Cero Reviews PROGRESS Chapter 37: A Sudden Sense of Liberty

[cero2k]

PROGRESS 37: A Sudden Sense of Liberty
October 16, 2016
Manchester, England, UK

Jim Smallman Intro - Get to the point! Don't Be A Dick!

Chuck Mambo vs Bubblegum - 5/10
I'm not big on Bubblegum, but going up against Mambo, I may as well cheer for him. Good opener with some comedy, some high spots, and as much as I dislike him, Mambo is over. Finish was meh, didn't see Bubblegum going over, at least his finisher looks cool.

Kay Lee Ray vs Kimber Lee - 7.5/10
These two chicks have the best entrance songs ever, and by best, I mean they make them look ten times more badass than any other song would. Both are making their PROGRESS debuts tonight. Everyone in the US marking out at their Four Horsewomen, I'm here marking out at women's wrestling in Europe. Match was awesome, it started with that multiple pin spot, sizing each other, then they proceeded to beat the shit out of each other. Stiff chops, bunch of germans, and a beautiful submission finish after hinting that Kimber Lee had injured her neck (I actually don't know if she is injured or not, she was helped out by the ring crew to the back). This was potentially ended early, but it still made Kimber Lee look like a tough fighter, and Kay lee Ray as a vicious motherfucker.

James Drake vs Fabian Aichner - 7/10
They called a "Springboard Frog Splash" what was really just a Springboard jump to the outside that Aichner kinda jumped so high he lost control and moved weirdly. Wrestling-wise, this was a great match, but I just can't find any interest in either guy. Aichner is a great high flyer for his size, but there's dozens of him in the indie scene. Heels are dominating this show so far.

4-way PROGRESS Championship No 1 Contendership Match
Pete Dunne vs Marty Scurll vs Joe Coffey vs Trent Seven - 9/10
Shane Strickland is not here, Seven came out with Dunne, but later announced as the 4th competitor when he asked Smallman. So much heel in thsi match, Scurll low blows Coffey before the match starts and attacks him outside, meanwhile Seven lays down for Dunne to take the pin before Scurll breaks that up. So, was Coffey trained by Castagnoli, or is he just using his moveset? Anyway, awesome match, all over the place, tons of submissions and strong-style chops and uppercuts. BSS managed to never antagonize each other during the match, which is quite refreshing since they always do that when a team is part of a multi-men match.

Post-Match - Scurll says that he is regaining his title, he made the title what it is today, and that he got screwed by Haskins. Suddenly...Jimmy Havoc's music hits, Scurll waits for him towards the entrance, but Jimmy comes through the crowd, hits the Acid Rainmaker and leaves.

3-way PROGRESS Tag Team Championship No 1 Contendership Match
The Origin vs The South Pacific Power Trip vs F.S.U. - 7/10
I really hope that one day, Travis gets tired of TK and Dhalia making out and reveals that he's always had a crush on her and feuds with TK for her love. Origin got booed tonight. This match was 80% comedy, and between that, a team the fans hate, and Origin that all they do is joke around, this match was fun, but not the wrestling match I hoped for when announced. Match did get better towards the end, but they were just running quick spots by then. Travis Banks wins the MVP of the match, he was awesome.

Atlas Championship Open Challenge
Rampage Brown (C) vs Mikey Whiplash - 7/10
Whiplash did the Tommy End entrance and made me wish that Legion had been more than what it was. Whiplash's facepaint got all fucked up on the first spot in the match. This is big lad's wrestling, but Rampage is just dominating Mikey, except for one time when Whiplash went for a Tope con Hilo that Rampage failed to caught and Whiplash just landed on his back on the floor like a potato sack. Finish was sick, I don't know how Whiplash was able to walk out by himself.

PROGRESS Championship Match
Mark Haskins (C) vs Zack Gibson - 9/10
Zack Gibson has achieved Jimmy Rave levels of heat, maybe more actually, did Rave and Whitmer ever tag team? Because that's how much heat he has. Gibson is trying to cut a promo but the fans just won't allow it, eventually Haskins comes out to a huge ovation. Gibson from early on in the match started working on Haskins' left arm, so there was a bit of a babyface fire story into the match in addition to having a counter to everything that Gibson had for him. Gibson looked really strong against Haskins in terms of power, but I never really felt Haskins lose control of the match, he kept getting punished over and over again, but he kept coming back often enough that the match was equal between them. Towards the end you started to feel that it was Gibson who was winning the fans for not giving up on Haskins' counters. A great defence for Haskins, but he still needs that win over a bigger name to cement himself along champs like Scurll and Havoc.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:
Awesome show by PROGRESS. Aside from the opener, show started strong and stayed that way until the end. We got a clear direction on who the next challengers for Haskins and BSS are, some follow up on Havoc and Scurll, and some high hopes on the women's division if either Kay Lee Ray or Kimber Lee return.