wrestling / Video Reviews
Kevin’s PROGRESS Chapter 78: Pumpkin Spice Progress Review
Loading...PROGRESS Chapter 77: Pumpkin Spice Progress
October 28th, 2018 | Electric Ballroom in Camden, Greater London | Attendance: 700
It’s been a while since we’ve had some PROGRESS to review. About a month passed after PROGRESS’ biggest show ever, “Hello, Wembley!” It didn’t feel like as much of a culmination of storylines like last year’s “Chase the Sun” did, but this show still feels like it is kind of rebooting things and pointing us in the direction going forward.
Jim Smallman introduced the show to the crowd. Topics included Roman Reigns’ leukemia and a shoutout to referee Chris Roberts, who is done with PROGRESS thanks to some family commitments. Also, Tyler Bate is out with injury, so he’s being replaced in the opener.
Timothy Thatcher vs. William Eaver
The former Pastor is now “Present” William Eaver. He’s basically one of those preachers who spreads the word of the Lord on street corners and such. I used to get woken up by the sound of guys like him out my window in my old neighborhood. Couldn’t stand it. The fans wanted Thatcher to twist him up for being annoying. He mostly gave them what they wanted. Eaver seemed unsure of how to make this new stuff work. It led to a handful of awkward moments. Thankfully, Thatcher did enough to his stuff to keep this somewhat entertaining. Eaver tapped to a Fujiwara armbar at 9:53. It was decent. [**¼]
Isla Dawn vs. Millie McKenzie
With no House of Couture booked, the women’s division got some straight wrestling. Not much in the way of advancing storylines. At least that’s what I thought. These two had a fine little match for a while. Isla Dawn may have had her best effort, bringing some solid character work to go with impressive offense. It worked well against Millie’s bursts of fire. The fans love Millie, reacting perfectly to all her smash mouth stuff. Just when the match seemed to get going, Jinny and Laura di Matteo ran out to attack both for the double DQ or whatever in 6:11. That had potential but got ruined by the finish. [**¾]
Jinny and Laura took out Dawn and McKenzie with a submission and the Acid Rainmaker. However, Charlie Morgan and Nina Samuels ran out and beat on Jinny and Laura for getting left behind in Wembley. I am here for babyface Morgan. The heels eventually knocked them off the apron, but McKenzie and Dawn hit twin German suplexes to send them packing. I still don’t see the point of the Laura turn.
PROGRESS Atlas Championship: Trent Seven [c] vs. Gino Gambino
Trent brought back the idea of open challenges for this title. It was answered by Gino Gambino. I’ve never seen him before, but he certainly fits the BIG BOI bill. He’s apparently the MCW Champion. They had some fun interactions in this one. It was back to goofy Trent, which is okay for some title defenses. There was a point where they both showed off how much they struggled with cardio. Gino asked for an asthma pump and used it to spray Trent in the eyes for a cheap near fall. That triggered your more traditional BIG LADS wrestling. Seven eventually won with an impressive Burning Hammer at the 13:32 mark. While I enjoyed bits of both the comedy and the action, it made for something of a strange match. Like it didn’t know exactly what it wanted to be. [**¾]
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship: Aussie Open [c] vs. The 198 vs. Grizzled Young Vets
It’s the final three teams from the Wembley Thunderbastard match. The titles mean so much that Zack Gibson even forgoes his usual pre-match tirade. This got off to a solid start. Each team got to shine a bit before Kyle Fletcher got put in position to take the heat segment. He’s so good in that role. You really feel for him and it perfectly sets up the Mark Davis hot tag, which he also happens to excel it. They’re just a great team. Things broke down after that and while traditional tag stuff was thrown out the window, it makes sense in a match with multiple teams. The best spot came when Gibson put Fletcher in the Shankly Gates. James Drake kept cutting people off who tried to break it up. Davis nearly did, only to have both Aussie Open members put in the hold by the GYV. To get out, Fletcher slapped his partner, firing Davis up and he broke free. It was awesome character stuff. Flash got put away with the Fidget Spinner in the end, as Aussie Open retained in 19:04. One hell of a tag match. I’m interested in what feud that have going forward, but Aussie Open feel like they’re going to make for great champions. This had a ton of action, some good late drama, and strong character moments. [***¾]
Following intermission, Eddie Dennis cut a promo. He spoke about signing his WWE contract and saying that he didn’t know if he was a good guy or a bad buy, but that he was the next PROGRESS Champion.
Mark Andrews vs. Paul Robinson
Maybe it’s just me, but I find it hard to get interested in anything Paul Robinson does. I’ve just never cared for him. However, he does come off as surprisingly intimidating despite his small frame. This match was basically some small indy guys doing small indy guy things. Lots of quick moves, some high flying, and some fancy spots. It feels right out of mid-2000s PWG or something. Robinson won with a Curb Stomp in 8:13. I didn’t write a lot because other than moves, not a lot happened. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but it was also hollow. [***]
Number One Contender’s Match: Chris Brookes vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Mark Haskins w/ Vicky Haskins
Vicky seems to wear less clothes with each passing show. Anyway, it’s odd to have a match for a title shot considering Eddie Dennis and Mark Davis already have shots lined up. With Havoc and Haskins still being buddies, Brookes was at a disadvantage early. Once he was taken out, the former partners went at it for a bit. I liked Vicky giving both of them barbed wire weapons because it shows that she was still behind this alliance. I miss the group dynamic. It was a cool idea that never got fleshed out. Anyway, there were several moving parts in this and most of it worked. The crowd seemed a bit unsure of who they should be rooting for, creating an odd atmosphere. Drew Parker made a run in to attack Havoc and set up a future violent match of sorts. Parker hasn’t been on many chapter, so I’m not sure how well this worked. It left Haskins and Brookes alone and Haskins won with the Sharpshooter in 13:58. A good match between three good wrestlers. One that is ultimately forgettable, though. [***¼]
PROGRESS World Championship: WALTER [c] vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Their Mania weekend match ruled (****¼). Sabre got introduced as the greatest technical wrestler of all time. Fantastic. WALTER is kind of the perfect opponent for Sabre. The challenger likes to apply submissions to different parts of the body at the most opportune times. Here, he was able to wrap up WALTER’s arms, which take away his brutal strikes, but then transition to the leg, to chop down the champion, and have it all make sense. They worked a tentative feeling out process, knowing each other well and not wanting to make a crucial mistake. Despite knowing the damage WALTER can do, Sabre can’t help but be a dick. He did a neck bridge at one point and flipped WALTER off, purely to piss him off. Zack was brilliant in this. He goaded WALTER into chops, taking damage so he could eventually catch one and bend at it. WALTER sold the arm by having to change up his chops, saving them for when he was in trouble. This didn’t rely on a ton of finishers and near falls (we have way too much of that in wrestling these days), instead focusing on the little things throughout that built up to a big finish. Sabre’s technical acumen against WALTER’s strength. Though neither advantage overwhelmed the other, they worked as game changers. Sabre would turn the tide with a hold, while WALTER did the same with a strike. The closing few minutes were outstanding and just when Sabre went for his European Clutch, his neck (hurt when WALTER kicked his neck bridge) gave way. WALTER pounced like a shark smelling blood. He pounded on him and retained with the Fire Thunder Driver in 29:26. An incredible match that might crack my top five this year. It was the best PROGRESS Title match I can ever recall. They just made every little detail work, nothing was wasted, and it had nearly everything you could want in a match. [****¾]
