body of in-ring presence and his hugely successful work with WhatCulture Wrestling on social media.
Alex McCarthy, TalkSPORT’s lead on wrestling coverage said ‘The return of PROGRESS Wrestling under new ownership and to live events is fantastic news for UK wrestling. PROGRESS has been a pillar of the British indies and maybe even the leading promotion within the UK prior to the start of the pandemic.
‘Having known Lee for many years, I have no doubt that he and Martyn will bring a new energy and enthusiasm to the promotion and I’m excited to see that reflected in the product. I have to say, I am particularly delighted that Simon Miller is going to be the new ring host, too. With a fresh start and their house in order, it will be an exciting time for PROGRESS – I wish them all the very best of luck.’
In the spirit of new beginnings, tickets for the January 23rd event will go on sale the moment the clock strikes midnight tonight (31st December 2021) to herald the start of the new year and a new chapter for PROGRESS Wrestling. Tickets will be available from www.dice.fm or on the Dice smartphone app.
Further announcements about the event will be made in the coming days as they complete their exciting line-ups.
For the first time in more than a year, London’s PROGRESS Wrestling will return to action with Chapter 104: Natural Progression, debuting on WWE Network next Saturday at 3 PM Eastern for the first time.
According to TalkSport, this is the first of four shows that will be also coming to the Network in upcoming weeks. All were filmed at London’s Theatre Peckham with no fans in attendance. Hustle Malone and Charles Crowley will lead the new commentary team.
The February 20th kickoff will feature the quarterfinals of the seventh Natural Progression Series tournament, designed to put a spotlight on the next generation of British wrestling stars. This year’s field includes Kid Lykos II, Elijah, Big Guns Joe, Man Like Dereiss, Luke Jacobs, Ethan Allen, Danny Black and Warren Banks. Unified Progress champion Cara Noir, Gene Munny, and Millie McKenzie vs. Mercedez Blaze will also be on the card.
One week later, Chapter 105: Bring The Thunder will premiere featuring the semifinals and finals of the tournament and the first-ever female Thunderbastard match: a match where a new entrant comes in every two minutes and can eliminated by pinfall, submission or disqualification.
PROGRESS last ran an event on February 25th of 2020 before the pandemic shut things down.
Coverage of an incredibly newsworthy week is the focus of this week’s double-issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We look at what could be the end of the career of David Starr, his significance in wrestling, the charges made about him by an ex-girlfriend, his response, the response fro companies he was headlining for and a discussion of the bigger picture story and business history on the subject.
The new issue also has:
Most recent COVID-19 case in the WWE, how plans changed for WWE taping, the schedule going forward, the company’s policies on the subject of testing and fans how WWE’s reaction compares to other companies, the politicizing of the COVID story in Orange County and how things could change this week. We also look at how every other company is handling the situation, Kevin Owens not wrestling at next week’s taping, a UFC fighter who just tested positive and a training partner pulled from this week’s who had problems at the Orlando Airport that all the wrestlers that don’t live in the area have to fly into.
More on the departure of Paul Heyman as the head of Raw. We look at Heyman’s goals, USA Network’s reaction, the previous difference between Raw and Smackdown, how Raw has already changed, how the booking this year on Raw had changed, how NXT looked different, as well as a look at how all the wrestling shows have done over the past month and actual drops both from late last year and from early this year in the COVID era.
Talent that was being featured that wasn’t this week and why.
A feature on New Japan Pro Wrestling opening up, talking about the first shows, plus New Japan Cup coverage with match-by-match and star ratings, and where the tournament goes this week.
One of the most significant issues in MMA, weight cutting,and how another sport handles the situation.
A feature on the stockholders lawsuit against WWE regarding Saudi Arabia including two secret witnesses and what they have said about the television negotiations and what really happened after the October show when talent couldn’t get out of the country.
Full coverage of Backlash, noting the Randy Orton vs. Edge match, match-by-match coverage with star ratings as well as poll results on the show.
More on the XFL’s demise, a huge story regarding TV rights and how it relates to WWE & AEW when their deals are up, Evolve not running new shows, WWE and new touring shows, new TV series based on the life of a wrestling star, Sports ratings for the past week, Canadian ratings for the past week, most-watched shows on WWE Network and WWE’s current market value.
Mustafa Ali talking the behavior of the police, replacement feud on Smackdown and why, Drew McIntyre talks current scene, the stalker returns to Performance Center, Randy Orton talks Tommaso Ciampa, Wade Barrett talks booking idea he was given, plus next week’s TV stuff.
Coverage of this past week’s UFC show.
A back of the book feature on Johnny “Mr. Wrestling II” Walker. We’ve got his unbelievably long career title history, a look back at Georgia Wrestling in the 70s and 80s, his early days as Johnny Walker, how far masked wrestlers went to keep their identities secret, Jim Cornette talks the one time he saw him without his mask and working with him in Mid South, Les Thatcher talks their friendship clothes, the kneelift, the birth of the gimmick and it taking off, his famous match with Junkyard Dog in New Orleans, and his period as the No. 2 babyface in the 60s in an opposition promotion in New York. We also look at his criminal record updated.
In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about the darkest week in wrestling history, as well as Raw, New Japan Cup and other news. You can send questions to the show to [email protected]
It certainly appears Joey Ryan and Dave Crist are done with Impact. Ryan was in a match taped for tomorrow night’s show and that will probably be his last appearance with the promotion. I think there’s really no choice there.
Jim Cornette on the Drive Thru gave his side of the story regarding the claims against him and his wife. The irony of some aspects of this between Jim talking about people bullying his wife given some of the stuff he’s done, and people talking about her looks after what he said about Dana Brooke is on one side, and also the people bullying his wife and talking about her looks regarding aspects of a story, some of which regarding statements about the athletic commission and the timeline of Cornette’s involvement in OVW having ended years before the guy in question ever came to Louisville that are clearly bullshit just weeks after Hana Kimura is sad.
Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees has recommended that everyone in the state wear masks when outside their home unless eating or exercising due to COVID-19. AEW is taping on Wednesday and WWE tapes on Friday. Tonight’s Raw was taped this past Wednesday before the Orange County order came into being.
Progress has made changes in management has Glen Robinson and Matt Richards are leaving and James Amner, Lucy Cave, Vickie Haskins and Michael Oku are now involved as management. Most of the top guys with the promotion have had ties with them being mentioned in different stories including Travis Banks, Jordan Devlin, David Starr, Scotty Davis, El Ligero and referee Marc Perry. Richards has not been accused of anything but said he has fallen out of love with wrestling.
There is no Being the Elite this week. That is due to all the things that have come out. Kenny Omega tweeted about it briefly but it is over some realization that the business they were trying to change for the better is in some cases and places a lot worse than we all realized. I think there is a realization that some of the comedy skits from the past that were fine then look bad now, particularly with Joey Ryan.
WWE
Raw tonight is being called championship Monday with Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair for the women’s title, Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. The Iiconics for the women’s tag titles, Street Profits vs. Viking Raiders for the men’s tag titles, R-Truth vs. Akira Tozawa and the Ninjas for the 24/7 title plus Ric Flair appears to anoint Randy Orton the greatest wrestler of all-time, Rey Mysterio confronts Seth Rollins and Edge talks about his future. That sounds like a show that should do well above usual ratings.
Roman Reigns, Jeff Hardy, Jeff Jarrett, Dana Brooke, R-Truth, Jey Uso, and Wesley Blake will be raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society tonight during Raw.
FS1 will be airing the 2008 Royal Rumble at 7 p.m. tomorrow unless things change. The show also features Edge vs. Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy (this match was huge at the time), Ric Flair vs.MVP, JBL vs. Chris Jericho and the Rumble.
UFC
Jon Jones teased fighting Mike Tyson in a boxing match if Tyson promised to give him a rematch under MMA rules. That is not going to happen by the way.
Anthony Smith vs. Alexander Rakic will be airing on the 8/29 show.
Mariya Agapova vs. Shana Dobson has been added to the 8/22 show.
MISCELLANEOUS
The final first round matches of the New Japan Cup take place at 6 a.m. Eastern tomorrow morning on New Japan World:
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yoshi-Hashi
Yoh vs. Bushi
Satoshi Kojima vs. Evil
Hirooki Goto vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. has the first set of second round matches
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Toru Yano vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Kazuchika Okada vs. Yuji Nagata
Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Taiji Ishimori
Due to my rules of not watching New Japan before Raw on Mondays (not to mention how busy news is, I haven’t watched today’s show. What I was told is not to watch it before Raw even if I had time.
Dwayne Johnson will be hosting a concert on 6/27 called Global Goal”: Unite for Our Future.
There was a tweet by NWALegends.com which was since taken down that appears to be leading to Billy Corgan going after the group for using the NWA name, which he owns. The person who tweeted has no affiliation with the NWA. The tweet said, “I’m about sick of reading these #SpeakingOut pieces. I’m sure some are legit and I feel bad for those folks. But a lot I’ve read mention hotel room and bathrooms. Not blaming all victims, but jeez, if you ended up alone with a guy in a bathroom or hotel room, you were a rat.” Yeah, that’s one ignorant tweet. Also, let’s please retire the word “rat” while we’re at it.
David Marquez, who is affiliated with the NWA, wrote, “This is beyond fucked up Greg. Greg Price has no affiliation with the NWA. It’s time you find our own identity before @billy and co. does it for you.”‘s
Impact tomorrow night:
Susie vs. Taya Valkyrie
Cody Deaner & Cousin Jake & Willie Mack vs. Johnny Swinger & Chris Bey & ?
Cancel Culture vs. Crazzy Steve & 2 mystery guys
Ehren Schaffter is looking at doing a book on independent wrestlers and is looking for both male and female independent wrestlers to talk with at [email protected]
WrestleCon has announced a 2021 convention from 3/25 to 3/28 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles in conjunction with next year’s WrestleMania.
An interview with MLW’s Alex Hammerstone is at The Wrestling Estate
Entertainment reporter and founder of Reel Talker, Jim Alexander, interviewed Stu Bennett “Wade Barrett”.
PROGRESS updated their list of talent that will no longer be working for them, announcing Saturday that both Ligero and Travis Banks will no longer appear for the promotion.
Previously, they had been suspended indefinitely.
The news comes following more information coming to light regarding both men. Wrestler Millie Mckenzie opened up about her relationship with Banks on Twitter, accusing him of manipulation and creating an unsafe working environment. She also posted text messages detailing him harassing her while outside her hotel room door. Multiple women have also come forwardaccusing Ligero of manipulation, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
Both David Starr and referee Marc “Paz” Perry were announced as no longer working for the promotion while tag team champions Jordan Devlin and Scotty Davis were suspended indefinitely and the titles vacated.
“We take all these allegations extremely seriously,” the company’s statement said. “Those under suspension will have their situation reviewed periodically between now and events starting again. We continue to monitor and listen to the Speaking Out movement so that we can take appropriate action where necessary.”
PROGRESS Wrestling has issued a statement regarding the #SpeakingOut movement and announced a list of talent departures and suspensions after allegations that were made.
“We take these allegations extremely seriously. Those under suspension will have their situation reviewed periodically between now, and events starting again,” PROGRESS wrote. “We continue to monitor and listen to the Speaking Out movement so that we can take appropriate action where necessary.”
PROGRESS’ statement about #SpeakingOut is available below:
The last couple of days feel like a watershed moment for the British wrestling scene.
Stories being bravely told, about abuse that has been suffered within the wrestling business, are heartbreaking and eye-opening.
We stand with you, and we hear you. Please keep speaking out.
We have spent today consulting with trusted colleagues within the wrestling business about how we can improve our work environment and make it safer for all involved – talent, crew and fans. These have been incredibly positive discussions and we are excited to get to work making them reality.
It will take time, but as a wrestling community we can clean this scene up and make it better, and safer.
—–
From a personal perspective –
Whether victim, friend, casual acquaintance or colleague – no-one should feel guilty for not seeing the signs of abuse. The nature of the abuser is that they are adept at hiding in plain sight.
—–
As a company we have consistently removed obscene and abusive fans, with the aid of our production crew. We have a ‘banned’ list which gets circulated to all the venues in which we work, so that even if someone on that ‘banned’ list gets a ticket indirectly, security won’t let them in at the door.
We’ve been in business for 8 years now. As is to be expected over the course of that time, there have been incidents between fans, and very occasionally between wrestlers and fans. Where possible, action has been taken. Where appropriate and where a criminal offence may have been committed, we have advised people to take the matter to the police. These approaches will be reviewed and extended with additional support pathways
PROGRESS doesn’t have anyone under contract. Everyone who works for the company is freelance; what this means in practice is that when they’re on the clock for us, we are ultimately responsible for what they do; once they’ve left the building, they’re an adult and responsible for their own behaviour.
—–
Thank you for reading. As of this month we are taking steps to diversify our core team, and wider circle of those with whom we consult, and we will learn from this watershed moment.
—–
If you have been a victim of abuse, here are some links which may be helpful:
VICTIM SUPPORT (support and practical help for trauma sufferers) – 0808 168 9111
RAPE CRISIS (for girls or women who have been sexually assaulted) – 0808 802 9999
REFUGE (24 hour crisis line for women suffering from domestic violence) – 0808 200 0247
SAMARITANS (for anyone in a crisis) – 116 123
MEN’S ADVICE LINE (for men suffering from domestic violence) – 0808 801 0327
PROGRESS returned to the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London on Sunday for Chapter 103: “Beer Snake City.” The show saw Cara Noir defend the Unified World Championship in the main event.
– Pre-show: Rocky Mac defeated Josef Kafka
The main show started with new ring announcer Matt Richards announcing that Charli Evans and Tag Team Champion Jordan Devlin’s injuries meant that some changes had to be done to the card. Instead of the advertised tag match of Toni Storm & Jinny vs. Evans & Millie McKenzie, Storm would instead take on McKenzie one-on-one. Scotty Davis would still face the WorkHorsemen in a non-title match with a replacement partner.
– Scotty Davis & Eddie Kingston defeated The WorkHorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry)
Davis pinned Henry for the win. Drake and Kingston had some very hard chop exchanges, while Davis and Henry had a mat-based technical contest with some boxing in between.
– Gisele Shaw defeated Chakara
Shaw got the win by submission. The fans were cheering for her initially, but she gradually dialed up the aggression and started showing off, turning the crowd in favor of Chakara.
– The Anti Fun Police (Chief Deputy Dunne & Los Federales Santos Jr.) & WALTER defeated More Than Hype (LJ Cleary, Nathan Martin & Darren Kearney)
WALTER remained completely serious and refused to partake in Dunne and Santos’ comedy spots in this match. More Than Hype applied a lot of teamwork offense that the crowd ate up.
– Proteus Championship match: Paul Robinson defeated Kyle Fletcher via TKO to retain
Fletcher made use of his size advantage and took control over the champion. The action quickly went outside where chairs were used. Robinson was awarded the victory via TKO after backing Fletcher into the corner and rapidly hitting a flurry of punches to which Fletcher had no answer for.
After the match, Robinson cut an off-the-cuff promo where he explained the rules to the crowd.
– Millie McKenzie defeated Toni Storm
McKenzie hit a spear after Storm was distracted by Charli Evans who was stood on the stage. The Medusa Complex beat down Storm after the match before PROGRESS Women’s Champion Jinny came out to even the odds.
After much deliberation, Storm shook Jinny’s hand before they walked to the back.
– Ilja Dragunov defeated Malik
Dragunov got the win with a Torpedo Moscow running uppercut.
After a post-match moment of respect between both men, Eddie Kingston ran out to attack Dragunov. He cut a promo where he claimed he made people like Adam Cole and Matt Riddle, and said that he is tired of putting people over. He finished the promo by telling Dragunov that after he is done with him, he is coming for his “boyfriend,” referring to Cara Noir.
– PROGRESS Unified World Championship: Cara Noir defeated Mark Andrews to retain
Just as Noir’s entrance was about to climax, Eddie Dennis nudged him with his foot, causing an angry Cara Noir to go straight after Mark Andrews. The crowd was electric throughout this match, firmly in favor of Noir. The finish came as Andrews hit Fall to Pieces, but Noir kicked out and quickly applied a rear naked choke to which Andrews tapped out.
PROGRESS’ next show takes place on Sunday, March 29 with Chapter 104: “Jeff Goldblum’s Fly Machine.”
PROGRESS Wrestling held its first show of the year Sunday at the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London, marking the start of a new era in the company as Matt Richards takes over from Jim Smallman as the face of the organization.
Dark match: Warren Banks defeated Rudy Ryan (7:20)
Ryan controlled the early stages of the match until Banks caught him with a spear as he dove from the top rope.
The main show started with PROGRESS Unified World Champion Eddie Dennis interrupting Matt Richards to announce that he is not able to wrestle tonight due to a shoulder injury he sustained at Friday’s NXT UK taping. Dennis wanted to hand the title over to FSU stablemate Mark Andrews.
It was then announced that the main event would be a four-way elimination match for the suddenly vacant world title. Cara Noir was already scheduled to challenge for the title, whereas the three remaining spots would be decided by the other matches on the show: Ilja Dragunov vs. Mark Andrews, LJ Cleary vs. Kyle Fletcher, and A-Kid vs. Paul Robinson.
Main event qualifier: Ilja Dragunov defeated Mark Andrews (0:08)
Dragunov quickly hit a Torpedo Moscow and pinned Andrews to advance to the main event.
Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley) defeated More Than Hype (Nathan Martin & Darren Kearney) (14:13)
Main event qualifier: Kyle Fletcher defeated LJ Cleary (16:30)
Cleary was pinned after he was hit with a lawn dart into a pumphandle tombstone piledriver. Fletcher, who advanced to the main event, came out to new music and a new entrance video to match his revamped aesthetic.
Main event qualifier: PROGRESS Proteus Champion Paul Robinson defeated A-Kid (9:44)
Per Robinson’s stipulation, the match could only be won by knockout or submission. He submitted A-Kid with a half-crab after transitioning from a curb stomp, advancing to the main event.
Destination Everywhere (The O.J.M.O, Charlie Carter & Oisin Delaney) defeated Do Not Resuscitate (Spike Trivet, William Eaver & Danny Duggan) (14:22)
O.J.M.O pinned Duggan with a frog splash.
PROGRESS Women’s World Champion Jinny defeated Mercedez Blaze (5:55) to retain
Jinny hit Blaze with an Acid Rainmaker to retain her title via pin. The match was reportedly going very well, but the finish came rather suddenly. Afterward, Jinny changed the Chapter 102 match between Dani Luna and Gisele Shaw into a three-way match, stating that it should be for her PROGRESS Women’s title. Just as she finished speaking, she was attacked from both sides by the Medusa Complex (Millie McKenzie and Charli Evans).
Cara Noir defeated Ilja Dragunov, Kyle Fletcher, and Paul Robinson in a four-way elimination match to become the new PROGRESS Unified World Champion (24:36)
Robinson was the first to be eliminated as Fletcher pinned him in 12:22. Fletcher was next out as Noir eliminated him via pinfall in 18:45. The final two came down to Dragunov and Noir, who earned each other’s respect in a recent trilogy. Noir pinned Dragunov in 24:36 with a Torpedo Moscow and a package piledriver to kick off his first reign as PROGRESS World Champion. The match was very well-received and the atmosphere at the Ballroom was intense throughout.
PROGRESS’ next outing sees the promotion’s Welsh debut as Chapter 102 emanates from the Tramshed in Cardiff on February 2nd.
PROGRESS Wrestling presented its fourth annual “Unboxing Live” mystery show at the Electric Ballroom in London on Monday.
The event also happened to be the historic 100th chapter show for the promotion and was co-founder Jim Smallman’s final PROGRESS show before leaving the company. Here are the results:
– Roy Johnson issued a Wasteman Challenge (a comedy rap battle). The challenge was answered by Ligero, Scotty Davis, Chris Ridgeway, The Anti-Fun Police, Gene Munny, and Kid Lykos.
After winning the rap battle, Lykos was allowed to pick the stipulation for a multi-man match. The crowd erupted when Smallman revealed that Lykos had chosen a reverse battle royal. This prompted an appearance from Travis Banks’ alter-ego, “Stupid Sexy Trav.”
– Chief Deputy Dunne won the reverse battle royal
This was a lot of fun. PROGRESS have often joked about doing a reverse battle royal where competitors are eliminated after being thrown into the ring. Dunne eliminated PROGRESS Tag Team Champion Scotty Davis to win the match.
– Ilja Dragunov defeated Kyle Fletcher
Dragunov got the win with a Torpedo Moscow running uppercut. This was exceptional. Dragunov and Fletcher were very evenly matched throughout and there were a lot of kickouts as a result.
– PROGRESS Unified World Champion Eddie Dennis defeated The OJMO to retain his title
Dennis pushed The OJMO into the referee on multiple occasions. The first time, it favored The OJMO as he got the visual pinfall victory with a frog splash. The second time, Dennis capitalized and pinned The OJMO after hitting the Next Stop Driver.
– PROGRESS Women’s Champion Jinny came down to the ring and said that she was supposed to face Toni Storm, but Storm was unfortunately unable to wrestle due to illness.
Jinny then cut a fiery promo in which she highlighted the importance of the women’s division in PROGRESS’ history and promised to become the focal point of the promotion in 2020.
– Cara Noir defeated Paul Robinson, Connor Mills, and Mark Haskins in a four-way match
This match was not for Robinson’s Proteus Championship. Noir got the pinfall victory after hitting Mills with a package piledriver. The PROGRESS fans gave Haskins a hero’s welcome as he returned to the Electric Ballroom.
– Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) defeated Dan Moloney & Rampage Brown
The crowd went wild for Rampage Brown’s return, especially so as he entered to his original copyrighted theme song. He had a hard-hitting chop battle with Seven and displayed tremendous power at the expense of Bate.
Moustache Mountain hit a knee-assisted Birminghammer on Moloney and Seven picked up the win by pinfall.
– Jimmy Havoc defeated David Starr in a death match
Havoc entered to his copyrighted theme song, which generated an incredible atmosphere at the Electric Ballroom. The match was gruesome — thumbtacks, chopsticks, and barbed wire boards were all used and both Starr and Havoc were busted open early on.
Havoc hit a brutal piledriver off the apron through a table on the outside and eventually got the win with an Acid Rainmaker.
The show ended with Smallman thanking the crowd one last time and hugging PROGRESS co-owners and NXT UK colleagues Glen Joseph and Jon Briley on the stage. Smallman will be greatly missed by the PROGRESS fans, but an exciting new era of PROGRESS awaits.
PROGRESS returns to the Electric Ballroom on Sunday, January 19. Cara Noir will challenge Eddie Dennis for the Unified World Championship on the show.
