PROGRESS runs a doubleheader as they look to end 2018 on a high. On Saturday, December 8th we have Chapter 80: Gods And Monsters from the O2 Ritz in Manchester before Sheffield’s O2 Academy with Chapter 81: Pour Some PROGRESS On Me the next day. IMPACT tag team champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) debut, Toni Storm returns, Shingehiro Irie takes on WALTER and much more as PROGRESS looks to pull off a great wrestling doubleheader.
Chapter 80: Gods & Monsters
Match 1: Paul Robinson vs Chris Ridgeway
Paul Robinson is the original bad man in PROGRESS. He’s the man who sent Jimmy Havoc away for a year, he’s the man who is ready and willing to do whatever he wants to his opponent. Because of this, he has taken offense to the fact that Ridgeway is considered a Blck belt in being Hard As F*ck. In Robinson’s eyes Ridgeway is a pretender to his throne and whenever Robinson sets his sights on someone the bad times will come. Ridgeway may be a specialist in shoot style wrestling and has been in many wars but has he ever faced a monster like Paul Robinson?
Match 2: Trent Seven Atlas Championship Open Challenge
Seeing as it was Kyle Fletcher, a competitor in Rev Pro‘s Super J Cup, of all people last time who knows? Maybe it’ll be Swoggle
Match 3: Drew Parker w/ Spike Trivet vs Ligero
Parker has started something in PROGRESS, by targeting Jimmy Havoc he roused a crew of fellow underused talent who are sick of old talents and others that have “sold their souls” clogging up the card. Ligero, being a PROGRESS original and NXT UK roster member wasn’t happy with these comments. Will Parker be able to back up his words or will Ligero prove that the next generation just isn’t ready.
Match 4: Eddie Dennis & Mark Haskins vs Do not Resuscitate (Chuck Mambo & “Present” William Eaver) w /Trivet & Parker
Do Not Resuscitate have already dealt with Jimmy Havoc and have turned their attention to other guys that they believe are taking up their spots. Haskins and Dennis aren’t close friends but both are experienced veterans and PROGRESS main eventers. They are united by the need to get payback on the new faction that feels like they can run PROGRESS without consequences. The former Sweet Jesus team have an advantage as they have been a team for a few years and would have trained together in the ProJo.
Match 5: CCK (Chris Brookes & Jonathan Gresham) v LAX (Santana & Ortiz)
The match that had everyone talking from PROGRESS’ US tour back in August LAX vs CCK gets a rerun. From fans in attendance to those who watched on VOD the consensus was that this match was the best of the tour and arguably the best PROGRESS match this year. Considering the names involved this should come as no surprise. LAX are the longest reigning tag team champions in Impact Wrestling history, before life as LAX they were killing it on the indies as EYFBO (Entertain Your F**cking Balls Off) and are probably the best tag team still available in the US indie scene, CCK are a UK scene phenomenon as Brookes and Lykos went from unknowns to the hottest act in the scene within months. Original member Gresham has subbed in during Lykos’ latest injury and the team hasn’t missed a beat. CCK, no matter the combination, is packed with great wrestlers that have been having tag team wars since 2017 and they are ready to do so once more against LAX. A UK vs US indie dream match comes to Manchester as two of the best tag teams in the scene go head to head in a number one Contenders match. Whoever wins will face Aussie Open or Team Whitewolf the next day in Sheffield in another top notch tag team match.
Match 6: Tyler Bate vs Ilja Dragunov
This match once happened for Great Bear Promotions 5 years ago. The people in attendance at the time surely did not know that in 2018 it would be one of the biggest dream matches in European Wrestling. The first-ever NXT UK champion Tyler Bate versus Unbesiegbar Ilja Dragunov who has become an in-demand star in European Wrestling over the last year. If there’s one thing to expect here it’s for two resilient warriors to absolutely kill each other. Both men have taken ridiculous punishment in high profile matches with WALTER and will make sure they get their hits in. Who will crack first?
Match 7: Pete Dunne vs Mark Andrews
Mark Andrews has not had the best 2018 in PROGRESS, his win-loss record has many more L’s than W’s and he lost his big grudge feud with Eddie Dennis at PROGRESS Wembley. Andrews wants to relight the fire as we come towards the end of the year and PROGRESS have found the ultimate opponent. Andrews’ best friend someone he has trained with, traveled with and even set up a promotion with “The Bruiserweight” the WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne. Andrews and Dunne have shared a ring too many times to count and have been up and down the country and across the world fighting one another. With rumors flying regarding Dunne it would be a fitting end for him to face his oldest rival one last time in the scene they helped build.
Chapter 81: Pour Some PROGRESS On Me
Match 1: Toni Storm vs Jordynne Grace
Grace defeated Isla Dawn in her UK debut for PROGRESS as she continued to announce herself to the division. Storm makes her first appearance since Wembley as she looks to find a way back into the title picture. The first ever PROGRESS women’s champion and Mae Young Classic winner 2018 faces one of the hottest prospects in Women’s wrestling. 2018 was Storm’s year to take over but 2019 will be Grace’s. A clash of styles as the powerhouse faces the All rounder in a high profile clash in the PROGRESS women’s division.
Match 2: Ilja Dragunov vs Travis Banks
Much like Dragunov’s match with Bate this is going to be two men with inhuman resolve and stamina throwing everything they have at each other until one finally cracks. Dragunov has some added motivation as it was Banks that attacked both Dragunov and David Starr towards the end of their epic match at Chapter 78.
Match 3: Mark Haskins vs Mark Andrews
After facing Pete Dunne, Andrews will have to face another former PROGRESS World Champion and one of the best wrestlers still available on the UK scene. Haskins and Andrews don’t have the history of Dunne and Andrews but he is just as big a challenge. These two have fought before in PROGRESS and once in OTT, both times were excellent matches where both used their strengths to test the other as Andrews used his high flying and Haskins used his technical/submission skills. Expect another classic from these two great wrestlers as Andrews continues to try and prove himself in PROGRESS.
Match 4: PROGRESS World Championship: WALTER (c) vs Shigehiro Irie
WALTER had defeated all challengers. Travis Banks was dealt with, Tyler Bate was beaten on the biggest stage in PROGRESS history, Mark Haskins was beaten. There is nobody left in PROGRESS for WALTER to face. So PROGRESS got creative and looked all over the world for a suitable challenger. After their search finished they allowed WALTER to pick the best candidate, WALTER chose former Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) performer Shingehiro Irie. A former K-OD Openweight Champion and a multiple time tag team and six-man champion. Irie has a decade of experience wrestling for one of Japan’s most unique promotions. He recently finished up in DDT with the intentions to go freelance and wrestle around the world, he comes to PROGRESS with the intentions of continuing his high levels of success and capturing the PROGRESS world title from WALTER. With a nickname like “The Japanese Beast” Irie is a huge threat to WALTER as he is a compact powerful guy who can trade hands with anyone, but he also moves at high speed to hit his lariats. He can also do some Tope’s so really Irie has no weaknesses in his game. Will WALTER be able to defeat an opponent as highly skilled as Irie or will the Austrian finally taste defeat.
