REVIEW: PROGRESS Wrestling - 10th Anniversary Show

Progress Wrestling Chapter 131: 10th Anniversary Show
The Garage, Highbury, London
Sunday, March 25, 2022
Reviewer: Mark Roffey (@TheR0ff)

A lot can change in a decade…

Ten years ago to the day, a new promotion was running its first ever show from The Garage in London, in front of just over 300 fans.

The premise was that there would be four qualifying matches for the fatal four-way elimination main event where the winner would become the promotion’s first ever champion - presented with, of all things, a staff.

That promotion, named PROGRESS, would go on to become one of the most well-known promotions in British wrestling; running shows across the country, as well as at legendary London venues like the Alexandra Palace and Wembley Arena.

Although their stock, in the eyes of some, has dropped considerably over the last three years, mainly due to the influence of NXT UK, Speaking Out and COVID, you cannot ignore the influence that Progress have had on the British wrestling scene as a whole, something that I could never do enough justice here.

It’s fitting then that Progress would hold their 10th Anniversary show in the place where it all began. Although it’s potentially a sign of the times we live in that this show only sold out a week after it went on general sale, rather than in mere minutes like at the peak of the promotion’s popularity.

It was also concerning that, as I set off for Highbury, only ive matches were announced. If there is anything that I’m not a fan of in BritWres at the moment, it is impromptu matches and appearances (unless indicated via a spoiler list).

This was also the last show for Progress co-founder Jon Briley as he completed his handover to the new owners, Lee McAteer and Martyn Best. I’d like to extend my best wishes to Jon and his family as they embark on a new journey.

Rhio vs. Skye Smitson vs. Alexxis Falcon vs. Laura Di Matteo – Number One Contenders Match for PROGRESS Women’s Championship

What happens when you put four of the top rising stars against each other for the right to challenge Gisele Shaw or Alex Windsor for the Women’s Championship? The result is a fun opening match, even if it was announced the day before the show.

I should note at this point that many of the chants at this show sounded a lot louder than what I usually hear at shows. I don’t know if that’s due to the acoustics or whether the fans were genuinely louder than usual, but it definitely was noticeable.

All four women had some decent moments in the match, most notably were Alexxis Falcon hitting a German suplex off the middle rope, Rhio using a Celtic Cross only to have Skye Smitson use one of her own on Rhio and Laura Di Matteo hitting a suicide dive to Smitson and Falcon.

This would allow Laura to lock in the 4 V’s on Rhio for the submission win (like many fans, I don’t wish to butcher the full name of the move).

After the match, Skye Smitson would attack Alexxis Falcon and hit her with the cobra clutch slam, surely setting up a rivalry between the two.

Overall a fun match that only set up bigger things to come as the night went on. It’s quite fitting that a mainstay of Progress’ Women’s division, Laura, should earn this big opportunity on a night like this.

I should also say that the venue lights were so bright that I struggled at times to see exactly what was going on in the ring from where I was sitting.

Charles Crowley vs. Danny Black

Surprise! Out next was Charles Crowley who is an incredible performer, even if he is a bit of a twat. He cut a promo where he would mention former WWE wrestler Yoshi Tatsu.

This would inevitably draw some Yoshi Tatsu chants directed at Crowley after his opponent, Danny Black, made his way to the ring, along with some ‘Twatman’ and ‘Purple Twat’ chants during the match that followed.

The action started off fast, as one might expect from a match featuring Danny Black. Danny would connect with some big moves such an SOS and a few cutters; one in the ring resulting in Charles rolling out of the ring, one on the outside and one from the middle rope.

Charles would poke Danny in the eye to take control before Danny would make a quick comeback which involved him landing a double foot stomp. Danny tried a dive from the top rope before getting caught in a triangle choke for the submission.

I thought whilst this match showcased what both wrestlers were all about well, it didn’t really do much for me storyline-wise and I felt that Charles Crowley and his partner ELIJAH could possibly have been used to play a part in the Tag Gauntlet. Otherwise, it was a decent match.

It was around this point that black & white streamers were being handed out. I’m glad I didn’t get one because I am awful at throwing them as past shows remind me. But the reason they’d be needed soon became apparent…

Cara Noir vs. Ilja Dragunov

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary, there needed to be a match that could either best represent what Progress was all about or showcase one of its best rivalries.

In a way, I think they managed to do both. But could the fourth singles match between Cara Noir & Ilja Dragunov live up to the three that had come before it? Would Spike Trivet, who cost Cara Noir the Progress World Championship less than a week prior, play a part?

In short, the answer to both is a resounding yes. In a longer form, well where do I begin?

I guess those streamers. Not too hard to guess that they were thrown during Cara Noir’s entrance, the entrance of which drew a very loud reception. I suspect that it’s the acoustics again.

It became pretty clear that Cara Noir had more support on the night than Ilja Dragunov. Whether that is because Ilja is considered a WWE name (which he is, in fairness) or whether Cara’s popularity with the Progress ultras has grown recently, it was clear that the majority of this crowd were going to back the now former World Champion, even getting to the point at which most fans chanted ‘Cara’s our champion’.

I should make it clear that Ilja wasn’t getting booed; it was just that he had less support.

As the bell rang, the fans, knowing they were going to witness something special, applauded the two wrestlers as well as chanting ‘This is Progress’.

The match started off with the two trying to get a feel for each other; after all, it has been over two years since they last fought each other in a ring, the night Cara Noir won the Progress World title.

About five minutes in, Cara appeared to be dazed; almost as if he’d lost focus after having his reign, the longest of all, ended five days beforehand. Ilja would then proceed to slap Cara multiple times before sending him out of the ring and demanding that to face the old Cara Noir, the one who waged the epic trilogy back in 2019.

To add to that, every time Cara would go on the offensive for the next few minutes or so, Ilja would have an answer for it, whether that was by a German suplex or some hard strikes. It was quite brutal to watch.

Then, suddenly, a headbutt from Cara. No answer from Ilja this time. The momentum had shifted. Cara would land a ground and pound attack before sending Ilja over the top rope to receive a suicide dive.

Cara would then try a deadlift suplex in the ring, but to no avail. Ilja would roll him into a ground and pound situation of his own, this time with the points of his elbows.

Cara would then stop Ilja’s momentum dead by landing a superplex from the top rope, rolling through with a suplex onto his knee.

Both men would be sat up, back to back, as Ilja would join the crowd in applause, almost as if he was satisfied that the old Cara had come back. The two would turn towards each other, head to head, as they engaged in a slugfest.

Cara would attempt a dropkick, only to be countered by Ilja into a powerbomb. Ilja proceeded to go into the corner shouting ‘UN-BE-SIEG-BAR’ and setting up for Torpedo Moscow only to be met by a hug which, unsurprisingly, got the approval of the crowd. A second attempt would be met by a Torpedo of Cara’s own.

Ilja would not be denied a third time from the corner, nor would he be again off the ropes to hit his second, and climatic, Torpedo Moscow.

For what I would guess was two solid minutes at least, the entirety of the crowd at The Garage unanimously gave a standing ovation for the match and the two competitors involved, deservedly so as well.

That was genuinely one of the best told in-ring stories I’ve had the pleasure of watching in person, certainly my match of the night.

I couldn’t truly tell you where this ranked among their previous encounters, but there’s something quite marvellous about being able to witness two incredible artists, not just wrestlers, paint their wrestling masterpiece in person.

Things weren’t done just yet, though. After Ilja had exited the stage, leaving Cara to receive the praise of the fans, the lights went out. The sound of a bike chain is never a good sign, the sight of Spike Trivet with said chain is even worse.

Whatever energy Cara still had was squeezed out by Spike’s chain, all whilst a disgusted crowd chanted ‘F*** you Spike’. Spike would cut a promo on Cara declaring that he was going to cause misery for Cara Noir and expose the ugliness of the Black Swan.

Spike would then proceed to whack Cara, who at this point was tied to the top rope with the chain, with a chair in the back multiple times, leaving visible scars.

He would take Cara’s mirror mask and leave through the crowd who were chanting ‘Wanker’ as he left.

Smokin’ Aces vs. The 0121 vs. Lykos Gym vs. Sunshine Machine vs. Northwest Strong – Gauntlet Match – PROGRESS Tag Team Championship

If there’s any division in Progress that’s looking particularly strong going into the second decade, it would surely have to be the tag team division. Just look at the teams in this match alone.

The crowd were clearly in support of Sunshine Machine before a team has even come out.

First up were the defending champions, Smokin’ Aces and Northwest Strong. Having never seen the Aces in person, I can confirm that they were as tough as they come.

The problem in the early going though was that they’re coming up against Chris Ridgeway, who is Hard as F***. As a result, Northwest Strong took the early advantage.

Nick Riley did get a nice Trouble in Paradise but it didn’t take all that long before he got a full-on beating by both members of Northwest Strong.

There were a few nice spots as this section drew to a close, notably Charlie Sterling landing an over the top rope senton on both Northwest Strong members, Nick Riley hitting a double underhook powerbomb on Luke Jacobs and Chris Ridgeway landing a penalty kick on Charlie Sterling.

Northwest Strong attempted an assisted tombstone on Charlie Sterling, but Ridgeway was pulled out allowing Sterling to roll Jacobs up for the three-count.

Next to come out were the ‘Sh*t wolves’ Lykos Gym. They received numerous chants against them including a ‘Stand up if you hate the Wolves’ chant. Judging by the lack of people who stood up for this one, I’m guessing they are Wolverhampton Wanderers fans or something like that.

Nick Riley would be isolated in the early going by the Gym but would hit a very nice double chicken wing rolling slam. Charlie Sterling would show off his strength by hoisting a Lykos up for a Gorilla Press which was followed by a standing and a top rope moonsault.

There was then a very fast paced sequence which I could barely keep up with, ending with Nick Riley hitting a Spanish Fly. Kid Lykos II then decided to bring out a baking tray to try and score a cheap fall. But when he used it, it was seen by the referee causing Lykos Gym to be DQ’d.

As if their night couldn’t get any worse, Charlie Sterling would use that same baking tray on both Lykos to get his own back. Unfortunately, this would not be the last time we’d see Lykos Gym…

Following the baking tray shenanigans, out next were the clear crowd favourite, Sunshine Machine. This support would be further emphasised when the Smokin’ Aces looked to take a water break and offer a respectful handshake, only to spit in both TK Cooper and Chuck Mambo’s faces. I mean, come on, COVID cases are on the rise at the moment.

Naturally, Sunshine Machine didn’t take too kindly to this, using their great tag chemistry to lead to dives in unison to the outside. Smokin’ Aces did end up hitting an assisted tombstone on TK Cooper which was broken up by Chuck Mambo via a top rope springboard dive to a good reception.

TK Cooper would have an impressive moment of his own as he hit a double Spanish fly on the Aces from the top rope before later connecting with a Celtic cross to Riley on the apron.

The Smokin’ Aces would hit a double Swinging Leg Hook Fireman’s Carry Slam (some of you might call it a double Paige-Turner) but that was broken up at two.

A slugfest then broke out resulting in TK Cooper hitting a 450 splash on Charlie Sterling for a slow two-count. Sunshine Machine would hit joint superkicks, responded in kind with superkicks from the Aces.

Both Mambo and Cooper would then land headbutts setting up for TK Cooper’s assisted Burning Hammer. 1-2-3! The Champions were out and the crowd went wild!

The two teams shared a more genuine handshake afterwards. Finally Sunshine Machine had got the better of the Smokin’ Aces.

One more team to go, The 0121. But Sunshine Machine were not wasting any time as they dived towards The 0121, starting a brawl on the outside and eventually leading to the bar at the back.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t see much of the action at the bar as I hadn’t moved from my seat. When the action did return to the ring, Mambo clasped Man Like Dereiss’ hands and himself up on the middle rope.

Dereiss needed a couple of attempts to set himself up on the middle rope, the only notable misstep of the night. Mambo then proceeded to use a hurricanrana from said middle rope.

The crowd at this point were mostly in support of Sunshine Machine, sensing that they could finally win these championships. The 0121 still had their backers, but on this occasion they were in the minority.

At this point, Sunshine Machine were in full control as Mambo went on to hit an assisted Widow’s Peak on Dereiss which was broken up by Dan Maloney.

TK would score with a headbutt on Dereiss and a Celtic Cross on Maloney who then rolled out of the ring. As Chuck Mambo was standing himself up on TK Cooper’s shoulders, Dan Maloney was preparing himself on the top rope. Doomsday Spear!

Dereiss would then hit a destroyer before connecting with a 450 splash for the 1-2-3. The 0121 are your NEEEEWWWWW Progress Tag Team Champions!

For some reason that I don’t personally understand, Jody Fleisch came to celebrate with the new champions as Dereiss proceeded to go through his 0121 entrance rap. Nothing wrong with it, it just felt out of place to me.

This was chaotic, with most of the competitors getting good moments in. The crowd, whilst more than happy to see the 0121 win the titles, probably would have gone mental had Sunshine Machine taken the W.

Considering that this was my first time seeing the Smokin’ Aces in person, they had a really good showing overall. They’ll be back for those titles again very soon.

Gisele Shaw (c) vs Alex Windsor – PROGRESS Women’s Championship

This match, like the No.1 contenders match that opened the show, was only announced the day before. Given that this also followed the Tag gauntlet literally minutes prior, the crowd for this match was noticeably a bit more subdued.

During Gisele Shaw’s introduction, Simon Miller mistakenly announced her as the IMPACT Knockouts Champion. Whilst that might be true of her future, it certainly isn’t the case now.

As the match started, there was considerable showboating and trash-talking by both wrestlers. Gisele would create some distance outside the ring before slamming Alex Windsor onto the apron before connecting with a hanging middle rope DDT.

There was a ‘whey-boo’ striking exchange which lead to Alex hitting a diving shoulder tackle. Alex would try a powerbomb, only to be countered with a hurricanrana before getting speared by Gisele.

Gisele would lock in her modified armbar finisher, but Alex would roll out of it. Alex then caught a diving Gisele into a powerbomb.

After two failed fisherman’s suplex attempts, Alex would strike with a headbutt only for Gisele to land shortly after with a jumping knee before locking in her armbar finisher again, this time fully wrenched for the submission win to retain the title.

Overall, it was an OK match but it does leave me wondering where the women’s division is headed. Yes, Laura Di Matteo challenges Gisele Shaw next.

What happens afterwards is a mystery, assuming Gisele retains. Kanji was meant to challenge Gisele at some point, perhaps on this show, but she’s understandably still recovering from her recent injuries and there’s no official date for her return yet.

As much as I’m hesitant about surprise appearances, I know I’m not the only one that was expecting one after the match.

Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Warren Banks – PROGRESS World Championship

One of Progress Wrestling’s original aims was to give a spotlight to British talent where they otherwise wouldn’t have had it. In Warren Banks, who earned his title opportunity back in January, that spotlight still shines brightly a decade on.

His opponent, Jonathan Gresham, has been taking independent wrestling by storm ever since Ring of Honor’s hiatus, winning both the WxW 16 Carat Gold tournament and the PROGRESS World Championship in the space of a few weeks, the latter more controversially.

As the recently crowned champion entered The Garage, he was noticeably without his ROH World Championship. My theory is that this event will get uploaded after Gresham’s match with Bandido at Supercard of Honor where Gresham could drop his title.

Considering he took on this heel persona only a few days ago, Gresham is really good at getting under the skin of the fans. I even noticed him talking to the referee before the bell, presumably reminding him to make sure to call it fairly, ironic considering the way he won the title in the first place.

I will also say that the noise levels did begin to pick back up when this match started with the crowd almost unanimously in support of Warren Banks, who many in the building and across social media felt was destined for his big moment.

The match started off with good technical wrestling, as expected in a Jonathan Gresham match. One of their lock-ups even spilled outside of the ring which led to an intense stare down across opposite sides of the ring.

The two would exchange chops before Gresham would dishonourably hit Banks below the belt to seize control. This would last for a few minutes before Banks would get the advantage with a ripcord knee.

Gresham, ever the experienced, wouldn’t stay down for long as he displayed different ways of getting a pinning attempt before transitioning into an arm submission forcing Banks to get to the ropes.

Despite the pain, Banks managed to hit a shining wizard. His advantage would again be brief as Gresham would send Banks out of the ring. So far, nothing too special. But this match would get crazy really quickly.

Gresham would indicate to fans to get out of the way, a common practice to indicate that someone; in this case, Warren Banks, was getting thrown into chairs.

For some reason, Gresham decided to channel his inner ECW by tossing chairs into the ring as each section of the ringside area was used for destruction.

Gresham would then violently Irish Whip Banks into another set of chairs in my section. Thankfully nothing on my end was damaged. Sensing that his work was done, Gresham proceeded to bury Banks in a pile of chairs and seek a count-out win.

Myself and others tried to verbally encourage Banks to get out of the pile. This night surely couldn’t end on a measly count-out. Then I noticed Warren indicate that he needed help to get back in the ring.

I tried pulling him out of the pile directly before he requested that the chairs be removed first. This was done with urgency. The count was getting closer to ten.

Then with everything I and a couple of fellow fans had, we rolled Banks back into the ring on nine to what I can only remember to be a great reaction.

Yes, you’re reading that right. This writer actually helped to keep this main event alive.

Gresham was visibly pissed off. I couldn’t understand what he said to me at the time because I was so involved in the moment that was being created.

From what I’ve been told, I believe he was making threats. So I and others responded with middle fingers and shouts of ‘F***' You Gresham’. It was such a special moment for me personally that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

Anyway, back to the match. With Gresham distracted by the fans, Banks would take full advantage. I don’t even remember what he hit because I was so personally invested, but it was enough to put Gresham down for the 1-2-3!

The crowd went absolutely nuts, but despite what I’d done moments prior, I wasn’t celebrating. See, I’d noticed Gresham’s leg placed underneath the rope, despite not having the clearest of views.

Unfortunately for the crowd, so did the referee who had to rule out the pinfall. Chants of ‘VAR’ went ignored. The match had to continue.

Note: At this point, I was so invested that I couldn’t take notes of moments as they were happening so events may be slightly out of sequence.

This opened the door for Lykos Gym to make their way to the ring to help Gresham. The accompanying baking tray was used square on the head of the challenger by Gresham. 1-2-Kickout.

The crowd at this point, some of whom were now forced to stand where chairs once were, were really into this match and it felt like the big matches from the glory days of PROGRESS.

Banks would feed off this electrifying energy and go fully on the attack, getting near fall after near fall. One even made me jump as if he’d actually got the three-count.

Gresham would turn the tide with a low blow, like the one he used to win the World Title. 1-2-Kickout. The crowd goes mental. Gresham lands a hard strike. 1-2-Kickout. More limbs.

I think he ended up going through this about three more times, the third of which was a straight-up punch. 1-2-3! Gresham retains the Progress World Title and now it seems that CCK is back, minus Chris Brookes.

As CCK left the stage, the crowd clapped in unison before those nearest the ring, myself included, walked over to, and banged, the apron PWG-style.

In one night, Warren Banks had gone from a good wrestler with a promising future to an undisputed BritWres star. That is how you do it in front of a live crowd.

Many were certain of destiny in Highbury. I reckon it’s only been delayed. All I can say is what a match. I haven’t been more personally involved or invested in a match in person than that main event.

Will it go down as the greatest match in Progress history? No, I don’t quite think so. The library is still vast enough that you will almost certainly find better in-ring matches.

I don’t even think it was the match of the night, critically speaking. But if you’re looking for a match with drama, tension and a fantastic atmosphere reminiscent of those early years, this is certainly one to watch on Demand Progress (The WWE Network certainly won’t show it).

Also, it’s not every day that fans get to be directly involved in a main event.

Conclusion

For a show that had to showcase Progress in its current state and pay homage to the past, this show was able to live up to the hype.

Cara Noir vs. Ilja Dragunov was a fantastic story to witness, the Tag Team Championship Gauntlet was exciting to watch and Jonathan Gresham vs. Warren Banks was probably the most exhilarating match I’ve watched in person so far.

For all my concerns about surprises on this night of all nights, they were thankfully unfounded. The surprises were there, but they weren’t problematic and they made sense.

I’ve already talked about how the women’s matches were under-hyped. They were good, don’t get me wrong, but outside of the contenders in waiting for Gisele Shaw’s championship and the Alexxis Falcon/Skye Smitson rivalry that has now started, it’s hard to see where the division goes from here, especially in the long-term. But, as the saying goes ‘Patience is a virtue’.

Let’s talk about the crowd. This show had that classic wrestling-family feel, as new friendships were made and established ones were reunited after over 2 years away. This night, more than any that had come previously, made me feel like I was part of a special family. It’s part of why we love pro wrestling.

I thought that the noise levels were pretty good during the show, probably thanks to the acoustics. Judging by the chants on the night, I felt as though the crowd weren’t as witty as years gone by, although in this post-Speaking Out era, maybe that’s for the best.

One further point I’ll make is that my voice, having gone through the ‘Who Run The World?’ show on the Tuesday and a CASKETS concert the night before, is still feeling the aftermath of the whole week as of writing.

The big question I heard going around was ‘Is Progress back?’ Some are still understandably cautious. But until proven otherwise, I believe they are. A lot can change in a decade.

Let’s hope this next one sets British Wrestling back on the right track.

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