Chapter 46: I Like To Chill Out Here and Shoot Some Dinosaurs (5 Year Anniversary Show)
Location: The Electric Ballroom in London
Date: March 26, 2017
Announcers: Callum Leslie and RJ Singh
The Origin (Nathan Cruz and Zack Gibson) vs. The Origin: Banter Edition (El Ligero and Dave Mastiff)
There’s no better way to start off a five-year anniversary show than with four men who have been in Progress from the start. It’s an Origin Civil War at Chapter 46!
Gibson and Cruz give Ligero a chance to rejoin the Origin, and Ligero seems to accept. However, the banter is too strong, and he low-blows them both. They do most of their comedy before the bell rings, which is easy to do considering the bell doesn’t ring for about 5 minutes. The heels quickly get and keep control over Ligero. Ligero uses some nice agility to slip past both men and tag in Mastiff. Mastiff is on fire, taking out Cruz and Gibson with sentons. An assisted dive by Ligero ends poorly, as Cruz and Gibson catch him and fire him into a wall. Then, with the grace of a baby duck, Mastiff flies to the outside! Ligero does a slightly more graceful dive onto the heels from a perch in the crowd.
Powerbomb and splash only get 2 for the Banter Brothers. Gibson blind tags Cruz, takes out Mastiff, and locks on the Shankly Gates on Ligero. Ligero reaches the ropes and fights off Gibson, but Cruz sneaks in with a Show Stolen. Mastiff comes back in and hits a big German suplex on Cruz and blocks a Ticket to Ride from Gibson. He goes to the top, but Gibson sends him down to the mat and lands the Ticket to Ride. It’s back to Ligero and Gibson, the legal men. Ligero is on fire and almost hits a C4L, but Gibson holds him up. Tandem Tombstone from the heels only gets 2. After Ligero gives them both a middle finger, Cruz and Gibson give him a double Ticket To Ride to win the match. A fun comedy match that ended up being a very good tag team match. Two thumbs up.
Winners: Nathan Cruz and Zack Gibson
Natural Progression Series Semi-Final: Toni Storm vs. Dahlia Black (w/ TK Cooper)
The winner of this match will advance to the Natural Progression Series final against Jinny and a third participant to be determined (either Laura Di Matteo or Alex Windsor). The winner becomes the first ever Progress Women’s Champion.
Storm takes control to start, but Black gets a combo of moves in the corner that ends with a cannonball. That only gets 2. Black goes to the top for a moonsault, but Storm pushes her to the outside where Cooper catches her. Storm goes for a dive, but Cooper pushes Black out of the way. Black sweeps Storm’s feet out from under her, landing Toni on the apron. A nice moonsault from Black gets 2. FOREARM EXCHANGE becomes a KICK EXCHANGE before Toni catches Dahlia’s leg and hits a leg-trap German suplex. Hip attack in the corner and a fisherman’s suplex get a 2.
Toni goes up top for a diving leg drop, but TK pulls Dahlia to the outside. Toni dives onto both of them and sends Dahlia back in the ring. TK tries to interfere, but Toni kicks him in the balls. Storm hits a quick powerbomb and a snap piledriver for the win. Unfortunately, Dahlia broke her leg catching Toni on the dive to the outside, so she will be out of action for a while. It’s a real shame, because this was another very good performance for her. One thumb up.
Winner: Toni Storm
Travis Banks vs. Jack Sexsmith
Sexsmith has history with Banks. Banks debuted in Progress last year by costing Sexsmith a match with TK Cooper. Before the bell, Banks sends TK to the back.
Banks takes Sexsmith lightly to start, allowing him back up after controlling him on the mat. After Sexsmith gets the better of him on the mat, Banks refuses a handshake and kicks the hell out of Jack. Delayed dropkick gets Banks 2. Sexsmith low bridges Banks, but Banks cuts off a dive and continues to tee off on him. Banks then hits a TOPE OF DOOM.
Travis flies like an arrow with a low tope! @Travis_BanksPW @ThisIs_Progress #ShootDinosaurs
LINK: https://t.co/tIPxKpxXaS pic.twitter.com/qw7x7Dcxo9
— Dan (@GolazoDan) April 8, 2017
Sexsmith rolls through a tornado DDT and hits a Superkick for 2. Banks tries to forearm Sexsmith down, but Sexsmith hits a fighting spirit lariat. Pearl neckbreaker from Sexsmith, and he goes for the LGBDDT but Banks catches him with a German. FIGHTING SPIRIT FROM SEXSMITH! He lights up Banks in the corner with chops, and hits the LGBDDT for 2. Sexsmith sends Banks to the outside and hits a top rope dive to the floor. Banks rolls in and goes for another TOPE OF DOOM, but Sexsmith catches him and hits a T-Bone suplex to the floor. A Sexsmith knee drop misses, and Banks hits a jumping lariat and a fisherman’s buster for 2. Sexsmith blocks the second rope kick and hits a sunset flip powerbomb for 2.
Mr. Cocko comes out, but Banks hits a superkick and a running knee for 2. Second rope kick gets reversed into the Crippler Cockface. Banks is able to reverse it into a Blue Thunder Bomb, but Sexsmith KICKS OUT AT ONE. Whirlybird drop still can’t keep Sexsmith down. Banks hits the second rope kick to finally put Sexsmith down for the count. Post match, TK Cooper comes back and they surround Sexsmith, but both Banks and Cooper shake Sexsmith’s hand. The crowd loved both of these guys, and they delivered with a stellar match. Banks and Sexsmith continue to impress. TWO THUMBS UP, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Winner: Travis Banks
Mark Haskins (w/ Jack Haskins) vs. Axel Dieter Jr.
The most dangerous shooter in pro wrestling: Jack Haskins! @FightHaskins @ThisIs_Progress #ShootDinosaurs
LINK: https://t.co/tIPxKpxXaS pic.twitter.com/XDrmBSg0fo
— Dan (@GolazoDan) April 8, 2017
RJ Singh says at the start that “this is a match for wrestling fans.” I was under the impression that ALL the matches were for wrestling fans, but I guess I was mistaken. Dieter doesn’t do many flashy moves, but everything he does is crisp and snappy. He catches Haskins on a leapfrog and hits a Kryptonite Crunch for 2. Haskins does the sequence that leads into the Sharpshooter, but it gets met with an uppercut for 2. Haskins hits the roll-through DVD for 2, which looked very impressive on someone as tall as Dieter. Second rope European uppercut gets caught into an armbar by Haskins. He transitions into a crossface, then transitions that into a Rings of Saturn for 2. Haskins goes for the Sharpshooter again, but Dieter locks on a nasty looking submission where both of Mark’s arms are behind his back.
Haskins gets the ropes, so Dieter goes for it again but gets caught in a Star Armbar. Dieter gets a crucifix pin for 2, and hits a gorgeous armtrap suplex with a bridge for 2. Haskins catches Dieter coming off the ropes, rolls through and locks on a Sharpshooter to get the tapout win. Dieter leaves, but meets Haskins back on the stage and shakes his hand. This really grew on as it went on, and I ended up loving it at the end. Two thumbs up.
Winner: Mark Haskins
Fans Bring The Weapons: Jimmy Havoc vs. Will Ospreay
At Chapter 20, Will Ospreay ended Jimmy Havoc’s title reign of terror and was the savior Progress needed. But after losing the Progress title, suffering a winless 2016, and seeing Havoc return to a hero’s welcome, something changed in Will. He snapped. He teamed up with his former partner Paul Robinson to make Havoc suffer, the same way Havoc made Ospreay and all of Progress suffer during his 609-day title reign. After costing Havoc the title at Chapter 45, Ospreay told Jimmy that “this has to end.” And it will end here at Chapter 46 in the Electric Ballroom.
Prelude 12/21. But not the man you expected. @WillOspreay @ThisIs_Progress #ShootDinosaurs
LINK: https://t.co/tIPxKpxXaS pic.twitter.com/NCaKvCWawo
— Dan (@GolazoDan) April 8, 2017
They use a lot of fan-supplied plunder to start, which includes:
- A potted plant
- A mannequin leg
- Donuts
- A grandfather clock (with a “get your clock out for the lads” chant)
- Jimmy Havoc-brand beer
- Former ECW/WWF Star Head
Havoc looks under the apron and pulls out THE PROGRESS CHAMPIONSHIP STAFF! The original Progress title Jimmy held for a year before burning it and presenting the title belt we see today. Duct tape does wonders, I guess. A DDT on the staff gets 2. Havoc takes another swig of beer before getting a Stunner from Ospreay. Ospreay takes a swing with a barbed wire baseball bat, but Havoc ducks and hits a Pele kick. Havoc gets the bat and nails Ospreay with it…but Ospreay shrugs it off. Ospreay hits him with the bat before removing his jacket and revealing Roman Reigns-style body armor. WILL! OSPREAY! THE GUY WITH, THE BIGGEST FLIPS!
Havoc gets the upper hand by OBLITERATING Ospreay with a guitar. Ospreay is bleeding, so Havoc opens up the wound with a cheese grater. As you do. Havoc gets a bag full of thumbtacks and Lego and pours it over the ring, but Paul Robinson comes out to stop him. He curbstomps Havoc twice into a pinata, and that busts Havoc open. Turns out, the pinata has more tacks in it. Ospreay goes for an Oscutter, but Havoc shoves Robinson in the way. Double Rainmaker, but a cover after a Death Valley Driver gets broken up by Robinson.
Havoc uses a vinyl record to cut Ospreay’s fingers. He sticks the vinyl in Ospreay’s mouth and cuts his mouth open. He pulls out a lime and sprays lime juice over the cuts. (Note: After each of these spots, I screamed “Jesus!” Luckily it’s Sunday as I watch this.) Havoc and Ospreay fight for control on the top rope before Havoc hits an Essex Destroyer off the top rope through a table. That only gets 2. Both men are bleeding hard, and covered in tacks. Ospreay grabs the mic and tells Havoc that this has to end tonight. He says that tonight, THE LOSER LEAVES PROGRESS.
They get back up and brawl before Ospreay hits an OsCutter for 2. Ospreay pulls out a barbed wire board. I don’t think a fan brought that. Ospreay sticks the board barbed wire side down on Havoc before going to the top. Havoc throws him down and hits a board-assisted Codebreaker. Havoc goes up top, but Ospreay just fires the board at him. Ospreay sets up the board between 2 chairs, but Havoc cuts him off. He rips off Ospreay’s protective gear before sending him into the board, but he only gets 2 when Robinson pulls the ref out of the ring. Havoc gives Robinson a Rainmaker, but that lets Ospreay hit an Essex Destroyer.
Ospreay doesn’t go for a cover. He knows what has to be done. He goes to the top and hits a 630 splash, the move that beat Havoc at Chapter 20. But this time, HAVOC KICKS OUT. Ospreay grabs barbed wire and wraps it around Havoc’s head, but Havoc gets him with it and hits a Rainmaker for 2. Havoc curbstomps Ospreay on the bottom rope. He hits 2 barbed-wire covered Rainmakers, but Ospreay flips him off.
With a third Rainmaker, Jimmy Havoc wins the match and ends Will Ospreay’s Progress career. It was July 26, 2015 where Will Ospreay became Progress’s hero by beating Jimmy Havoc and sending him away. Now, nearly two years later, Havoc returns the favor. You can’t tell the story of Progress without both of these men, but it looks like as far as Progress is concerned, Will Ospreay’s story has been told. TWO THUMBS UP. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Winner: Jimmy Havoc
PROGRESS Tag Team Titles: The Hunter Brothers (Lee and Jim) vs. British Strong Style (Trent Seven and Tyler Bate) (c)
This pairing of British Strong Style won the titles at Chapter 41. This is their second defense. Progress granted the Hunter Brothers a title shot for consistently having great matches, which they do have. Trent Seven comes out with the new Progress Wrestling Tag Team Titles, which are actual belts now. The bastards, I loved the shields!
Seven and Bate attack before the bell. They go for Pedigrees (because Triple H is over), but the Hunters dump them out of the ring and hit stereo dives. Bate quickly gets control though and they work over Lee. BSS do a number of goofy tags, including foot-to-foot and almost let Lee tag out by accident. Jim eventually tags in and runs wild on both Bate and Seven. A strait-jacket backstabber from Jim gets 2. Bate blocks a neckbreaker, and hits a Giant Swing on one Hunter while Airplane Spinning the other. Uppercut from Bate gets 2. Doomsday device is attempted, but Lee rolls down and hits a dive onto Seven.
Jim and Bate trade shots in the ring before Bate hits a roundhouse kick. Both teams have several bouts of miscommunication before punching each other in the face. DOUBLE FOREARM EXCHANGES that BSS get the better of. Crotch chops and a Pedigree attempt, but the Hunters hit Pedigrees of their own and hit crotch chops, because Triple H is over. MOVES APLENTY before Bate backflips into a bridging German Suplex on Lee. Jim breaks up the bridge with a moonsault. Jim’s rana attempt misses, and Trent is able to piledrive him and send him into a Tyler Driver ’97 for the win. Two thumbs up.
Winners: STILL Progress Tag Team Champions, British Strong Style
PROGRESS Atlas Championship: WALTER vs. Matt Riddle (c)
The Atlas Championship is for men over 205 pounds. Matt Riddle beat Rampage Brown for the title at Chapter 40. This is Riddle’s fifth defense of the title, but his first defense on a Progress chapter show.
Let me get my one criticism out of the way. Riddle’s selling of the leg was not very good. He completely forgot about it at points. I know it can be explained away by adrenaline numbing the pain or something along those lines, but it still annoyed me a little. Now, OH MY GOD THIS MATCH.
I like WALTER the way people like Braun Strowman. He is an amazing big man that can make anyone, including a strong ex-MMA fighter, believably fight from underneath. His chops are absolutely disgusting, and can light a crowd up. His big boot may be my favorite move in wrestling. Riddle was good here too, outside of the spotty selling. WALTER hits a big boot in the corner that makes multiple fans cringe. Riddle hits a Bro 2 Sleep and looks to follow up with something, but WALTER rolls through with an Ankle Lock. WALTER hits a leg-trap German suplex and a DISGUSTING lariat for 2.
WALTER goes for a powerbomb, but Riddle transitions it into a guillotine choke. He gets rammed into the corner, and WALTER gets a sleeper hold on. Riddle rolls out and locks on a flying triangle choke. WALTER powerbombs his way out. CHOP EXCHANGE ends in a WALTER powerbomb for 2. Another big boot, but Riddle ducks a lariat and catches WALTER in the Bromission and gets the tapout win. They shake hands after. Stellar heavyweight wrestling. WALTER may be my Progress MVP of 2017. If he is in Super Strong Style 16, I expect nothing less than excellence from the Austrian. Oh yeah, Riddle was good. TWO THUMBS UP. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Winner: STILL Progress Atlas Champion, Matt Riddle
PROGRESS World Championship: Mark Andrews vs. Pete Dunne (c)
Dunne won the vacated Progress Title at Chapter 39. This is his fifth defense of the title. Mark Andrews earned this shot after winning the Thunderbastard match at Chapter 43. Fun fact: The Progress Title has never changed hands as a result of a Thunderbastard. (Will Ospreay lost to Jimmy Havoc, Mark Haskins lost to Will Ospreay, champion Marty Scurll retained the title)
If you’ve seen their matches for the UK Title Tournament and NXT, this was just as good up to the end. The video showed that these two could have a good match together in their sleep at this point. They play into that knowledge of each other here, as Andrews hits Dunne with an X-Plex and Dunne hits a reverse rana on Andrews. Then, Andrews accidentally bumps the ref, and you can hear the air come out of the crowd.
Trent Seven comes in and lays out Andrews. A second ref comes out, but Andrews kicks out at 2. Andrews reverses a tombstone into one of his own, and goes up top. Seven tries to take him down, but Andrews hits a Shooting Star Press anyway. The ref counts 2 before Tyler Bate stops him from counting 3. Andrews takes out both Seven and Bate with a moonsault to the outside, but Dunne hits him low. He goes for the Bitter End, but Andrews reverses it into a vertabreaker for the win!
Oooooooor not. The original ref tells the ref that Dunne’s foot was under the rope (which it was), and orders the match to be restarted. They fight for a while before Andrews gets control again. Andrews goes up for another Shooting Star Press, but Dunne hits him with a forearm on the way down. He hits the Bitter End and gets the win. I watched the match the first time, and the finish annoyed me. I watched the match again, and this time it pissed me off. You can do the interference, or you can do the restart. Doing both is extreme overkill and it really hurt this match. Thumbs in the middle.
Winner: STILL Progress World Champion, Pete Dunne
OVERALL THOUGHTS: I gave six of the eight matches two thumbs up. Progress continues to put on stellar shows, and they are headed to Super Strong Style 16 on a real hot streak. Chapter 46 gets TWO THUMBS UP, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
MATCH OF THE NIGHT: Matt Riddle vs. WALTER
You can watch every Progress show ever on their on-demand service, Demand Progress. Have any thoughts on this show? Comment down below, or you can reach me on Twitter, @SuitWilliams. I’ll be back with a review of Chapter 47: Complicated Simplicity.