PROGRESS emanates from the Electric Ballroom before next months huge doubleheader. Ever since Wembley, they have been pumping out great shows and this one promises to be more of the same. Team Tremendous and Jordynne Grace debut for PROGRESS (for Grace this is her UK PROGRESS debut) and we have regulars like Mark Haskins, Eddie Dennis and Jimmy Havoc on the show. Here’s a look at the card for PROGRESS Chapter 79!
Match 1: Team Tremendous (Dan Barry & Bill Carr) vs Anti Fun Police (Chief Deputy Dunne & Los Federales Santos Jr.)
4 officers one ring. The UK’s resident fun hating police take on detective Barry and Carr. Team Tremendous are most known for their run as tag team champions in Combat Zone Wrestling but have been on Impact before. Not only are they one of the most underrated tag teams in the US they are talented singles performers. Dan Barry has wrestled for the likes of Pro Wrestling Guerilla and become an Irish hero in Over The Top Wrestling. Carr was previously signed to a developmental deal with WWE and wrestles regularly in Beyond Wrestling. The police vs detectives dynamic possibly add tension between the two teams but it could also devolve into comedy, which would be great too.
Match 2: Jordan Devlin vs Mark Andrews
Jordan Devlin has spent his 2018 stealing the show everywhere he goes and becoming one of the best wrestlers in all of Europe. Andrews has been stealing shows since Devlin was still an unknown. When one thinks of the modern day UK indie style Devlin and Andrews are two of the best all-around performers at mixing the striking, technical and aerial styles. Their fortunes in NXT UK are very different but here in PROGRESS they are two of the best in the company trying to rise up the card. Show Stealer vs Show Stealer in the Electric Ballroom! Need we say more?
Match 3: Isla Dawn vs Millie McKenzie vs Jordynne Grace
Isla Dawn and McKenzie went to a no contest in their recent match thanks to Jinny. They get to go at it one more time, with one small change, we add Jordynne Grace to the mix. Grace made her presence felt at PROGRESS Wembley and makes her in-ring UK debut here. Thick Momma Pump is a powerhouse that can deal with any woman or man put in front of her. This division is still wide open and Grace might just make it hers.
Match 4: Jimmy Havoc vs Drew Parker
The Deathmatch king vs the Deathmatch Prince. Drew Parker announced himself to the PROGRESS fans when he attacked Jimmy Havoc and cost him a title shot at Chapter 77. Parker made his intentions clear, he wants to rid PROGRESS of these old guys taking up spots that could go to a new breed of talents. While that is admirable, one must question why he chose Jimmy Havoc of all people. The King of goths is an evil, evil soul that will no doubt want vengeance. I don’t expect anything about this match to be clean, especially the finish.
Match 5: Jinny & Laura Di Matteo vs Charlie Morgan & Nina Samuels
Laura is now back where she started, as the right-hand woman for Jinny. Jinny manipulated Samuels and Morgan before ending the House Of Couture when it suited her. Samuels and Morgan were never going to just go along with that and let her get away with it. The last two EVE Champions took the fight to Jinny and Di Matteo at chapter 77 and now they have the opportunity to get their hands on their former leader
Match 6: Trent Seven Atlas Championship Open Challenge
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Match 7: Travis Banks vs David Starr
Travis Banks made his return to PROGRESS at the last chapter, interfering to cost Starr his match with Ilja Dragunov and remind us of why he was the companies biggest heel before his injury. The former world champion makes his in ring return as he looks to reclaim his spot at the top. Starr has only transitioned back into singles action after Wembley so a win over the last PROGRESS World Champion would leapfrog him into contention for the world title.
Match 8: Eddie Dennis vs Mark Haskins
The man many consider the next PROGRESS champion vs WALTER’s latest victim. Haskins looks to rebound after his loss to WALTER by beating the seemingly unstoppable Eddie Dennis (who just won the ATTACK! Championship this past weekend). His TLC match victory over Mark Andrews seems to have given Dennis confidence and momentum as he defeated “Speedball” Mike Bailey at the last Chapter and now takes on former champion Haskins. Dennis has gone from the most hated man in PROGRESS to someone that has the crowd fully behind him as he continues his run to the top.
PROGRESS TRIVIA: You may notice that PROGRESS has unusual names for their Chapters. Many come from book titles, films, and in a lot of cases from song lyrics or albums from UK bands. This one, “One Big Neck With Sausage Hands” comes from the lyrics to the song “Never Fight A Man With A Perm” by Idles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCyf6DinTSo
