Venue: The Electric Ballroom, London
Event: Chapter 47 Complicated Simplicity
The usual intro, with the usual shtick.
Match 1: James Drake vs “The Pride Of Wales” Eddie Dennis
This is Dennis’ first match in PROGRESS since December at Chapter 41: Unboxing Live!. James Drake met with apathy from a crowd he has yet to blow away with match quality and usual pop and excitement for Dennis’ entrance. Drake hits a cheap shot as Dennis makes entrance to some minor boos. Dennis turns the tide with a big boot sending Drake to the outside before hitting a dive over the top rope. Nasty crucifix into the turnbuckle by Dennis. Drake takes back over and uses his brawling and stiff strikes to ground the giant as the crowd cheers on Dennis. Dennis showcases his strength with a hesitation suplex from the top rope, both men trade strikes in the middle of the ring, Dennis hits a nice sidewalk slam for a 2 count. Drake with an enzuigiri followed by a release suplex for a 2 count. Drake misses a corner then reverses an attempted next stop driver into a schoolboy pin for 2. SUPERKICK by Dennis before a lifted fishhook suplex and bridges for 2. Both men trade strikes and some nasty chops, Drake hits a forearm while Dennis is distracted by the referee before hitting Mr. Mayhem for the three.
James Drake Wins
Reactions: Drake has now won five in a row and is probably being presented as a threat for Super Strong Style 16. The match was Drake’s best match yet. A fine opener with a hot crowd for Eddie Dennis featuring some good action. Rating: 4 out of 10
Match 2: Natural Progression Series IV Semi-Final: Alex Windsor vs Laura Di Matteo
This is the last Semi-Final of the tournament to crown the first ever PROGRESS women’s champion the winner of this match will join Jinny and Toni Storm in the final at Super Strong Style 16. Both women look to gain the advantage early before Di Matteo takes control and Windsor rolls out to take a breather. Windsor prevents the suicide dive and hits a back drop onto the ring apron before choking Di Matteo with her shirt. Windsor rolls Di Matteo in, BIG MISTAKE AS DI MATTEO HITS THE SUICIDE DIVE. Windsor takes back control and hits some running kicks to a seated Di Matteo. Di Matteo floats over after an irish whip to the corner and rolls up Windsor for a 1 count. Sloppy neck breaker from Windsor leads to a pin attempt but Di Matteo kicks out at 2.
A bow and arrow style submission from Windsor before STOMPING DI MATTEO’S FACE INTO THE MAT PIN ATTEMPT OUT AT 2. Crowd rallying behind Di Matteo babyface comeback time with what looked like an attempted enziguri before a head scissors and some flying clotheslines, Di matteo sent up and over, creates some distance before climbing to the top and undershot the missile dropkick by quite a bit. Windsor blocks a shot before hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb for 2. Di Matteo hits the lungblower attempts to climb to the top but gets stopped before being dropped onto her back by Windsor, cover attempt 1…..2…and she kicks out. Windsor locks in what is meant to be a sharpshooter/liontamer combo which is reversed into the RINGS OF SATURN! DI MATTEO HAS IT LOCKED ON! AND WINDSOR TAPS!
Laura Di Matteo wins
Reactions: I respect what PROGRESS is trying to do with their women but they have been badly exposed in this tournament by being asked to carry longer singles matches and the fact is some of them just aren’t ready for it the final will be good with the backstory of Jinny vs Di Matteo and Toni Storm being such a good worker. Decent match with some botches but the crowd was hot for Di Matteo and Windsor had some heat so Rating: 3 out of 10
Match 3: Flash Morgan Webster vs Mike Bird
Mike Bird and Marty Scurll must shop at the same mask store as Bird enters with the long nose mask that “The Villain” has started wearing. Morgan is well recieved by the crowd but isnt as over as he should be given how well he has been pushed. Bird is one half of the ICW tag team champions. Bird is easily getting the better of Webster with a methodical old school british wrestling start, BIRD SPITS IN THE FACE OF WEBSTER, WEBSTER SLAPS BIRD IN THE FACE, nice arm drag by Webster, another armdrag followed by a flippy armdrag and a dropkick.
Bird stops the dive by pulling Webster out of the ring before TOSSING HIM INTO THE CROWD BEFORE A FACE BUSTER ONTO THE APRON! Bird is vicious! Bird with a flying forearm off the top for a 2 count. Bird toying with Webster, Webster fires up and is taken down by a clothesline, Bird hits a gutwrench style slam to Webster that had even the commentators confused, Webster kicks out at 2. Webster reverses a powerbomb into a guillotine before hitting a flying clothesline followed by a corner knee, Webster reverses an irish whip and headbutts Bird.
On the outside Bird driven into the ring post, AND A 619 STYLE HEADSCISSORS ON THE OUTSIDE BY WEBSTER BY SWINGING AROUND THE RING POST. AND A CROSS BODY TAKES THEM INTO THE FIFTH ROW OF CHAIRS. Back in the ring Webster jumps over a rushing Bird only to be taken down on the rebound with a blue thunder bomb, a splash mountain bomb sees Webster kick out at 2. Webster rolls through after playing possum for a 2 count, Bird avoids a flip before Webster flips out of a german suplex, Bird transitions a powerbomb into a death valley driver position which is reversed into a reverse hurricanrana, Webster drops Bird onto his knee and covers for a 2 count. Webster goes up but stopped by a right hand, Bird with a slap and has Webster up Webster reverses into the guillotine Bird drops him on his face and comes off the ropes AND GETS CAUGHT WITH DOUBLE KNEES TO THE FACE, WEBSTER FOLLOWS UP WITH A DESTINO 1…..2…..NO! BIRD KICKS OUT! WEBSTER LOCKS ON THE STRAGGLER, BIRD DEFIANT HOLDING UP THE BIRD TO THE REF BEFORE PASSING OUT!
Flash Morgan Webster wins
Reactions: Bird impressed in his debut and I would be very happy to see him back, but this match was about Webster and showcased just why PROGRESS sees him as a future big star as his matches are always really good. Rating: 6 out of 10.
Webster is on the mic. And reminds us that it almost a year to the day since his Cruiserweight Classic qualifier where he got injured and missed 10 months of action, and James Drake attacks Webster as he is on the ramp and is serenaded with chants of “James Drake is a w***er”. Webster defiantly leaves without assistance.
Match 4: The London Riots (Rob Lynch & James Davis) vs South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks W/Dahlia Black)
A meeting of two of the best teams in PROGRESS, the originals versus the Southern team that has taken the company by storm. The Riots are over being serenaded with “London, London, London F**king Riots” chants. The S.P.P.T are also extremely over despite being heels mainly due to match quality and the fact that their time in PROGRESS is coming to an end because of VISA issues. The S.P.P.T given the streamer treatment and a chance to soak in the cheers before we begin. The crowd begins with a ” F**K you VISA” chant, god bless the PROGRESS crowds. Banks hits a big flying forearm on Lynch who tries to kip up unsuccessfully the first two times before a Banks assisted kip up Banks is thanked with an enziguri. Both men tag out leading to some good back and forth action between Davis and Cooper some awesome sequences to start this match, Cooper and Davis show respect with a handshake, HILARIOUS Cooper feigns sadness and receives a hug from Banks and referee Chris Roberts who gropes Cooper butt leading to Dahlia (Cooper’s girlfriend) telling him off. Even the usually rugged Davis gives Cooper a hug, the PROGRESS crowd laps this up with some great chants. The hug fest is now over with Davis and Banks sent outside Lynch’s attempted suicide dive stopped by an axe kick by Cooper, COOPER HITS A STANDING MOONSAULT OFF THE APRON, AND LYNCH WITH A PLANCHA OVER THE TOP ROPE ONTO ALL THREE MEN, BANKS WITH A SUICIDE DIVE A MOONSAULT ATTEMPT BY COOPER IS STOPPED BY DAVIS, WHO HITS HIM WITH AN OVERHEAD SUPLEX TO THE OUTSIDE ONTO THE OTHER COMPETITORS! JAMES DAVIS FOLLOWS UP WITH A TOP ROPE MOONSAULT TO THE OUTSIDE .…..aaannnnddd breathe. Dahlia gets in the ring to confront Davis and hits him with her moon boot (usually this would get all caps but after what has just happened i’m not capable of all-capping for awhile) . Crowd brawling for a few minutes follows, the Riots have the upper hand on Cooper and work him over in the ring. The Riots hit a rope assisted senton on Cooper, to the delight of the crowd Banks is back and peppers the Riots with kicks and forearms, Banks causes Davis to cannonball Lynch in the corner. He then hits the Riots with one of his own before a hesitation dropkick from Cooper, and an assisted cutter leads to a 2 count for the S.P.P.T, Davis and Cooper exchange leading to a headbutt from Davis but unfortunately Cooper reveals that he is Samoan. Cooper hits a superkick into a rebound Clothesline from Davis. All 4 men are down what a match. All 4 men exchange before Lynch double back suplexes Banks and Cooper who no sell and hit a double superkick into another reverse clothesline. London (Canadian) Destroyer from Lynch leads to a pin on Cooper 1…..2….NOT ENOUGH! Cooper kicks out. An exchange leads to Davis going up Cooper stops him AND HITS A SPANISH FLY 1…2…Lynch breaks it up with a swanton bomb and COAST TO COAST BY BANKS. The announcer perfectly summed this match up by screaming ” MY FU**ING GOD”. The Riots hit Banks with his own team’s finishing move and he kicks out at two. Turnabout is fair play as the S.P.P.T hit Davis with the Riots’ finishing move 1……2…….NO! 2 and 9/10ths, Davis kicks out. Lynch hit with a modified brain buster and a springboard 450 and KICKS OUT AT 1. The S.P.P.T hit the sky tower finishing move for 1….2……3 ITS OVAH!
The South Pacific Power Trip Wins
Banks left for Cooper and Dahlia Black to have their moment with both clearly emotional. THANK YOU is all i can say to these competitors for lighting up the tag division in PROGRESS
Reactions: WOW WHAT A MATCH, incredible if this is the last time we see The Power Trip then they can leave with their heads held high and the riots more than held their own. the action was non-stop from start to finish with the crowd REALLY into the match loudly cheering everything either team did Rating: 9 out of 10 I dare you to find me a better tag match this year.
Hell of a (well deserved) send off for TK & Dhalia when SPPT beat London Riots. Great match too! #Chapter47 #ComplicatedSimplicity pic.twitter.com/qkEC673ywP
— Alex Hopkinson (@alexhopkinson) April 23, 2017
Black gets on the mic. and tells us how hard it was coming over and how thankful they are to Jim Smallman and Glen Joseph for giving them this opportunity before calling PROGRESS their home. Cooper gets on the mic. and tells us how much he has enjoyed “punching girls and wearing dungarees”. Joseph gets on the mic. aswell and tells us how awesome Cooper and Black are and how sad he is to see them go while choking up a little before promising that when they come back they will get a tag team title match for beating the Riots, This brings out British String Style who make their way to the ring as Trent Seven decides to speak and ruin the moment who offers to buy them VISA’s with his WWE money it is though hard to boo Seven with just how good he is on the mic. he offers them the title shot well….NOW and Pete Dunne blindsides Banks as Seven takes out Cooper Tyler Bate restrains Black as Seven beats on Cooper. Seven places a chair around Coopers ankle and hits it with a chair which brings out their opponents for later in the night Rinfgkampf. The S.P.P.T leave to a round of applause from the PROGRESS crowd.
Thus ends part one of the show and part one of my review come back tomorrow for my review of the main event between Ringkampf and British Strong Style and more.
