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Progress Wrestling 30 Results
“Super Strong Style 16” Day 1
May 29, 2016
London, England at the Electric Ballroom, Camden
Report by David Green, PWTorch U.K. correspondent
After a delayed start due to issues with the vehicle delivering the ring to the venue, the show kicked off with a bang with the first of eight first round tournament matches…
(1) Mark Haskins beat Pete Dunne via submission. A great opener with Dunne really excelling in his bad guy role. They put together some great sequences before Haskins trapped Dunne in the Star Armbar for the tap out.
(2) Mikey Whiplash beat Damon Moser via pinfall. A huge experience edge for Whiplash in this one, which didn’t last too long. Moser showed fighting spirit kicking out of a double Powerbomb at one, but was put down for three after the Zombie Maker (Whippy’s version of a Death Valley Driver).
(3) Zack Gibson beat “The Bollocks” Kenny Williams via submission. Williams won a lot of fans in his Chapter debut, but Gibson punished his left arm throughout. A good match saw Williams thrown into the ringpost shoulder-first and he was made to tap to the Shankley Gates.
(4) Jack Gallagher beat T.K. Cooper via pinfall. Cooper attacked Gallagher during his entrance routine, but foolishly waited for the introductions to be made. When the bell rang, Gallagher immediately caught T.K. in a heel hook. Cooper hung on, with his girlfriend Dahlia Black causing distractions throughout. However this caught up with Cooper, who spent too much time flirting with Black and didn’t see Gallagher coming with a corner dropkick that knocked him out for the three count.
(5) Big Daddy Walter beat Dave Mastiff via submission. This was not only a first round tournament match but also doubled up as a group stage match in the Atlas title tournament. Possibly the literally biggest match in company history, these huge men threw each other around with body slams, gut wrench suplexes and a top rope superplex. Eventually Walter overpowered Mastiff with a neck wrench into a choke for the submission, his first ever Progress win, two points towards the Atlas and a quarter final placing. Awesome match.
(6) Chris Hero beat Mark Andrews via pinfall. This was, simply put, one of the best matches I’ve ever had the pleasure to see live. Hero kept Andrews grounded with his strikes, but Andrews just would not stay down, portraying the ultimate underdog. Near fall after near fall, including one from an hellacious piledriver. Hero finally put Andrews down with a tombstone to advance, with both getting a prolonged standing ovation. You MUST see this match!
(7) Sami Callihan beat Matt Cross via pinfall. The first ever American-only match in Progress history started out hot, with multiple dives from both and Cross’s amazing ringpost-holding elbow drop. Cross hit his great Shooting Star Press, but Callihan’s foot was on the rope for a great nearfall. A good match sullied by surprising heel tactics by Callihan that saw him get in a sneaky low blow and an underhook piledriver for the win.
(8) Tommy End beat Rampage Brown by pinfall. Hard hitting match to finish the first round matches. A little shorter than expected, by still good stuff. End took an hellacious bump into the ringpost and Brown hit his piledriver, but for the first time only got a two count. End finished things with a top rope double stomp, roundhouse kick and spinning back kick.
(9) The London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) beat the Origin (Ligero & Nathan Cruz) to win the PROGRESS Tag Team Titles. This was an insane main event with a lot of history behind it. The Riots are essentially the first team of PROGRESS, having had their first match as a team at Chapter 2 and returning to the company just over a year ago. The titles have eluded them up to this point. Ligero and Cruz were accompanied by their stablemates Dave Mastiff and Zack Gibson, but were ejected from ringside after blatant interference.
Later in the match, referee Chris Roberts was low blowed by the Origin, with second ref Paz taking the reigns. After more back and forth action, Origin got frustrated again and knocked out Paz, calling for third official Joel Allen to take over. Mastiff and Gibson made their way back to ringside, but Gibson was taken out by an insane spear to the outside by Lynch. Damon Moser came to ringside and nailed Ligero with a chair and fought Mastiff to the back. Moser was a member of Origin when it was initiated but was beaten out of the group at last year’s event. One year later and he has a bit of revenge and the biggest crowd reaction of his career.
The Riots had a pin, but Ligero pulled Allen out of the ring and ready to take a third ref out. But Allen levelled Ligero with a right hand to a huge pop! The Riots then hit Cruz with the GBH for the closest of nearfalls. EVERYONE in the crowd thought it was three, the bell even rang and Riots music played, but it was only two. The Riots reset and launched Ligero from the top rope into a spear for the final three and the title change.
The reaction to the final three was huge, but not quite to the level as it would have been had that close call been the finish. A minor quibble for a thoroughly entertaining main event. Everyone worked hard in this one and it was discovered later that Lynch actually broke his arm early in the match. Tough as nails.
AMENDMENT: Rob Lynch of the London Riots did not, in fact, break his arm during the tag title match. He suffered a cut of some kind that required stitches. Either way, the Riots were not in action on the second show.
– Day 2 of Super Strong Style 16 is Haskins vs. Whiplash, Gibson vs. Gallagher, Walter vs. Hero, and Callahan vs. End, followed by the semis and final of the tournament. Also announced is a street fight between the teams of Sweet Jesus and the Dazzler Team. Other matches will be made with the eliminated tournament combatants. Great start to the weekender, with Andrews vs. Hero a legit Match of the Year contender.
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