Hamilton’s PROGRESS Chapter 110: Skeleton Head 05.08.2021 Review

Quick Results
Spike Trivet pinned Danny Black in 11:36 (**¾)
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi-Final: Kid Lykos I & Kid Lykos II pinned Charlie Sterling & Nick Riley in 11:55 (***¼)
Mercedes Blaze pinned Alexxis Falcon in 11:05 (***)
Gene Munny pinned Elijah in 12:38 (***)
Warren Banks and Chris Ridgeway went to a no-contest in 7:46 (**¼)
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi-Final: Ethan Allen & Luke Jacobs pinned Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper in 16:36 (***¼)
Cara Noir defeated Malik via referee stoppage in 5:52 (***½)
Gisele Shaw pinned Kanji in 9:38 to level the best-of-three series for the PROGRESS Women’s Championship at 1-1 (***¼ )

— If you’re on Twitter, give me a follow over on @IanWrestling – and check out the GoFundMe that’s still open for Larry’s family.

We’re back at the Theatre Peckham in London, with Roy Johnson hosting again, and the pairing of Hustle Malone and Charles Crowley on commentary.

Spike Trivet vs. Danny Black
My God, Danny Black has changed…

Spike’s the early aggressor, despite an apparent poke to the eye in the opening lock-up… Black trips Spike but his standing moonsault misses as Trivet grabbed the nose instead. Danny returned with a low dropkick and a Koppo kick to take Spike outside, but the dive’s avoided as Trivet nails an elbow to the back of the head instead.

Back inside, a suplex from Spike landed for a two-count, with a crossface following… and it remained pretty much one-way traffic from there as he continued to ground the newcomer. A pumphandle suplex dumps Black for a two-count as he teased a comeback, but Trivet remained aggressive – both in actions and in words.

Black keeps getting up for more, which impressed commentary, as an enziguiri eventually took Spike to the corner… headscissors out of an attempted Birthright from Trivet keep Black in it as a half-and-half suplex gets him a near-fall, with a Meteora off the top keeping Danny ahead. Trivet heads to the apron for respite, but Black joined him… and ran into an elbow strike.

Trivet looks to hit a back suplex on the apron, but Black escapes as Trivet again goes for the nose, “snapping” it again. Black’s pushed onto the floor after that, which almost led to the count-out, but Black rolls in… and gets caught with the Birthright for a near-fall. Spike’s shocked, so he goes for something else, only for Black to flip out and hit some forearms, before a backpack knee and a cutter out of the corner… led to Spike rolling outside again.

Black eventually rolls Trivet back in, and goes up top… but instead he leaps into a pumphandle ushigoroshi as Trivet claimed the win. It’s another victory as Spike continues to build a streak… and one nitpick for wrestling in general. If we’re going to have folks rolling opponents back in rather than claim a count-out win, every now and then, can we establish that a pinfall/submission win outside of title matches means more than a count-out? It’s becoming a little tropey that babyfaces do that and end up losing rather than collecting the “easy” wins… **¾

PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi-Final: Lykos Gym (Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II) vs. Charlie Sterling & Nick Riley
This is the Lykii’s first outing in the tournament, having been given a bye for… reasons. Riley and Sterling got this semi-final spot after that heck-of-a-sprint last time out with the Greedy Souls.

Riley works Lykos I’s arm early, but Lykos slips out as the pair looked for an advantage in the opening moments. A Magistral cradle from Riley gets a two-count as Sterling tagged in, only for Lykos to roll out and tag in Lykos II. Waistlock takedowns have Lykos II in trouble, with Sterling and Riley double timing the young wolf for a one-count.

The fast pace continued with Riley dumping Lykos II with a neckbreaker for a two-count, before a Sterling Hart attack and a slingshot into a scoop slam kept that momentum going on Lykos II. Riley drops down as a step-up dropkick took Lykos I off the apron, but the original Lykos intervenes, knocking Sterling off the apron before the wolves got their own double teams in.

Lykos I stomps on Sterling’s ankle on the outside as the Lykii looked to pull ahead. It dazed Riley, who staggered into the wrong corner as the wolves kept going, with Lykos II rolling Riley into a grounded Octopus. Sterling’s knocked off the apron again to prevent him making a save, before Riley finally fought back by reversing a suplex.

Lykos I falls into the ring – and the resulting shithousery prevents Sterling’s legal tag from being seen. Sterling decks Lykos I before Riley hits a modified Ranhei as Sterling got the tag in… he clears house on Lykos I with a tiltawhirl backbreaker and a moonsault for a near-fall. Sterling DDTs the Lykii for a near-fall, but Lykos II counters an elevated DDT into a tornado DDT as the wolves tried to double-team Riley…

There’s a nice standing Sliced Bread onto some knees as a High/Low gets Lykos I a near-fall. Sterling tags in as Lykos II ate an elevated neckbreaker, but it’s not enough for the win. Sterling tries to go up top, but Riley’s pushed into him to crotch him on the ropes as the Lykii hit a Lo Mein Pain and a running knee for a near-fall.

Riley tosses Lykos I outside… while Lykos II gets caught with the baking tray. Lykos I uses another one though to eliminate Riley, before Lykos II chopped out Sterling’s knee ahead of a slingshot Code Red. It’s still not enough though, as a double-team inverted suplex ends up getting the win. The usual tricks from the Lykii get them into the finals, and hopefully this isn’t the last of Sterling and Riley, who’ve been a breath of fresh air on these shows. ***¼

Alexxis Falcon vs. Mercedez Blaze
Last time out, Blaze got a tainted win over Falcon – and was immediately challenged to a rematch…

Falcon shot out of the blocks, dropkicking Blaze to the outside… and following her with some stomps. Blaze gets posted, before a bulldog back inside led to a two-count as a hooking Sister Abigail was countered as Blaze switched into a neckbreaker for a two-count of her own.

Blaze choked Falcon in the ropes, before a step-up headscissors takedown took Falcon out of the corner. Double knees keep Blaze ahead, as did a big lariat, before reversed Irish whips took Falcon back to the corner. She fought back with a forearm ahead of a swinging suplex as a double clothesline left both women laying.

Another exchange of strikes has Falcon back ahead, with a low dropkick nearly getting the win, before a rebound German suplexed folded Blaze in half. It gets a near-fall as Blaze retaliates with a shotgun dropkick, before a spear off the top rope caught Falcon for another near-fall. Falcon manages to return with a hanging neckbreaker out of the corner for a two-count, then with some forearms as Falcon picked up Blaze for a backpack stunner.

A punt kick from Falcon’s next, but Blaze is barely up in time… and suckered in Falcon for a roll-up as Falcon didn’t follow-up, with Blaze grabbing a handful of tights for the win. They told a good story as Blaze cheated again – and I have to think we’re going to have Blaze going for the title once they crown a new champion after this. ***

Elijah vs. Gene Munny
This was Elijah’s first outing since he beat Chuck Mambo back in February…

Charles Crowley on commentary was suddenly acting as Elijah’s biggest fan as the pair locked up into the ropes, before Elijah cartwheeled over Munny’s dropdown. A baseball slide helps Elijah trip Munny, but it goes nowhere as Elijah ends up working over Munny’s arm. Munny returns the favour with a hammerlock, but things end up in the ropes, with Munny resisting an Irish whip.

Elijah found a way through, with headscissors and a headlock takedown to take Munny to the mat. Munny returns with a springboard armdrag, before a Finlay roll took Elijah down… ahead of a splash out of the corner. A powerbomb attempt from Munny’s escaped as Elijah threw him through the ropes and into the ring post, as Crowley continued to be the cheerleader. I thought Elijah was meant to be the baddie in all this?

Munny gets posted as Elijah put the boots to him back in the ring… a Vader bomb-ish crossbody out of the corner gives Munny hope, but Elijah returns with a cravat before a neckbreaker dumped Munny for a two-count. Elijah toys with Munny, throwing a slap before a straitjacket DDT was countered out of with a nice back body drop.

A splash in the corner keeps the Munny comeback going, as did a spinebuster, before Munny went for the Ainsley Lariat. It’s kicked away, while Elijah escapes an Exploder… only to get caught with a diving boot. Munny heads up top, but his dive misses as Elijah tries for his finish again… they zoom in too much as Munny’s slingshot spear misses, allowing Elijah to hit a Shadows Over Hell splash to the back, before a suplex/powerbomb drew a near-fall.

Elijah’s stunned, but continued to toy with Munny… who returns with another Exploder before an Ainsley Lariat’s countered with a crucifix for a near-fall. The one-arm powerbomb’s next, before Munny lands the Ainsley Lariat for the win. Egregious commentary aside, this was a pretty solid match for the midcard as Munny gets another win on the board as a singles wrestler. ***

Charles Crowley followed Elijah backstage afterwards, fanboying over him in a rather unsettling way. He gives him a pep talk and said that he was “pissed off” with seeing Elijah on autopilot. So Crowley’s going to go from commentary to being a manager?

Warren Banks vs. Chris Ridgeway
Last time out, Ridgeway took nearly 15 minutes to put away Danny Black… while Warren Banks has been out for a few shows after beating Gene Munny.

Banks feints some kicks early on as he took Ridgeway to the corner. The pair go to ground, with a Cobra Twist on the mat giving Ridgeway something to think about before a rope break reset things. Ridgeway works over Banks’ arm with an armbar before he stomped on the elbow. A leglock from Banks quickly ends in the ropes, but there’s not much separation as some throws described as a “little slappy” helped Banks go back to that Cobra Twist.

Ridgeway grabs an armbar, before a snapmare and a punt to the back gets Ridgeway a two-count. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Kicks from Banks stagger Ridgeway, but a front facelock ends in the ropes. After removing his wrist tape, Banks wandered into a flurry of strikes from Ridgeway before he issued a response, leading to a hesitation dropkick in the corner.

Banks barely gets a two-count as Ridgeway went back to the armbar, trying up both arms as a spare leg got Banks a rope break. Ridgeway just about lets go, but he pinned Banks into the corner and refused to break… and that leads to the stoppage as the referee called it a no-contest as the pair scrapped afterwards. Except Ridgeway was the one not breaking, so that should have been a DQ if we’re being picky about the rules? The Young Guns and Roy Johnson help separate the pair as we’re bound to get a rematch down the line… **¼

We then reset like next to nothing happened…

PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi-Final: Sunshine Machine (TK Cooper & Chuck Mambo) vs. Young Guns (Ethan Allen & Luke Jacobs)
This one’s a pick’em for me – on paper you’d think TK and Mambo would go through given they’ve teamed longer and are getting pushed, but the Young Guns are also a viable threat.

Mambo locks up with Allen into the corner to start, but a headlock takedown has Mambo on the defensive. A shoulder tackle followed for nary a one-count from Allen, who slammed Mambo ahead of a bodyslam as Jacobs came in for an elbow that gets another pin attempt going. On the mat, Jacobs rolls Mambo around… and when TK’s able to tag in, he’s got a bit more of a struggle as he eventually charged down the Natural PROGRESSion Series winner.

Allen’s back as the Young Guns double-team TK… but an attempt to knock Mambo off the apron backfired as TK came in with an Exploder out of the corner for a two-count. Mambo’s in with a Romero special on Allen, with TK returning to hit a Flatliner out of it for a near-fall. Allen stumbles into the corner to make a tag back to Jacobs, who suplex-throws Mambo, before a spinebuster planted Mambo for another near-fall.

Chops from Jacobs drop Mambo in the corner, but he recovers as a double team Final Cut with TK nearly puts Jacobs away. Kicks from TK keep Jacobs down as the match calmed down again, with the Sunshine Machine surprisingly isolating Jacobs for a spell. Mambo goes all Macho Man on us as he threw Jacobs throat-first across the top rope, but Jacobs recovers to bring in Allen for a comeback, landing a pair of clotheslines and some kicks… but TK just trips him for a one-count.

An Angle Slam’s countered out of by TK, so Allen just dives into Mambo, almost overshooting him before leaping back into TK back inside for a two-count. See-saw sunset flips rack up pinning attempts for both teams, with Mambo tagging in to keep it going before he blind tagged in TK for a superkick/headbutt combo.

They follow up on Jacobs with a Gory bomb/neckbreaker combo onto Allen for a near-fall, before Jacobs swatted away Mambo’s springboard. TK rolls through Allen into a Jig ‘n’ Tonic as we have a brief Parade of Moves, but this is really just getting to the “let’s throw everything out there” school of thought now. They always seem to have one tag match like this on these shows… and they don’t always work visually either.

Jacobs breaks up a double-team with a chop block as Allen then proceeds to tie up Mambo in a crossface… Jacobs’ Figure Four restrains TK, but Mambo’s able to roll to the ropes as the Sunshine Machine Do More Stuff, but Mambo can’t get the pin after TK’s 450 Splash on Jacobs. They keep going, but Jacobs pushes Mambo into the corner to send TK flying, as a clothesline swats away Mambo’s springboard. Allen tags back in as another lariat dumps Mambo, before a kick-assisted piledriver gets Allen the win. A surprise choice of final for me, but at least we’ve a clear yay/boo dynamic for the final. ***¼

Cara Noir vs. Malik
Not sure why this match wasn’t advertised going in… I mean, having your world champion on your show is meant to be a draw, right? Even though it was billed as an “exhibition against an opponent of Cara Noir’s choosing”.

This was Malik’s first appearance in the no-fans era, having last lost to Ilja Dragunov on the final show with a crowd in Camden last year. Malik surprises Cara with a dropkick at the bell, but he ran into a rebound German suplex, before a superkick followed. An up kick catches Malik by surprise, with another dropkick in the ropes leading to Cara missing a dropkick through the ropes.

The pace cools a little as they move to the apron, with Cara Noir unloading with a series of kicks ahead of a package piledriver attempt. Malik throws him into the ring, but gets choked out on the ropes… countering by lifting Cara up and dropping him into the ropes.

Cara Noir recovers with a tope to the outside, turning it into a Madame Guillotine sleeper on the outside as Malik was left laying. Cara rolls Malik back inside to break the count, but Malik returns fire with a German suplex, before a forearm smash decked Cara for a near-fall. A discus lariat’s next from Malik… but he takes too long to follow-up, as Cara Noir came back with a dropkick, then the Blackout sleeper.

Malik charges to the corner to break it up, but Cara reapplies the hold and turned it into a sleeper suplex, bouncing Malik to the mat, before another Blackout sleeper looked to force a stoppage, with the referee waving for the bell after Cara pulled Malik into a camel clutch. Not every match has to be a back-and-forth, ten minute-plus outing… and this was a wondrous sprint that gave Malik some hope, before ultimately getting blown away by the champion. More like this please! ***½

After the match, Malik shunned the offer of a handshake and walked to the back…

Match Two in the Best of Three Series for the PROGRESS Women’s Championship: Gisele Shaw (0) vs. Kanji (1)
Being cynical here, you’d have to think they’re going to the third match, right? Again, Gisele’s got the pipe, but she leaves it with Hustle Malone as commentary got a little over-sensitive about the monkey mascot.

We open with a tie-up into the corner from Shaw, but Kanji doesn’t let go… and when Shaw rolled free, they’re right back into the tie-up as Shaw tries to take her back to the corner. From the break, Kanji takes Shaw back to the corner for a 619, before a missile dropkick kept the Canadian down for a step-up legdrop.

Shaw kicks out at one as Kanji threatened to blow out the series… with a diving clothesline and some crossface punches keeping Kanji’s aggression up. A springboard armdrag’s pushed away by Shaw, who hung up Kanji’s arm on the rope before booting her to the outside, where Shaw followed up by wrapping Kanji’s arm around the post.

Rolling back inside, Shaw gets a two-count on Kanji, then continued to stomp on the arm. A whip bounced Kanji into the corner, but she rolls away from Shaw… who punts away the arm again and forced a pin, getting a two-count out of it. Kanji returns with a backslide into a triangle armbar, but Shaw rolled out and kneed Kanji to get another two-count as the urgency was on show.

Shaw slows down the pace as she waited for Kanji to get back to her feet, but she baits Kanji into a springboard… and turned it into a spinebuster that nearly gets the win. Kanji tries a roll-up, but Shaw kicks out… before another flurry of offence had Shaw on the apron. The injured arm of Kanji came into it, but she baseball slides to faceplant Shaw in the ropes before a springboard elbow drop got us closer to a win.

From there, Kanji pulls Shaw into a triangle choke, but Shaw powerbombs her way free before a spear drew a two-count. Shaw goes to the injured arm with an armbar, then head kicks Kanji as she tried to roll free, but it’s still not enough… so Shaw rolls out and grabs her pipe from the commentary desk. She winds up, but misses a shot as Kanji rolls her up out of the corner… only for Shaw to roll through and steal the pin. The result wasn’t in much doubt, and while Shaw didn’t really use the pipe, I appreciated the urgency throughout and the cheating to win at the end as we go to the rubber match to crown a new champion. ***¼

6.8

The final score: review Average

The 411

The “new PROGRESS” continues to put out consistent, solid shows - but there were a few spots here which just reinforced those gripes that I keep trying to put to the back of my mind: wrong lower thirds, segments not flowing as you’d expect them to if this were a “real” show, rather than stuff being stitched together… Oh, and the usual commentary that frequently gave matches WrestleMania-main-event levels of excess hype which just fatigues the viewer as the show progresses.