PROGRESS Chapter 63: Take Me Underground
Jim Smallman Intro - He was practicing his auctioneer job because I couldn't understand a single thing he said, but there was a standing ovation, so it was probably nice. I did, however understand what the fans said, and that was DON'T BE A DICK!
Natural Progression Series V First Round Match
Trivet has slightly changed his attire to a whole different era, but still the same gimmick, he does not look like a total douchbag now tho. Really good opener that for a moment was degenerating into a brawl, but they brought it back into the ring. Parker won.
Post-match - Trivet breaks the champagne bottle over the back of Parker's head and walks off. Drew eventually just gets up and walks to the back.
In case you've missed the developments, House of Couture is the new Jinny-lead stable of Chakara and Nina Samuels. We got a pissed off Toni tonight that went straight for Nina as she made her entrance. Morgan looks soo much like Laura Di Matteo tonight that it only made her miss her more.
Match saw HoC get heat on Toni for a while until she made a comeback and was able to reach Morgan. Match ended soon after with Storm pinning Chakara after the piledriver. With Morgan there, I don't know why the debuting stable didn't get a win, but I guess this is good fuel for Jinny. Nina Samuels was great tonight working the powerhouse role.
There was a point early in the match that Jinny got involved and attacked Toni, and nothing against her, Jinny is awesome and all, but Toni Storm shouldn't be selling like that to a one-arm Jinny.
Post-match - Storm cut a promo that she botched saying pirate instead of private, but it ended up working out for her because the fans started making fun of Jinny. Storm says that it's ok Jinny has friends because Storm has people to watch her back, as she turns, Charlie Morgan superkicks Storm and joins House of Couture! Awesome execution.
A good babyface on babyface match that started with a lot of mat wrestling and counters and ended an aerial affair with tons of counters and reversals. Match was going great and coming to a close when Vicky Haskins came out, distracted Webster by taking his helmet, leaving him open for Andrews to hit the Slumdog Millionaire and the SSP for the win. Didn't work out like last week.
Post-match - As Webster is walking out, Eddie Dennis came out, Webster didn't even try to warn Andrews. Cut a promo on the fans and knocked out Andrews, he grabs a chair and is about to Pillmineze his leg when the ring crew saves Andrews. Dennis attacks some of the staff as he walks out. Andrews looked like a total geek here again for being saved by normal humans and running away.
Man, Sabre comes out with a kick-ass Idles' song and then Bate has to follow up with that dork-ass song. This was an awesome submission-mat-wrestling encounter, until Sabre's offense really started hurting Bate, and Bate had to resort to strikes, which as we know, Sabre is no stranger to. Match saw Sabre work Bate's arm from every angle, everything that Bate went for, Sabre had a counter into the arm, where Bate only had his incredible strength to get out. Sabre verbally submitted Bate with a weird looking Butcher's Hook submission. This match was 98% Sabre giving you a class on submission.
Jack Sexsmith Promo - Ok promo saying that Manchester once made him realize that he needed to get serious, and once again, he is here to announce that he is challenging for the World Title at Chapter 69 in Manchester as per stipulation of wining that scramble match at chapter 59.
See? That's the awesome song that Bate should had come out too. As with usual Seven matches, it took forever to start the match. This was back and forward, some comedy at first, but it quickly got serious. Riddle and Dunne paired up mostly, while Seven was pairing up with Starr the most, it was like that until the closing run when all four men went Tornado Tag, and even then, Riddle and Dunne were facing off, to the point that I'm wondering if one or the other is challenging for the other's title. Finish saw Dunne pin Starr with the Bitter End as Seven had taken out Riddle outside. Great match.
PROGRESS Atlas Championship Match
WALTER chopped Davis' skin off in the first minute of the match. Yes, Davis is fucking bleeding from knife-edge chops! From this point on, every chop made me cringe. Fuck! This was two huge dude just beating the shit out of each other, Davis had no chance, but god dang, he took the punishment and kept coming. WALTER won by submission of all things when he locked in a Sleeper. Jesus fuck, look up this match or at least pictures of Davis' chest after the match.
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Match
As the commentary sold it, this is a match between two incredibly hated teams right now, but it's also the best tag team vs the best winning streak in PROGRESS. Vicky came out holding Webster's helmet. Gibson cut his usual pre-match promo.
Match was really fast paced from the start, and somewhat back and forward with the exception of a small heel in peril run that Haskins had. After Havoc finally got the tag, we went into a huge long match of cheating, starting with Havoc's hot tag that was all eye pokes, do Vicky constantly distracting the ref so both teams would trade low blows and clear pins. The lack-lusting finish saw Webster distract Drake when Webster came back for his helmet, leaving Drake alone and ready for H&H to hit the Acid Rainmaker Combo for the win. Webster was incredibly confused and worried because he in a way helped H&H win the titles. I didn't think the match was that amazing, but this angle with Webster is most definitely interesting.
Banks vs Cooper vs Brookes Build Up Video - Great, but going all out to make this production tells me they should have promoted this match at least one extra chapter.
PROGRESS World Championship 3-Way Match
It really bothers me that Brookes comes out with Lykos while Cooper leaves Dahlia Black behind and Banks is always running solo, it really gives me a lot of heel vibes from Brookes.
Early on they started doing the chairs/staff spot they did in the Cooper v Banks match, but now it involved Brookes, all three men were just throwing chairs at each other for a while, referee obviously sucked at keeping control but since it's 3-way and Glenn told us, this is no DQs. Once they were done playing with chairs, they got in the ring and started fighting together, it was mostly every man for themselves, but if you ask me, I saw a lot more CCK teaming up on Cooper than SPPT teaming up on Brookes. Towards the end of the match, both challengers started getting more perverted for gold as they started going for weapons again, Cooper would visually have a moral dilemma while Brookes was more open about breaking Lykos' frame over Banks' head. Finish Brookes take out Cooper while Banks made Brookes tap out.
There was a really scary spot with Cooper hitting a top rope Spanish Fly on BOTH guys, but TK didn't fully rotate and landed himself on the top of his head or neck (couldn't properly see), but I guess he was ok because he just got up and powered up.
Post-match - Banks offers a hand shake to both men before leaving. Left in the ring, Brookes offers a hand to Cooper, but Cooper plays the circle game on Brookes and knocks him out. A pretty bad booking move in my opinion, after this match you had the easy and logical move to create the South Pacific Calamary Krew while Lykos heals and do this very same break up after feuding with GYVs and the new tag champs. Oh well...
Great show by PROGRESS, everything delivered and even the matches with the newer guys were good. Big storyline developments this show too, we'll see where they all go, I have to imagine the Banks' reign has to go to another place now.
Natural Progression Series V First Round Match
Spike Trivet vs Drew Parker - 6.5/10
Trivet has slightly changed his attire to a whole different era, but still the same gimmick, he does not look like a total douchbag now tho. Really good opener that for a moment was degenerating into a brawl, but they brought it back into the ring. Parker won.
Post-match - Trivet breaks the champagne bottle over the back of Parker's head and walks off. Drew eventually just gets up and walks to the back.
Toni Storm & Charlie Morgan vs House of Couture w/Jinny - 6.5/10
In case you've missed the developments, House of Couture is the new Jinny-lead stable of Chakara and Nina Samuels. We got a pissed off Toni tonight that went straight for Nina as she made her entrance. Morgan looks soo much like Laura Di Matteo tonight that it only made her miss her more.
Match saw HoC get heat on Toni for a while until she made a comeback and was able to reach Morgan. Match ended soon after with Storm pinning Chakara after the piledriver. With Morgan there, I don't know why the debuting stable didn't get a win, but I guess this is good fuel for Jinny. Nina Samuels was great tonight working the powerhouse role.
There was a point early in the match that Jinny got involved and attacked Toni, and nothing against her, Jinny is awesome and all, but Toni Storm shouldn't be selling like that to a one-arm Jinny.
Post-match - Storm cut a promo that she botched saying pirate instead of private, but it ended up working out for her because the fans started making fun of Jinny. Storm says that it's ok Jinny has friends because Storm has people to watch her back, as she turns, Charlie Morgan superkicks Storm and joins House of Couture! Awesome execution.
Flash Morgan Webster vs Mark Andrews - 7/10
A good babyface on babyface match that started with a lot of mat wrestling and counters and ended an aerial affair with tons of counters and reversals. Match was going great and coming to a close when Vicky Haskins came out, distracted Webster by taking his helmet, leaving him open for Andrews to hit the Slumdog Millionaire and the SSP for the win. Didn't work out like last week.
Post-match - As Webster is walking out, Eddie Dennis came out, Webster didn't even try to warn Andrews. Cut a promo on the fans and knocked out Andrews, he grabs a chair and is about to Pillmineze his leg when the ring crew saves Andrews. Dennis attacks some of the staff as he walks out. Andrews looked like a total geek here again for being saved by normal humans and running away.
Tyler Bate vs Zack Sabre Jr. - 9/10
Man, Sabre comes out with a kick-ass Idles' song and then Bate has to follow up with that dork-ass song. This was an awesome submission-mat-wrestling encounter, until Sabre's offense really started hurting Bate, and Bate had to resort to strikes, which as we know, Sabre is no stranger to. Match saw Sabre work Bate's arm from every angle, everything that Bate went for, Sabre had a counter into the arm, where Bate only had his incredible strength to get out. Sabre verbally submitted Bate with a weird looking Butcher's Hook submission. This match was 98% Sabre giving you a class on submission.
Jack Sexsmith Promo - Ok promo saying that Manchester once made him realize that he needed to get serious, and once again, he is here to announce that he is challenging for the World Title at Chapter 69 in Manchester as per stipulation of wining that scramble match at chapter 59.
British Strong Style (Pete Dunne & Trent Seven) vs Davis Starr & Matt Riddle - 8.5/10
See? That's the awesome song that Bate should had come out too. As with usual Seven matches, it took forever to start the match. This was back and forward, some comedy at first, but it quickly got serious. Riddle and Dunne paired up mostly, while Seven was pairing up with Starr the most, it was like that until the closing run when all four men went Tornado Tag, and even then, Riddle and Dunne were facing off, to the point that I'm wondering if one or the other is challenging for the other's title. Finish saw Dunne pin Starr with the Bitter End as Seven had taken out Riddle outside. Great match.
PROGRESS Atlas Championship Match
Mark Davis vs WALTER (C) - 8.5/10
WALTER chopped Davis' skin off in the first minute of the match. Yes, Davis is fucking bleeding from knife-edge chops! From this point on, every chop made me cringe. Fuck! This was two huge dude just beating the shit out of each other, Davis had no chance, but god dang, he took the punishment and kept coming. WALTER won by submission of all things when he locked in a Sleeper. Jesus fuck, look up this match or at least pictures of Davis' chest after the match.
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Match
Grizzled Young Veterans (C) vs Jimmy Havoc & Mark Haskins w/Vicky Haskins - 7/10
As the commentary sold it, this is a match between two incredibly hated teams right now, but it's also the best tag team vs the best winning streak in PROGRESS. Vicky came out holding Webster's helmet. Gibson cut his usual pre-match promo.
Match was really fast paced from the start, and somewhat back and forward with the exception of a small heel in peril run that Haskins had. After Havoc finally got the tag, we went into a huge long match of cheating, starting with Havoc's hot tag that was all eye pokes, do Vicky constantly distracting the ref so both teams would trade low blows and clear pins. The lack-lusting finish saw Webster distract Drake when Webster came back for his helmet, leaving Drake alone and ready for H&H to hit the Acid Rainmaker Combo for the win. Webster was incredibly confused and worried because he in a way helped H&H win the titles. I didn't think the match was that amazing, but this angle with Webster is most definitely interesting.
Banks vs Cooper vs Brookes Build Up Video - Great, but going all out to make this production tells me they should have promoted this match at least one extra chapter.
PROGRESS World Championship 3-Way Match
Travis Banks (C) vs TK Cooper vs Chris Brookes w/Ki Lykos - 8.5/10
It really bothers me that Brookes comes out with Lykos while Cooper leaves Dahlia Black behind and Banks is always running solo, it really gives me a lot of heel vibes from Brookes.
Early on they started doing the chairs/staff spot they did in the Cooper v Banks match, but now it involved Brookes, all three men were just throwing chairs at each other for a while, referee obviously sucked at keeping control but since it's 3-way and Glenn told us, this is no DQs. Once they were done playing with chairs, they got in the ring and started fighting together, it was mostly every man for themselves, but if you ask me, I saw a lot more CCK teaming up on Cooper than SPPT teaming up on Brookes. Towards the end of the match, both challengers started getting more perverted for gold as they started going for weapons again, Cooper would visually have a moral dilemma while Brookes was more open about breaking Lykos' frame over Banks' head. Finish Brookes take out Cooper while Banks made Brookes tap out.
There was a really scary spot with Cooper hitting a top rope Spanish Fly on BOTH guys, but TK didn't fully rotate and landed himself on the top of his head or neck (couldn't properly see), but I guess he was ok because he just got up and powered up.
Post-match - Banks offers a hand shake to both men before leaving. Left in the ring, Brookes offers a hand to Cooper, but Cooper plays the circle game on Brookes and knocks him out. A pretty bad booking move in my opinion, after this match you had the easy and logical move to create the South Pacific Calamary Krew while Lykos heals and do this very same break up after feuding with GYVs and the new tag champs. Oh well...
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Great show by PROGRESS, everything delivered and even the matches with the newer guys were good. Big storyline developments this show too, we'll see where they all go, I have to imagine the Banks' reign has to go to another place now.