REVIEW: PROGRESS Wrestling - Heavy Metal

Progress Wrestling Chapter 151: Heavy Metal
The Electric Ballroom, London, England
Sunday, April 23. 2023
Reviewer: David South (@DavidSouth1980)

With Chapter 150 such an unqualified success, and with the prospect of one of Progress’ greatest rivalries ending in a steel cage, deciding to again invest in another trip to London for chapter 151 was an easy choice.

Happily, for us, my brother had come down a couple of days early and made the decision to get in the queue early as we knew that this was sold out and that seating would be at a premium.

Having taken seats next to the aisle for a change and with the steel cage ominously strapped to the wall, Simon Miller came to the ring to begin the proceedings.

Simon directs us to the screens for the first of a number of announcements across this show. We see Nigel McGuiness, who clarifies his role at SSS16, he will be the guest referee for the final match but also he’s had involvement with selecting the competitors.

He’s delighted to announce the first entrant in the tournament as a returning Mark Haskins. Simon then reminds us that unfortunately Eddie Kingston is injured and unable to travel, and that though they’d advertised it as a threeway match, instead a replacement has been found. . .

Robbie X vs Leon Slater vs Danny Black vs Lio Rush

Crowd support is high for all four of these men, each of whom is lightning quick. Very quickly Danny Black and Lio Rush trade dives to the floor, Robbie X comes over to the top to get both of them.

Slater looks to follow, but all three competitors move to the corner away from him. We all know that’s not a safe place when the youngest is charge is around though, and he hits his trademark over the corner post dive onto all three.

There’s too much action in this to run through each beat, they trade superkicks and chops until all four attempted handspring elbows off the ropes at the same time and landed in a heap, it looked like Robbie X came off worst.

As Black and Rush fight to the floor again, Slater would lay Robbie out with a kick to the head and then climb the ropes for a beautiful 450 to claim the victory.

Though they’d initially looked friendly, Black would object to something and push Slater after the match (more on this later).

With Simon ready to announce match two, Bullit comes to the ring. He demands the microphone, but Simon isn’t willing to hand it over.

The ring crew come in to try and keep him away but, Bullit makes short work of all of them. With a female crewmember held up for a chokeslam, Simon relents and gives him the mic.

However, he says “This is for making me wait” and chokeslams her anyway. With the ring to himself Bullit says that as per Spike’s instructions, he won’t be involving himself in the main event, but he’s looking forward to the tag match in Manchester on Friday and he, against Big Damo, is inevitable.

Session Moth Martina vs LA Taylor (with Lana Austin and Skye Smitson)

Taylor attacks Martina on the stage, she beats her down the ramp, around the ringside and into some hastily evacuated chairs. Eventually they are both in the ring and after consultation with Martina, the referee decides to start the match.

Even without the advantage, Taylor is big and strong and slams Martina with ease. In a rare moment of offence, Moth climbs the turnbuckles and jumps, but Taylor catches her and hurls her across the ring with a fallaway slam.

Another flurry of offense for Martina follows a Lou Thesz Press and she gets a two count with a victory roll, but this match was lost before it even begun and Taylor ducks a clothesline and as Martina comes back off the ropes, lifts her into ‘Skye High’ choke bomb for the three.

As Lana and Skye join her in the ring to celebrate, Rhio’s music hits and Lana looks panicked. She’s not here though, instead there’s a video on the screen with Rhio explaining that, as she has the key granting her the title match when she wants it, (maybe in Manchester on Friday, maybe not) Lana will have to keep both eyes open.

We go to the screen again, this time Nigel McGuinness announces that the second entry into SSS16 will be Progress’ first ever champion, Nathan Cruz.

Sunshine Machine come to the ring. Mambo is celebrating the fact that they are the longest reigning champions with the most title defences (“The Grizzled Young Vets could never do that”).

TK is angry still though, about the eye injury that Mambo suffered at the hands of the Smoking Aces and at SSS16, they’ll stake the belts against them in a ladder match.

Mike Bird vs Charles Crowley

The biggest pop of the evening so far comes when Simon Miller finally managed to help Crowley out of his ring jacket. This actually had a relatively good-natured start, as both men impressed with the cartwheels, but the mood changed on a slap to Bird by Crowley.

Bird takes over, a series of chops and a back body drop earn him a two count. He then applies a long submission hold that has the spectacular tw….irp struggling.

Bird reapplies the arm bar but both times Crowley adjusts it into a pinning situation and Bird is forced to release it. Crowley hits a DDT and then goes for a version of the ‘Best Moonsault Ever” but Bird moves and he comes crashing down.

Then Bird climbs the ropes and hits a knee to the head but only a two count. They fight to the apron and both attempt moves until Bird hits a German Suplex.

Bird roles into the ring and Crowley to the floor as the Ref starts the count. Crowley slides back into the ring on the nine count but is wearing a boars mask. He rolls up a frankly confused Bird for the victory.

Crowley announces that he is a spectacular god, with dominion over all animals, and he may even involve himself in the business of the swan and the vulture later on.

Nigel McGuiness is on screen one last time to announce a third participant in SSS16, a “young man he admires” Tate Mayfairs. Simon Miller is as unimpressed as the rest of the crowd.

After the interval, Ricky Knight Jnr comes to the ring. He shows us the new and improved Atlas Championship belt. He says that his name is on several people’s lips, including AEW’s Brian Cage and he’s up to wrestle all of them. He says that on Friday, in Manchester, there’s an open challenge for whomever is interested.

Millie McKenzie vs Skye Smitson (With Lana Austin and LA Taylor)

Millie McKenzie makes the early running in this one, controlling her opponent with side headlocks until Austin grabs the microphone and announces it’s time for some Lana-oke.

She murders U.G.L.Y by Daphne and Celeste (which you wouldn’t have thought could be made worse) but it’s enough to distract McKenzie, who swings for her, but instead finds Taylor who attacks behind the referees back.

Smitson hoists McKenzie up into an impressively lengthy delayed Suplex, but it only results in a two count. McKenzie draws power from the crowd and fights back with forearms and clotheslines and then a buckshot spear results in a two count.

A sitout underhook piledriver also results in a two and the Lana Austin experience are forced into intervene again. Millie ducks a clothesline and Smitson almost crashes into Austin, whose stood on the Apron.

McKenzie then hits another german suplex and a second spear to win the match. Lana is not pleased, and even less impressed when McKenzie gets the mic and tells her she’s gunning for the women’s title also.

We then see another video package, this one explaining slightly more about the ‘Clock Strikes Midnight’ match that Alexxis Falcon and Nina Samuels are having at SSS16. Falcon explains that the stipulations in the match will change each time the clock strikes.

Simon Miller then announces that the Progress show scheduled for the same day as AEW All In has been brought forward to the Saturday and will be a joint presentation with Defy Wrestling from the US.

Callum Newman (With Maverick Mayhew) vs Man Like Dereiss

Newman, with his shoulder heavily taped, goes on the attack straight away but his cross body is caught and Dereiss slams him on the matt.

They brawl to the outside and Dereiss and Mayhew get involved with each other. They all fight and both Newman and Dereiss are counted out.

Dereiss though says that these people paid for a match, and as Newman has Mayhew with him, he too has a friend here and out comes Dan Moloney.

CPF (Callum Newman and Maverick Mayhew) vs The 0121 (Man Like Dereiss and Dan Moloney)

This is another match that started with dives over the top and brawling on the floor. The 0121 subdued their opponents and, having cleared out another section of the crowd, sat them down and then Deriss charged at Moloney, who flipped him onto the CPF boys.

Finally, they entered the ring and the ref signalled for the match to start. With their advantage already gained, the 0121 kept control isolating Mayhew and quickly swapping in and out.

After the 0121 stomps, Mayhew was eventually able to make the tag after high knees off the ropes and Newman fires in. He cleares out Moloney with a dropkick, and then stomps on the back of Dereiss from the top and hits a shooting star press, but it’s just a two count.

The match swung back towards the 0121 when Moloney hit a spear and then caught Newman on the top for Dereiss to hit an amazing cutter for a close call.

Newman would hit handspring knees on both and climb to the top rope and again went for the shooting star press, but Dereiss is looking for it this time and converts it into another cutter for another two count.

The end comes when Moloney catches Newman and transitions into a Styles Clash and then lifts him into the Driller Killer. That is probably enough but instead he tags Dereiss who hits a 450 splash for the win.

The animosity continues after the match, with more pushing and shoving, they’re joined by Leon Slater and Danny Black who back up their respective teams.

Cara Noir vs Spike Trivet - Steel Cage Match, Progress World Championship

After another short break to set up the cage, it’s time for the main event. We get a clarification of the rules, which are that the match can end on a pinfall or submission, or by escaping the cage but only by climbing over the top and not by leaving via the door

Believe it or not, this match starts with a handshake, but Trivet slaps him across the face and releasing his pent-up frustration, Noir mounts and pummels down his opponent.

He slams Trivet into the cage and the Vulture is bleeding early, but the crimson acts as warpaint for him and he smears it over his face. He bites and slaps Noir, then stomps and bites his bare feet.

He ties his toes into the mesh of the cage and then dropkicks them. Trivet then picks up Noir and lawndarts him into the cage and now he is bleeding too.

After a low blow, Trivet tries to escape the catch over the top but Noir catches him, Trivet switches into a top rope poisonrana but Noir rolls through it.

He hits a pump handle piledriver but Trivet kicks out. Noir tries a running forearm but Trivet ducks and Noir crashes into the cage. With his opponent down, Trivet threatens the Ref until he gives him the key, he unchains the door and brings in a chair.

He wraps the chain around his first and punches Noir, then tries to tie him to the cage but this time Noir hits a low blow and ties him up.

He climbs over the top of the cage and down the other side but before he can touch the floor, Trivet calls him a coward and spits at him. Noir decides to climb back in.

He traps Trivet in the rear naked choke, but Spike headbutts his way out of it. He picks up a chair but pauses to react to a spontaneous “Stand up, if you hate Simon” chant, that has the Ballroom on their feet.

The pause is enough for Noir to recover and he hits a package piledriver that we all think is the end, but Trivet kicks out. Noir decides to climb the cage again but this time Trivet is up and biting at his legs to stop him. He whips him off the top and then, screaming all the time, hits forearm after forearm to his injured foe.

An emotional Noir offers his hand again, which Trivet shakes and hoist him into the shoulderbreaker to win the match and retain the title.

Noir needs immediate treatment in the ring, on what we would later learn was a lower leg injury. As Spike would later post, fairy tales aren’t real. Chapter 151 will always be notable for being the first sellout at the Ballroom since Covid days and hopefully another sign that the industry is getting closer to where it was back then.

I can’t honestly say that this show was better than Chapter 150 though.

Everything here was good, even if perhaps it was a little too focused on the future and not on today, it’s just that last month there were at least three matches that were utterly brilliant, with, for me, even the storytelling in ostensible the same main event being better then.

This was another good show though and I look forward to my next trip to the Ballroom (assuming I can get in).

REVIEW: PROGRESS Wrestling - Heavy Metal

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