Hey guys and gals! Welcome back to another edition of The PROGRESS Prerogative. Last week’s debut edition went down really well with you all, and I thank everyone that sent me a message/DM to say how much they enjoyed it. Right in front of you is PROGRESS Wrestling’s Chapter Two review, The March of Progress but before we start let’s fill you all in with some background information.
This chapter took place three months after Chapter One: In The Beginning (and you can read my review of that show right here) and features, 18 wrestlers and only four of those 18 were featured in the first show. That’s some progress….pun intended.
Enough of the history lesson, here for your delectable pleasure is my review of PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter Two: The March Of Progress –
Chapter Two: The March Of Progress
Sun June 24th 2012
The Garage, Islington, London
The show began with a short video package to highlight the main event – the two out of three falls match for the PROGRESS Wrestling Championship between Marty Scurll and champion Nathan Cruz. Just a general hype package, then we’re off and running with the shows first match.
Lion Kid vs Stixx
Stixx is the obvious heel here and with that chain of his he reminds me of Hercules circa WM4. Lion Kid, as I’ve since found out, is Wade Fitzgerald who was a staple of BritWres in the dark days of the mid noughties. Always good stuff to know.
When I say that Stixx reminds me of Hercules, I mean in physique too. He is jacked! He had the power game to a tee here but Lion Kid was game for a fight himself. Using his agilty and speed he certainly gave a heck of go.
Lots of high flying, death defying moves from Kid, which is pretty unusual for an opening match. A hurricanrana that was caught by Stixx and then thrown into a nearby ring post was a highlight showing that Stixx was aware of the high flying antics.
Stixx certainly looked the more convincing victor as he pummelled Lion Kid down to the mat on several occasions, and nearly won by a few near falls. But Kid turned the tables and won a bruising encounter with a cheeky roll up, much to the surprise of the fans in attendance
Winner – Lion Kid
BWC Scarlo Scholarship
Mark Andrews (c) vs
Mike “Wild Boar” Hitchman
You may remember from the first chapter (recap right here 😉 ) that Xander Cooper was the Scholarship champion? Well in the three months that have passed, Xander lost that title to Mark Andrews at another promotion. Just a quick recap there for ya folks!
This was a fun quick match for what’s it worth. Andrews is still cutting his teeth and it shows in this match. Not that it’s a bad thing mind. Just not his usual standard that’s all. Hitchman took control of the match, being the heel, and led the pace really well. Keeping Mark grounded to the mat and overpowering him at any opportunity, Wild Boar did a grand job.
Everytime Andrews fought his way back into the match, Hitchman stopped him in his tracks and took control. Whether it was upping the pace or going to the top rope, Boar was 100% in control.
But miraculously Andrews walked out of The Garage with the BWC Scarlo Scholarship when he turned Hitchman’s Trapper Keeper (package piledriver) into a tight small package and grabbed the win!
Winner – And STILLLLL BWC Scarlo Scholarship champion, Mark Andrews
Post match, former champion Xander Cooper rushed the ring and went to attack Mark Andrews, but was instead met with a dropkick for his troubles. He soon scurried to the back after that with Mark rushing behind him.
Noam Dar vs Darrell Allen
Dar is from Scotland. Which makes him the heel here in this very southern London crowd. Both of these men lost in the first chapter in very entertaining matches. They’ll be going all out to get that all important first win here in PROGRESS.
British crowds come up with the greatest chants, and there was a doozy in this match. As Noam bit Allen’s wrist to get out of a headlock, the razor-sharp crowd chanted “That’s not kosher!” at Dar (he’s Scottish-Israeli). Brilliant bants right there!
While Allen was the more technically sound of the two, Dar was the more vicious. Nasty strikes and headbutts (or a Glasgow kiss for those north of the border) and a gross spot where he put his own used chewing gum into Darrell’s mouth, showed me and the crowd just how much he wanted this.
The pyschological moment of th chewing gum spot played to Noam’s advantage as Allen lost all his composure and went to town on him. After taking a barrage of abuse, Dar slapped on a knee bar – later named the Champagne Super Knee Bar as he’s a huge fan of the band Oasis – to gain a well earnt and hard fought victory.
Winner – Noam Dar
Jimmy Havoc vs Danny Garnell
Ahhhh Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy. The future King Of The Goth’s looks like a baby faced assassin here at the March of Progress. It’s amazing what a few years in PROGRESS can do to you! He was given this match after PROGRESS sent out a tweet asking fans who they would like to see. Havoc romped home the winner and got his debut match for the company.
Before the match had even begun, the referee – acting on a hunch – pulled out an illegal weapon from Havoc’s pants. The weapon in question? A spoon! A bloody spoon! Of all the things a deathmatch wrestler could have stuffed down there!
On commentary it’s noted that Jimmy is a student of Garnell’s. I’m not that sure if he was or if it was for storyline purposes. Either way it added to the drama of the match. Danny looking to put Havoc in his place during the match by keeping the match in the ring. Jimmy on the other hand kept going for the spoon to use it somehow and taking the fight outside.
Garnell took the win by reversing a crossface into a pinning position. A good match that showed that Havoc could wrestle a non-hardcore match. So much so that Jim Smallman invites Jimmy back to Chapter Three for one more match.
Winner – Danny Garnell
Number One’s Contender’s Match
Greg Burridge vs El Ligero vs RJ Singh
Greg Burridge is a blast from the past for me at the March of Progress. Back in the BritWres dark days of the early to mid-noughties, Greg wrestled in 1PW as the “Pukka One” Darren Burridge. Very much looked over back in the day, so it’s great to see him here at the start of PROGRESS’s journey. Also here is future PROGRESS Wrestling commentator RJ Singh…..I miss his dulcet tones.
The match starts with a bit of comedy as Ligero and Burridge are throwing punches and kicks at each other with as much force as a wet fart. But soon up the ante when Singh is involved and lay in their strikes on him with as much force as possible. RJ soon has enough and powders out the ring.
The comedy soon fades into the background and the action picks up. Burridge is the strength, RJ brings the heart while Ligs brings the shenanigans 🙂 Yup, Ligero is back to his cheating ways. Anytime the referee wasn’t looking he was creating mischief.
A great spot where Ligero’s “Lasso From El Passo” is broken up by Singh, who in turn slaps Burridge with the “Ethnic Submission” (a brillaintly named Camel Clutch), before Ligs hits a superkick onto Singh to finish the sequence. Great little spot there in thsi rather quick match.
I know most three ways don’t have a story but it would have been nice to see this maych have another 5 minutes or so, jsut becasue the cheap roll up finish of Burridge by Ligero seemed rushed.
Winner – And PROGRESS Wrestling Championship #1 Contender , El Ligero
PROGRESS Wrestling Championship
Two Out Of Three Falls
Marty Scurll vs Nathan Cruz (c)
These kind of matches, the longer style like this one, can drag on if it’s not laid out properly during the March of Progress. Luckily this isn’t one of them. This was a great example of where BritWres was at the time, and just how great it was going to become.
The first fall was a feeling out process followed by the men hitting lumps outo feach other. A Ric Flair chop-off, some finger snaps and a Torture rack into a Back Cracker gave the first fall to Party Marty Scurll in what can only be called an upset. Cruz was in control of that first part of the match, amd I fully expected him to win that first fall.
The match restarted once Cruz was back on his feet and he almost leveled the match at one fall a piece when within seconds of standing up he gave an eye poke to Marty and a quick roll up, but only got a two count for his troubles. And that’s when the guys went on a little excursion. Out of the ring and in the crowd, by the bar, and even a stairwell. Brawling with each other and treating the Garage to how pretty much every PROGRESS event would happen going forward.
After getting back into the ring, Scurll ran the ropes into a waiting Cruz who delivered a sweet looking Tombstone piledriver for the match levelling fall. That was a great portion of the match and the brawling in the crowd was really good in particular.
As we move into the last fall, both men are pretty much spent. But they still had enough in the tank to keep the crowd invested in the match. You could call this portion of the match “The Suplex Part”. Cruz and Scurll literally pulled out every suplex in their arsenal, but Cruz needed to put his exclamation mark on the match. After an unfortunate ref bump, Cruz went to grab a chair. But out of nowhere (hey Randy!) El Ligero came out to stop Nathan from using the chair and grabbed it away from him. Incensed, Cruz spat at Ligs, who in turn swung the chair at Cruz! But he ducked and Ligero ended up taking out Marty Scurll! With nothing but a shrug of the shoulders El Ligero walked away as the ref woke up and counted the winning fall.
Winner – And STILLLLL PROGRESS Champion, Nathan Cruz.
A much more improved PROGRESS show and boy did it show in the matches! But again it would be another three months until PROGRESS would be back at The Garage for Chapter Three. Luckily you only have to wait until next Saturday to read all about it!
As always you can hit me up on social media if you want to talk all things wrestling. I can be found via the links below. So until next week…..ADIOS! This was the March of Progress.
Mark Blake Facebook – MarkBlakeSmart
Mark Blake Twitter – @Smart_Mark_B
