PROGRESS Wrestling - 15/01/17 Live Report

My first live wrestling show of 2017 was PROGRESS Wrestling in Birmingham. With the WWE UK Tournament happening the same weekend, some of the talent was unavailable (including the World and tag team champions, Pete Dunne and Moustache Mountain respectively) and the likes of Ospreay, Sabre and Scurll missing, the card looked lacking. Luckily PROGRESS had some surprises up their sleeves.

PROGRESS Wrestling

CHAPTER 42 - Life, The Universe and Wrestling
15 January 2017

O2 Academy, Birmingham

Before any in-ring action. Jim Smallman opens and talks about some of the talent working the WWE Tournament but he said he had no hard feelings because he also has friends in WWE. This brought out Finn Balor to an almighty pop. He joked around and randomly, played a game of musical chairs. It was an amazing surprise start to the show and great to see Balor in such a small place.

1) Ringkampf (Axel Dieter Jr. & WALTER) beat The London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) - Great opener. Dieter looks like a natural heel with a smug look plastered on his face whilst WALTER is just a big brute who makes the London Riots look small. Ringkampf really impressed me and I also liked the look of London Riots. MOTN.

2) Jack Sexsmith beat Sebastian - Bit of a comedy match really, nothing to write home about. After the bout, William Eaver, who was at ringside with Sebastian, looked like he would turn face but ended up leaving with Sebastian.

Jimmy Havoc came out to a great reaction. He ran down the recently reformed Swords of Essex after Will Ospreay turned his back on him at the last event. Havoc then called out someone from the back for an impromptu match. It turned out to be the recently WWE bound Tommy F'N End.

3) Jimmy Havok beat Tommy End - It was great seeing End live before he joins NXT. Understandably he didn't go all out here but it was still a decent exhibition which felt special. End put Havok over then amazingly travelled down to Blackpool on the same day to debut against Neville at the UK Tournament.

4) Alex Windsor beat Livii Grace - This was in the Women's Championship tournament and was easily the worst match of the night. It was the match after the break and could have been placed elsewhere. It was slow, sloppy and not a good welcome back.

5) South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks) beat The Origin: Banter Edition (El Ligero & Dave Mastiff) - Fun match, obviously some comedy from Ligero and Mastiff. Mastiff even put on an El Generico match and did some lucha spots. I still believe Ligero is one of the most underrated UK talents.

6) Spud beat Paul Robinson - Spud was the hometown boy and making his PROGRESS debut. Robinson is part of the Sword of Essex with Ospreay and attacked before he match with his belt. Spud nearly killed himself with a trio of suicide dives and won by DQ.

Rampage Brown was to defend his Atlas Championship (over 205 pounds) in an open challenge. He was answered by Matt Riddle!

7) Matt Riddle beat Rampage Brown to win the PROGRESS Atlas Championship - Bro are you kidding me? Finn, End and Riddle as three surprises? I've always liked Riddle but he's become one of my favourites recently as I track down random matches of his, so I was so happy to see him live. The finish came a little out of nowhere but that's Riddle for you bro. It sent me home happy in a show where I didn't expect much but it really delivered.

Top Wrestlers of 2016

2016 has been a great year for wrestling, so many good matches from a whole host of promotions. My list will obviously be based on what I've watched this year. I've watched all the WWE PPV's, all of NXT, Lucha Underground Season 3 and a bit from series 2 also assorted matches from the likes of NJPW, Evolve, PWG, ROH. Below are the 15 wrestlers I consider had the best 2016:

Special Mention - Matt Hardy - I didn't feel like he deserved to be in the top 15 but Broken Matt Hardy has been the reason why I have seen any TNA in 2016. His battle with Jeff and the New Years Special were loads of fun. It's exactly what TNA should be doing as an alternative to WWE. He's nailed the character in everyway and is soon to appear in ROH which will be very interesting.

15) Ricochet - Whether he is competing in NJPW, PWG, Evolve or Lucha Underground, Ricochet can always be relied upon to have a great match. His series of matches with Will Ospreay in multiple different promotions were a highlight.

14) Matt Riddle - Evolve was my indie promotion of 2016. Good storylines and good wrestling but most importantly Evolve was Bro. Riddle has intrigued me since swapping MMA for wrestling and has been getting rave reviews for his in ring work. I've recently caught up and become a fan. For a 'rookie' he just makes it look easy.

13) Zack Sabre Jr - Sabre is one of my favourites but he has had a rough year. Some fans have grown tired of his style but it doesn't stop him from pumping out classic matches against the likes of Chris Hero and Will Ospreay. He won the PWG title and even stopped off in WWE to compete in the Crusierweight Classic, it's a shame he isn't going to compete in the upcoming WWEUK tournament but he seems happy killing it on the indy scene.

12) The New Day - They may not be the tag team champions anymore but they went almost the entire year as champions breaking Demolitions old record. Not only that but they've been entertaining both on the mic and in the ring. Matches against the likes of the Club and Sheamus and Cesaro have shown they can back up their smack talk.

11) Chris Hero - Despite not holding a major title or winning a big tournament, Hero has been called the indy MVP due to his high quality performances against the likes of Zack Sabre Jr in Evolve and his year of stellar matches in PWG. Whether singles or as a tag team with Tommy End or JT Dunn, Hero has been someone you can rely on.

10) Samoa Joe - Joe got the distinction of being the first ever two-time NXT Champion. His run where he would destroy competitors shouting "Bring me Nakamura or bring me my title" was one of the best storylines of 2016. Thankfully there was a pay off as he won the belt off the back of it but has since been Nakamura's whipping boy. A call-up should be imminent and hopefully 2017 should be a bright year for the Samoan Submission Machine.

9) #DIY - One of the feel-good moments of 2016 was watching Gargano and Ciampa win the NXT titles but before that they suffered a heart-wrenching loss to the Revival where Gargano was forced to tap. Add in their battle at CWC and you have two of the most reliable performers in wrestling today. I was hesitant at first when WWE used these two as a team but they have gone from strength-to-strength. No matter who they face, when they are in the ring, you know your in for a good match.

8) The Miz - I've always been a fan of the Miz from when he first competed in Tough Enough. This year everyone has caught up with me and found why Miz is one of the best heels today. His second half of the year in particular has been amazing. With his verbal feud with Daniel Bryan and his actual feud with Dolph Ziggler exceededing expectations. It's also easy to overlook his time as IC champ before the brand split which included a very good fatal four way.

7) TJ Perkins - What a win for TJP. He was the guy I wanted to win the CWC but I didn't even expect him to get passed Gargano. Before his Crusierweight Classic win, he competed as part of Catchpoint in Evolve and rarely put in a below par performance. The Crusierweights have had a tough time since the CWC but TJ has performed solidly since.

6) Kevin Owens - Since he first showed up on NXT, Owens has been must watch TV. Also there's barely been a time when he hasn't been champion. He won the NXT title in his first 2 months then IC champ and then this year he became the second Universal champion (If Balor was fit for the rest of the year, I have no doubt he would have made this list)  His run with Jericho as his best friend has been entertaining and his matches are always good. He may have had to play second fiddle to the Women on Raw but he's been the man to watch in WWE all year.

5) The Revival - These twp call themselves the "Top Guys" it's pretty clear to see why. I believe they have been the best tag team all year. A few years ago with tag teams dying out that wouldn't have been a compliment but the tag divisions in all promotions have made a comeback. The Revival are the best at this and they do it with old school tactics. Their matches with DIY, American Alpha and TM61 have all been of the highest quality. Now without the titles, 2017 seems the year that the Revival will take over WWE.

4) Charlotte Flair - Controversial but you can't dispute that many people have had a better 2017 than Charlotte Flair. Her PPV record speaks for itself. She did have an overly long feud with Sasha Banks but every match was at least good and some very good. I didn't expect her to make such a good heel after her time in NXT but she has owned it. A lot of praise must also go to Sasha for her work opposite her and also Becky and Bayley but I don't think the women's division would be were it is today without Charlotte. Although, last year was the year of the Divas Revolution, this year has been the year where the women get treated as equally as well as the men. Hurrah.

3) Shinsuke Nakamura - As I have said in my favourite matches post, Nakamura had the my favourite match of 2016 in his first ever match. But before that he put on a barnstormer against AJ Styles at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom. Once in NXT, Nakamura battled Finn Balor in the biggest match on NXT TV then went on to win the NXT title against Samoa Joe. His battles with Joe haven't been classics but they have always been entertaining. Even his squash matches have been much watch TV. Plus if all that isn't enough, his entrance is easily the greatest in all of wrestling,

2) Will Ospreay - When making my list of favourite matches, one name kept on cropping up. Ospreay is someone I don't think I knew about in 2015 but ever since seeing him in 2016, he's become one of my favourites. I've always been a fan of highflyers, TNA's X-Division 2004-2006 is one of my favourite times in all of wrestling and Ospreay is like all the best X Division wrestlers on hyper speed. He's been everywhere and done everything including competing in the BoLA, winning BoSJ and becoming ROH TV Champion. For me, 2016 was all about tracking down the latest Ospreay match and having my jaw drop to the floor in every match after he performed something that I thought was impossible. It was hard for me to put Ospreay in second place, I even changed around the order twice but after thinking about the achievements of the first placed guy, I think Ospreay is just edged out into second.

1) AJ Styles - I think most people would put AJ as number one, it's pretty easy to see why. After establishing himself as one of the aces of NJPW he then jumped ship to WWE, a sight the majority of wrestling fans thought would never happen. Then when some thought he would just be used in the midcard, he turned heel and challenged John Cena. Even better than that, he beat John Cena and took over his mantle as "The Face That Runs the Place". To cap off the year, he won the World title to become "The Champ that Runs the Camp". He's been must watch all year and it's amazing that he's still one of (if not the) best wrestler around after all these years. He's adapted with age and picked up new styles but he's still the same AJ who hits the springboard elbow, Styles Clash and my favourite move in all of wrestling, the Springboard 450 (nobody does it as good as AJ). He has proven once again why he's the best in the world and tops my list for 2016.

WWE 2016 Predictions Reviewed

I made some predictions at the start of 2016 for WWE. It's been an unpredictable year, so how correct was I?

Rollins will Return as Heel: Correct. Although he has since become a babyface.

Reigns the Three Time Champ: Correct, although I had to fact check this. He lost the title in the Rumble match to Triple H and regained it in a lacklustre WrestleMania main event.

Still no magic 16 for Cena: Correct, he's challenged a few times but never got there.

Triple H back in the ring: Correct and he even became World Champion again.

'Taker wins at Mania: Correct. He beat Shane O'Mac in a match that ultimately meant nothing at all. But at least we still have memories of that bump from the top of the cage.

Zayn versus Owens: Correct. We had this early on in the year with a series of awesome matches.

Breeze wins Gold: Incorrect. I think this was more of a wish than a prediction. I can't see any gold in Breeze's future now he is paired with Fandango.

Corbin gets Called-Up: Correct. He won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal and ended the year challenging for the title.

American Alpha win the titles: Correct. I predicted they would win the NXT tag titles, they did but Jordan and Gable just captured the Smackdown tag titles. Well deserved, hopefully they have a great 2017.

I'm not doing any further predictions, it's pretty clear from the above that I go for safe bets.


I also went to a Insane Championship Wrestling show in November entitled Pray for Mojo which I was informed was a Simpsons reference The show was held on 3rd November in the build to their big show of the year back in Scotland, Fear and Lothing. Here's the results:

1) Trent Seven defeated Davey Blaze MOTN
2) Kay Lee Ray defeated Nixon Newell
3) Polo Promotions (Jackie Polo & Mark Coffey) defeated Joe Hendry & Kenny Williams
4) Sha Samuels defeated Chris Renfrew
5) Matt Cross defeated Stevie Boy
6) Joe Coffey defeated Joel Redman
7) Wolfgang defeated BT Gunn
8) Iestyn Rees, Mike Bird & Wild Boar defeated Bram, Jack Jester & Lionheart which included interference from (I believe) Chris Renfrew who I assumed was a rowdy fan next to me but then he jumped the barricade and got involved.

One Hundred and Five Minutes

One hundred and five minutes. That's a long time for anything. Insanely long for a wrestling match. Almost impossibly long for a great wrestling match. But incredibly two guys completed this feat. And this wasn't between two Japanese pros in Korakuen Hall or between two indy darlings in front of diehard wrestling fanatics. It was in a small local arena between TNA's Trevor Lee and the pretty much unknown Champion Roy Wilkins. To put the length of the match into perspective, just think of your average three hour Raw and count up how much of that you actually spend watching wrestling. It shouldn't work, but it does and does so fantastically.

Both Lee and Wilkins go to war for the entire length of the match. The match painted a perfect story of slow deliberate technical wrestling, focusing on particular body parts and really cranking and grinding those holds in. What struck me is that Trevor Lee, the babyface, was in control for the majority of the match. If your going to have a hundred and five minute match, common sense would be to have the heel beat down the babyface and have the good guy crawl his way back into it. Although this match did have an element of this, Lee was the man in control and seemed to enjoy dishing out the punishment to Wilkins. And it worked. The fans were all over seeing the heel, who had cheated his way to the title and keep hold of it, get twisted, slapped and kicked in every corner of the arena.

The comeback from Lee came after a series of interferences from a group of heels. Lee got beat down, tried a comeback, failed and got beat down more. A group of faces then showed up to even the odds. Classic storytelling. There's even time for a lights off, lights on, man-appears-in-ring gimmick. Even through I don't follow the product and don't know who any of these guys are, Lee and Wilkins have set the foundation for these interferences. Lee, in what I think is the moment of the match, has an almighty comeback, taking out all the heels with a series of moves. The fans quite rightfully go crazy for this. Up until now, the match had been holds and strikes but this was all a build up to Lee busting out all of his favourite moves such as the standing double stomp and the flip crossbody. After a few ref bumps It looks like Wilkins may steal the match, this fails so Wilkins hits a sick Flip Piledriver. I thought that was it but Lee rallies and wins with a big supekick.

Lee's performance can only be praised more when you realise he is only 22 years old. His performance was one of a veteran, expertly plotting out the story of the match-up. Everything about Lee in this match showed that he knows exactly what he was doing. He was excellent in the pacing of the early goings of the match, how he locked in innovative submissions using the ropes and found counters constantly to whatever Wilkins had up his sleeve. It was the small things that Lee did that really impressed, the slap of he thigh while in a hold or a knee applied to the neck to add more pressure. He had the crowd in the palm of this hands throughout. That's without even mentioning the chair spot.

The crowd cannot go unnoticed for their contribution to this classic. The fans in attendance there weren't die hard wrestling fans, I'm sure they are not used to anything like this in length or style. But hell, did they make a noise from the first strike to the moment the video went off air. I've never seen an atmosphere like it in such a small arena. Throughout the entire match there was not one silent period and the CWF Mid-Atlantic fans should be applauded for this.

And let us not discount the commentators. They built up the match perfectly by telling us the story of the bout: how Lee has won every title but this one, how this was his last chance or he would have to leave the company, how and why the stipulations were made. They even went into physical details of affect of stamina and sweat has on as the match wore on. The two were the perfect guides to the match but they were more than that, it felt like you were watching the match with them. When you bit on a near fall so did they, when you lost your mind when Lee made an epic comeback the commentators were shouting even louder than you. It was like you were watching it with a group of friends. Truly great commentary.

So what else is there to say? Well considering the match was a hundred and five minutes long there is plenty to say. What I will finish on harks back to a comment I made in the first paragraph. This match was by CWF Mid-Atlantic. Not WWE, TNA, ROH, PWG, Evolve, Lucha Underground or NJPW. A small promotion that I (and likely many others who have watched this bout) had never heard of. Isn't it fantastic and a true wonder, that in the 21st Century due to the availability of modern technology that we can share and watch this match. Not too long ago promotions like CWF Mid-Atlantic wouldn't be able to film or record their shows, let alone broadcast it for anyone around the World to watch it. This match would have been only been seen for those lucky enough to be in attendance. We would have missed out on this classic and I'm so glad we didn't.

Best of British: Top 10 British Wrestlers

Wrestling in the United Kingdom has been on the up the last couple of years. Gone are the days of Big Daddy battling Giant Haystacks and WWE rip-offs. Now Britain hosts a wealth of talented home grown wrestlers who compete not just in the UK but also internationally in America and Japan. Here I look at who I think are the best ten British wrestlers competing today. This excludes the likes of Finn Balor, Sheamus and Becky Lynch who are from the Republic of Ireland.

*Side note there are plenty of links in this article to wrestling matches and other related videos. Check them out to see what all the fuss is about.

10) Jimmy Havoc: The story of Havoc from fan favourite to violent psychopath was done masterfully by Progress Wrestling. It was reminiscent of Jimmy Jacobs evolution into the Age of the Fall leader. Havoc has now become a heat magnet with the fans chanting "Die Jimmy Die" at him and he has come close. Buckets of blood has been lost by this man inside a wrestling ring as he continues to bring something different to the UK independent scene.

9) Noam Dar: One of two Scotsman on the list. Dar is a regular on the UK independent scene. He's best friends with TNA's Grado but don't hold that against him. Although he can be funny, Darrs strength's lie in his technical wrestling and loves to tie his opponent up in holds. The charismatic Scot hasn't had much exposure outside of TNA's British Bootcamp Season 2. Hopefully that will change because despite being young, Dar has plenty of experience under his belt.

8) Bad News Barrett: This is a low placement for someone competing in the top wrestling promotion in the World. After winning NXT Season 1 and leading the Nexus it seemed we would finally see a English WWE World Champion in Wade Barrett. That didn't work out but he has had some decent runs in the company and is currently part of Sheamus's stable (although he only seems to be there to take the pin). He's out injured at the moment and there's talk of him leaving WWE. I can't see him WWE main event material now but he could still play an important midcard role. But if he goes elsewhere he may get the starring role he desires.

7) Paige: Sticking with WWE and the only woman on the list (Although there are plenty of talented British female wrestlers see: Kay Lee Ray and Nixon Newell). There's no understating Paige's impact on the rise of female wrestling. Although her matches are not always the best, whenever she's on screen you pay attention. She's still young and could carry the division for many years to come. She's got charisma by the bucket load. You can see there's potential for her to have some really good matches like she did in NXT, when she does, she'll climb up the list.

6) Drew Galloway: The big Scot is great example of a wrestler leaving WWE and becoming better. Despite being "hand picked" by Vince McMahon, Drew never achieved much in the WWE. However, since leaving he's captured titles and put on some great performances. He's also decent on the mic and has worked with TNA. But that doesn't stop him returning home to battle for the likes of Insane Championship Wrestling. After achieving so much since leaving the WWE, the big question is where does he go from here?

5) Mark Andrews: I'm probably being a bit biased with the only Welsh wrestler on the list but there are plenty of matches that back up Mandrew's high ranking. Some people may have only seen his short performances for TNA but Mandrews' best work has been in the UK, with the likes of his home promotion ATTACK Wrestling and Progress Wrestling. He's also been part of the European crew who started taking part in PWG which will hopefully be the catapult to get him noticed on the American Indies. Hopefully, Mandrews'' gets more of a chance to shine in the future.

4) Marty Scurll: This lad has grown so much in the last few years. He's really killed it in his "Villain" character. It's very old school and shouldn't work but Scurll pulls it off perfectly. Add in that he is a fantastic technician and you have yourself one of the best the UK has to offer. The match that really emphasised how good Scurll is was his match against Will Ospreay at RPW's High Stakes this year. Scurll played he heel perfectly, there was hard hitting, technical wrestling and brilliant storytelling. If you haven't checked it out, it's a must watch.

3) Will Ospreay: That leads me nicely to this man, who I must admit I hadn't seen much of before this year. After a few matches, I was hooked. Ospreay is a great highflyer, is young and very likable. I think he has all the tools to be a big success. He was on TNA's recent UK tour but then was snapped up by NJPW before he could sign for TNA. It's a big move and I can't wait to see him against some of the best NJPW has to offer. He has so much going for him. Unlike the typical highflyer like Ricochet, ACH, Rich Swann, Ospreay is a tall guy and I think WWE should keep an eye on this young lad. Apart from the aforementioned match, check out his series of highflying battles against Mark Andrews.

2) Neville: "The Man that Gravity Forgot" and the man formally known as PAC. Neville is struck in WWE limboland with no real direction but in terms of wrestling, you know you can rely on the former NXT Champion. He'll always put in a good performance and get the crowd on his side. Ironically for someone who is such a highflyer there may be a glass ceiling for Neville. Realistically, he's not going to become WWE Champion (Although Barrett seems to think so according to his appearance on WWE Ride Along) but I think he has an important role to play in both WWE and NXT.

1) Zack Sabre Jr: Who better to have at number one than one of my favourite wrestlers and a guy who proudly wears the Union Jack on his way to the ring? Sabre just nails it, every time he steps in the ring, I think 2015 was when people started to realise this. He has stolen every PWG and Evolve show he performed on and was even mentioned by WWE as a guy to watch. He brings something different to the table which in 2016 is easier said than done. He's a joy to watch whoever he's across the ring from due to his crisp technical style, he just makes it look effortless. With Evolve's link to WWE, he could find his way to the biggest stage in wrestling. But honestly, I think he's better off where he is, at least for the moment. He's the hottest name on the Indies and a regular in Japan with Pro Wrestling NOAH. One things for sure, wherever he's wrestling, I'll be watching.