For five years, they’ve been arguably Britain’s best tag team. The tag team duo of James Davis and Rob Lynch, collectively known as The London Riots. Three time IPW:UK British Tag Team Champions, plus reigns as Tag Team Champions with PROGRESS, FPW, SWE and NGW. Hard hitting brawlers that epitomized a style of British wrestling, they’ve competed against some of the world’s most talented duos, from War Machine to CCK, A4 to Moustache Mountain, The Swords of Essex to The Young Bucks.
This past weekend, PROGRESS finally made Chapter 53: Fate Loves The Fearless available on-demand and the wrestling world witnessed what those in attendance for July 30’s event saw live. The destruction of the London Riots and the retirement of Rob Lynch. For the first time, Lynch and his tag team partner, James Davis, squared off against one and another, with the winner getting a shot at the PROGRESS Atlas Championship. Davis won the match and post match, Rob Lynch announced he was retiring after his last booking in October, due to injuries and personal reasons. As both men fought to fight back the tears, Davis suddenly turned on Lynch and beat him with their trademark cricket bat, before putting Lynch in the Cobra Clutch once again. The Riots are finished, and Davis is now the most hated man in PROGRESS.
Rob Lynch began his wrestling career in 2002, working early on with Luton’s Power Trip Wrestling (PTW) as Robbie Sincaide and West Sussex’ Premier Promotions as Robbie Williams. But in 2012, when he paired with James Davis in the London Riots, they became UK sensations, working all over Great Britain with such promotions as IPW:UK, PROGRESS, ICW, Revolution Pro, PCW and SWE. Although they rarely left the British Isles, they also wrestled in Germany with wXw and in Canada with Smash Wrestling. Earlier in their PROGRESS careers, they were also part of the faction Regression, lead by Jimmy Havoc, and also featuring Paul Robinson and Isaac Zercher.
While Lynch hasn’t announced his final match, stating that it would be around October of this year.
Main Photo: Oli Sandler/Ringside Perspective – facebook.com/ringsideperspective/
