Chris Ridgeway Explains Near 3-Year Absence From Progress Wrestling

Chris Ridgeway, a former Progress World Champion, has explained his nearly three-year absence from Progress Wrestling in a new video posted to the promotion’s social media accounts. Ridgeway wrestled his last match for the company in 2022.

In the video (per Fightful), Ridgeway stated that while he was at a professional high point, holding both the Progress and GHC Junior Tag Team titles, his personal life was at “rock bottom.”

“I’m just going to sort of ramble here a little. I feel like a tweet or an Instagram post doesn’t quite justify or help you understand, really, my position. Firstly, I’m buzzing to be back at Progress. I’m so excited to be back in the Progress ring. Some of my best memories in wrestling, some of my best matches in wrestling, I’ve been inside the Progress ring… I got to stand there at the top of the ramp in the Electric Ballroom. Progress World Championship one hand, GHC Junior Tag Team Championship in the other. That picture is a career defining moment for me and I go back and look at that picture every now and then. I have good memories, really good memories of that weekend. However, what you could see there with me holding them two belts, as successful as that looks and as it looks like I’m having the best time in the world, I am when I’m in the ring. Then when I leave and I leave the venue, the real me, my real life wasn’t going well at the time. There’s a lot going on… I’m not proud to admit, at rock bottom. I was living out of a suitcase. I was living at my friend’s house. God bless him for taking me in, you know. But you fast forward to now. That’s all in the past. Them moments aren’t there anymore. I’m much stronger here. I’ve been all over the world. Wrestling all sorts of different styles of wrestlers from different places… So now it’s great to be called out by you, DeReiss. A current Super Strong Style winner… But please don’t mistake these things that I’ve said for any weakness or softness. That’s just real life. These things happen, but we move on. We get stronger, we roll with it. DeReiss, thank you for calling me out… I’m more dangerous than ever these days. I’m more clever these days. I’m much more scientific about my wrestling these days, man. So when you come up Manchester, you come up my way, I’m going to show you why North West is strong.”

“I was at rock bottom… but that’s all in the past”

Chris Ridgeway addresses his almost three year absence from PROGRESS Wrestling ahead of his return in Manchester next week to face Man Like Dereiss.

Watch in full below 👇 #PROGRESSWrestling pic.twitter.com/daoRcn36z2

— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) June 17, 2025