PROGRESS Chapter 53: Fate Loves The Fearless
Jim Smallman Intro - There's a lady that was supposed to give birth three days ago, it would suck if she needs to walk out during the Banks vs Lee match.
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship No 1 Contendership Match
Last show ETed fucked up the finish and took CCK's momentum, an so now CCK gets their revenge! ETed cut a promo before the match, good stuff. One half of ETed is Aaron Solow, better known as Bayley's boyfriend, so he used that to get some heat. ETed had the heat on Lykos for about 5% of the match and the rest was just a tornado tag stuff, tons of spots, flips to the outside
Post-match - Pissed off, but ETed offers the hand shake to CCK.
Spud for some reason was doing young boy duties.
This feud really makes me miss Sebastian. It was a good match, tons of Mambo shenanigans, mostly back and forward, I just don't care much about these guys. Dunne got the win with a draping DDT. Dunne confiscated Mambo's necklace to put along the other things he has taken so far.
NSD are making their chapter debut. Zack Gibson among the boos cut a promo, the important part here was that The Origin is dead, Nathan Cruz is gone fro PROGRESS, and now him and Drake are a team. The match was good, but NSD still felt a big green at times, some spots they were just to slow, like trying to calculate what they're doing; Drake and Gibson on the other hand, this has a lot of potential, Drake brings out the brutality in Gibson, and let's be honest, neither guy was doing anything that would lead to a title, so they can build them up as a team for now. Finish was a assisted codebreaker thing by Drake and Gibson for the win.
PROGRESS Atlas Championship No 1 Contendership Match
The riots collide! These guys start by slapping each other, they ask each other "are we gonna do this?", they shake hands and proceed to Frye/Takayama each other and just kick each other's ass. After brawling for a while outside, Davis was about to be counted out, but Lynch himself stopped the ref in the last second so Davis could make it in. They continued beating each other up for the rest of the match. Towards the end of the match, Lynch missed a Spiral Tap where he played out getting injured, the ref wants to throw the match out but Rob stops him saying that he wants to continue, James Davis just tells him to bring it, which he does with only one arm. A minute later, Davis locks in a submission on the injured arm and Lynch taps out. Awesome match, they embraced after the match.
Post-match - Rob Lynch cut a promo saying that this is his last match due to health and money issues. Both him and Davis are crying. As Lynch kneels to kiss the PROGRESS sign, Davis turns heel and breaks the cricket bat on Lynch's back! Locks in the same submission, leaves him unconscious and calls him a loser, shits on Lynch always losing everything (house, money, dad, etc) and now he is leaving him too. Awesome angle, but now i'm not even sure that retirement was legit. Mark this date, The London Riots have broken up.
When I said I didn't want more tall lanky banana hand wrestlers, I didn't mean give me Sexsmith! This is some monkey paw shit right here. Dunne jumped Sexsmith before the match started, he kicked his ass around the ring, the staff tried to protect the fans, and so Dunne started hitting them too. While Dunne was busy with one staff member, Sexsmith took the opening to climb the ropes and take them all out.
Back in the ring (now the match started), Sexsmith was initially in control, but Dunne turned that around quickly and proceeded to beat to kick Sexsmith's ass for a while. Sexsmith had several hope spots and comebacks, but Dunne would always cut him off or kick out and get back in control. Dunne finally put him out with the Bitter End. This was almost a squash, but of all people I had a bad feeling that Sexsmith was getting the win.
PROGRESS Women's Championship Match
I honestly can't remember the last time I saw Candice fight another women one-on-one. Candice was good as was the match, but simply comparing it against the last show's match, or the Chapter 49 3-way, and this wasn't thaat good. Candice has that thing that running the ropes takes forever and it looks staged. The match was back and forward with Storm hitting three piledrivers for the win.
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Match
Right now would be a good time for a UK promotion like PROGRESS to organize a tag team tournament, there are just so many good tag teams out there right now. Story of the match was that Haskins and Havoc are good enough by themselves to take out either of BSS, but BSS's teamwork is faar superior, so H/H couldn't seal the deal. Finish saw Havoc and Haskins lock up BSS on submissions, but suddenly Dunne comes out with Vicky Haskins by the hair, so obiously Haskins goes after him leaving Havoc alone with BSS, Bate lowblows Havoc and rolls him up for the successful defense.
Post-match - Havoc calls out Haskins for not focusing on the match, Haskins doesn't stand down. They're getting face to face and and Vicky tries to stop them and get in-between them, among the arguing, Havoc pushes Vicky, so Haskins goes berserk on Havoc and they get into a huge pull apart with tons of wrestlers coming out to separate them. Perfect segment.
Lee's entrance song is awesome, he also hasn't shaved, so he kinda looks like if Neil deGrasse Tyson was shot with Gamma Rays. Dunne is on guest commentary, he has his sledgehammer, he attacked RJ Singh (not with the hammer) to get his chair. This was the quintessential HUGE man vs small man with tons of fire.
Keith Lee dominated most of the match, just throwing him around all over the place, slams, bombs, drops, tosses, everything; in addition, Lee's chops on Travis left a new tattoo on the chest. Travis, on his side, had to use his quickness and strikes to hurt Lee, slowly cutting him down to his feet. As Banks starts to gain some momentum towards the end, Dunne comes down to the ring and this gives Lee the opening to pin Banks. Banks keeps losing towards Alexandria, but making new allies via wrestling.
Post-match - BSS attack Banks, everyone chants for CCK, who come down, but Dunne takes them out with the hammer. BSS gets rid of CCK and they're about to kill Travis. Suddenly, KEEP 100! THE SOUTH PACIFIC POWER COUPLE ARE BACK!! PEOPLE ARE HUGGING IN THE CROWD! They run off BSS with chairs. Dahlia coming out with a chair was an awesome touch, SPPC was always supposed to be a tag team, not a wrestler/valet thing, so she coming out with the chair does make SPPT seem more like a trio. Travis now finds himself between CCK and SPPT. It's awkward. I'm crying of joy. Fuck, I missed that song.
Ups and downs with this show, but the ups were fucking incredible, i'm still crying of joy from that main event and closing segment. Two tag teams broke tonight, both very well done and both had been boiling for months now, but so many angles do kinda overshadow the others, but you can tell some things are being pushed forward towards the big Alexandria show where shit is definitely hitting the fan.
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship No 1 Contendership Match
CCK vs Extra Talent-ed - 7/10
Last show ETed fucked up the finish and took CCK's momentum, an so now CCK gets their revenge! ETed cut a promo before the match, good stuff. One half of ETed is Aaron Solow, better known as Bayley's boyfriend, so he used that to get some heat. ETed had the heat on Lykos for about 5% of the match and the rest was just a tornado tag stuff, tons of spots, flips to the outside
Post-match - Pissed off, but ETed offers the hand shake to CCK.
Spud for some reason was doing young boy duties.
Chuck Mambo vs Chief Deputy Dunne - 6/10
This feud really makes me miss Sebastian. It was a good match, tons of Mambo shenanigans, mostly back and forward, I just don't care much about these guys. Dunne got the win with a draping DDT. Dunne confiscated Mambo's necklace to put along the other things he has taken so far.
Never Say Die vs Zack Gibson & James Drake - 6.5/10
NSD are making their chapter debut. Zack Gibson among the boos cut a promo, the important part here was that The Origin is dead, Nathan Cruz is gone fro PROGRESS, and now him and Drake are a team. The match was good, but NSD still felt a big green at times, some spots they were just to slow, like trying to calculate what they're doing; Drake and Gibson on the other hand, this has a lot of potential, Drake brings out the brutality in Gibson, and let's be honest, neither guy was doing anything that would lead to a title, so they can build them up as a team for now. Finish was a assisted codebreaker thing by Drake and Gibson for the win.
PROGRESS Atlas Championship No 1 Contendership Match
James Davis vs Rob Lynch - 8.5/10
The riots collide! These guys start by slapping each other, they ask each other "are we gonna do this?", they shake hands and proceed to Frye/Takayama each other and just kick each other's ass. After brawling for a while outside, Davis was about to be counted out, but Lynch himself stopped the ref in the last second so Davis could make it in. They continued beating each other up for the rest of the match. Towards the end of the match, Lynch missed a Spiral Tap where he played out getting injured, the ref wants to throw the match out but Rob stops him saying that he wants to continue, James Davis just tells him to bring it, which he does with only one arm. A minute later, Davis locks in a submission on the injured arm and Lynch taps out. Awesome match, they embraced after the match.
Post-match - Rob Lynch cut a promo saying that this is his last match due to health and money issues. Both him and Davis are crying. As Lynch kneels to kiss the PROGRESS sign, Davis turns heel and breaks the cricket bat on Lynch's back! Locks in the same submission, leaves him unconscious and calls him a loser, shits on Lynch always losing everything (house, money, dad, etc) and now he is leaving him too. Awesome angle, but now i'm not even sure that retirement was legit. Mark this date, The London Riots have broken up.
Pete Dunne vs Jack Sexsmith - 5/10
When I said I didn't want more tall lanky banana hand wrestlers, I didn't mean give me Sexsmith! This is some monkey paw shit right here. Dunne jumped Sexsmith before the match started, he kicked his ass around the ring, the staff tried to protect the fans, and so Dunne started hitting them too. While Dunne was busy with one staff member, Sexsmith took the opening to climb the ropes and take them all out.
Back in the ring (now the match started), Sexsmith was initially in control, but Dunne turned that around quickly and proceeded to beat to kick Sexsmith's ass for a while. Sexsmith had several hope spots and comebacks, but Dunne would always cut him off or kick out and get back in control. Dunne finally put him out with the Bitter End. This was almost a squash, but of all people I had a bad feeling that Sexsmith was getting the win.
PROGRESS Women's Championship Match
Toni Storm (C) vs Candice LeRae - 6.5/10
I honestly can't remember the last time I saw Candice fight another women one-on-one. Candice was good as was the match, but simply comparing it against the last show's match, or the Chapter 49 3-way, and this wasn't thaat good. Candice has that thing that running the ropes takes forever and it looks staged. The match was back and forward with Storm hitting three piledrivers for the win.
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Match
British Strong Style (C) vs Jimmy Havoc & Mark Haskins - 8.5/10
Right now would be a good time for a UK promotion like PROGRESS to organize a tag team tournament, there are just so many good tag teams out there right now. Story of the match was that Haskins and Havoc are good enough by themselves to take out either of BSS, but BSS's teamwork is faar superior, so H/H couldn't seal the deal. Finish saw Havoc and Haskins lock up BSS on submissions, but suddenly Dunne comes out with Vicky Haskins by the hair, so obiously Haskins goes after him leaving Havoc alone with BSS, Bate lowblows Havoc and rolls him up for the successful defense.
Post-match - Havoc calls out Haskins for not focusing on the match, Haskins doesn't stand down. They're getting face to face and and Vicky tries to stop them and get in-between them, among the arguing, Havoc pushes Vicky, so Haskins goes berserk on Havoc and they get into a huge pull apart with tons of wrestlers coming out to separate them. Perfect segment.
"Limitless" Keith Lee vs "The Kiwi-Buzzsaw" Travis Banks - 9/10
Lee's entrance song is awesome, he also hasn't shaved, so he kinda looks like if Neil deGrasse Tyson was shot with Gamma Rays. Dunne is on guest commentary, he has his sledgehammer, he attacked RJ Singh (not with the hammer) to get his chair. This was the quintessential HUGE man vs small man with tons of fire.
Keith Lee dominated most of the match, just throwing him around all over the place, slams, bombs, drops, tosses, everything; in addition, Lee's chops on Travis left a new tattoo on the chest. Travis, on his side, had to use his quickness and strikes to hurt Lee, slowly cutting him down to his feet. As Banks starts to gain some momentum towards the end, Dunne comes down to the ring and this gives Lee the opening to pin Banks. Banks keeps losing towards Alexandria, but making new allies via wrestling.
Post-match - BSS attack Banks, everyone chants for CCK, who come down, but Dunne takes them out with the hammer. BSS gets rid of CCK and they're about to kill Travis. Suddenly, KEEP 100! THE SOUTH PACIFIC POWER COUPLE ARE BACK!! PEOPLE ARE HUGGING IN THE CROWD! They run off BSS with chairs. Dahlia coming out with a chair was an awesome touch, SPPC was always supposed to be a tag team, not a wrestler/valet thing, so she coming out with the chair does make SPPT seem more like a trio. Travis now finds himself between CCK and SPPT. It's awkward. I'm crying of joy. Fuck, I missed that song.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Ups and downs with this show, but the ups were fucking incredible, i'm still crying of joy from that main event and closing segment. Two tag teams broke tonight, both very well done and both had been boiling for months now, but so many angles do kinda overshadow the others, but you can tell some things are being pushed forward towards the big Alexandria show where shit is definitely hitting the fan.