Progress Chapter 51 recap & review: Big lads do big things and others do underhanded ones – Cageside Seats (blog)

Progress Chapter 51: Screaming for Progress went up on Demand Progress this morning, so let's dig right in, shall we?

Intense grappling to a stalemate at the bell, and so they choose to just start pasting each other with forearms! Haskins counters a sunset flip into a Penalty Kick, sends Bird outside and lands a suicide dive up the aisle. Pummelling Mike on the outside, chest kicks against the ringpost, but Mark has it turned around on him in the crowd and Bird is happy to take the countout.

Back in, Flying Mike firmly in control, strikes, a suplex, Stretch Plum applied but Haskins gets the ropes. Bird throwing forearms but Mark rises inexorably and fires off a series of forearms and kicks that lay him out! Chest kicks in the middle of the ring this time, Mike tries to rally and gets a basement dropkick to the knee and a roll-through Death Valley Driver for his trouble!

Superkick nearfall, back and forth, Haskins up and over, Bird catches him for a fireman's carry gutbuster but it's reversed into the bridging Fujiwara armbar! Mark traps him in the corner after but gets a charge reversed into a low-angle German suplex into the turnbuckles! Bird on a roll, diving corkscrew elbow... SPLASH MOUNTAIN! NO GOOD!

Pumphandle flowsion follows... STILL NOT ENOUGH! Chops to a kneeling Mark Haskins, jawing at him, but Haskins just gets fired up and returns a barrel of forearms to the face! But Mike Bird is also fired up! Trading charging blows, big palm strikes from Bird, piledriver blocked, superkick, another, roll-through into the Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring! It's over!

Mark Haskins wins by submission with the Sharpshooter.

Really good opener. Haskins' left-turn thinking and resilience is on full display, and Bird is a guy I never look forward to but always leave wanting more. Waiting for my brain to update expectations to match results, I suppose!

Haskins gets on the mic and puts the match over for making his life hard, and talks about how it's what Progress is all about. He says walking out with the title was his dream but it's taken its toll on his body. Representing this company meant everything to him, he does this for his family, for the fans, he does this because it's why he gets out of bed in the morning.

And, he wants his Progress Championship back. He doesn't know if his time is already up, but it's a matter of when, and this is Progress, this is Haskins, this is soon to be your Progress Wrestling Champion.

Ashmore hot before the bell even rings with a dropkick that sends Dennis outside and a tope con giro to follow! Missile dropkick, the bell rings, cover... NOPE! The Hipstar in firm control still, palm strikes, but Eddie turns it around and knocks him outside with a forearm. Following after, into the crowd, Kyle throws a chop to no effect and the Pride of Wales knocks him on his ass with a forearm!

Taking Ashmore around the ring and beating on him, dragging him by the beard, taking a moment to let a fan chant directly into his ear. Back in the ring, trading kicks, Kyle gets a California Roll for a nearfall. Snapmare, kick to the back, only one, but a kick to the ribs that follows gets two.

Clubbing Dennis down, a straight right but Eddie stands up straight and fills with resolve, shrugging off each punch in turn and asking for more! Full-on exchange ensues, Manhattan Drop, uppercut, off the ropes, jockeying for position and Ashmore gets laid out with a neckbreaker drop. Off the ropes, thinking Black Hole Slam, denied, outside, Hipstar looking to fly but Dennis catches him and hits the Black Hole Slam on the apron!

Release crucifix powerbomb... ASHMORE LIVES! Inverted facelock, Kyle floats over, Eddie ducks a kick, hits an uppercut but he runs into a back elbow. Off the ropes, Dennis cuts him off with a forearm, enzuigiri in return, Eddie runs the ropes and Ashmore catches him off a Frankensteiner attempt into a powerbomb onto the knee! Folding press... EDDIE DENNIS LIVES!

Rolling kick gets the Hipstar a two count after! Up top, Phoenix Splash comes up empty, Dennis cold runs through a lariat only to get caught with a Poison Frankensteiner! Shotgun dropkick, up top again, Spiral Tap also comes up empty and the Pride of Wales levels him with a lariat! Buckle bomb, inverted facelock lift...

Eddie Dennis wins by pinfall with the Next Stop Driver.

A real hoot of a match. I love when I'm watching a match and I can just see the hunger and the desire to make an impact shine through, and this one really fits the bill, with Ashmore looking to re-establish himself and a freshly full time (go watch his promo about it if you haven't, it's really quite moving) Eddie Dennis showing us all exactly how he expects to make it to the top in wrestling. Good stuff!

Mat grappling early, as Jigsaw feels his way against the longest-reigning Progress Champion. Grabbing a hammerlock, he bars the arm and grabs the leg momentarily but Havoc is able to make the ropes after insisting Jigsaw let the leg be. Jimmy grabbing a headscissors after the break, an again tells Jigsaw to leave his leg alone, but this time coming up from the stalemate fighting, throwing chops.

Bit of lucha libre, arm drag, Gory Special in and wrenching hard before letting Havoc out of it for a big chop. Boot to the face, uppercuts, Jimmy returns the favor with a charging forearm and a series of boots in the corner that send Jigsaw outside. Pressing the attack, beer mist, things even out and they trade strikes, Jigsaw landing chest kicks while Havoc is seated on a fan in the front row.

Jimmy still in it, putting his face into the apron and throwing Jigsaw into the crowd! Setting up a charging knee but Jigsaw scoots aside and Havoc goes deep into the crowd! Back and forth outside, Jimmy lands a back suplex on the apron that's good for a nearfall when he rolls the Chikara original inside.

Havoc chopping away, Jigsaw back in the fight, diving Frankensteiner, Havoc spills outside... TOPE CON GIRO! Back in, missile dropkick, Jigsaw charges in, elbow, tornado DDT... NO GOOD! Thinking Jig & Tonic, denied, basement superkick, Jimmy gets an elbow up on the charge, double jump springboard tornado DDT! Suicide dive and a missile dropkick of his own but the Acid Rainmaker is denied with a back elbow.

Jigsaw with an enzuigiri into a bridging German suplex but it's only a nearfall. Calling for the brainbuster, Havoc throws elbows, rising uppercut in the corner, jockeying for position in the turnbuckles, Jimmy in the Tree of Woe and Jigsaw hits the double stomp! Coast to Coast... NOT ENOUGH!

The Chikara man laying chest kicks in, Havoc is hot, blocks Jig & Tonic again, flip piledriver, rolling elbow, wristlock...

Jimmy Havoc wins by pinfall with the Acid Rainmaker.

Another good match, this show is humming along. Always love a bit of Jimmy Grappling and I'm glad to see Jigsaw bless my video screens whenever possible.

Jimmy gets on the mic after and says Haskins believes he has a right to the Progress Championship and that's fine, but nobody has a bigger right to that title than he does. He says no matter what was wrong with his body he was here, but Haskins decided to walk, and that's fair enough, but Progress is the most important thing to him, and he's Mr. Progress, and he wants his title back.

Ray Rowe cuts a quick promo about how War Machine know the Riots well and they came for a fight, so let's throw the rulebook out the window!

So, all out chaos and wild brawling to start! Riots pull an advantage, managing to separate War Machine a bit but you can keep big men own and they clean house. Rowe picks Hanson up and double legs him into Lynch! Taking Davis outside but it just gives Rob a chance to hit a tope con giro! DAVIS HITS ONE OFF THE STAGE!

Brawling into the crowd, Rowe taking Lynch deep and trading blows while Warbeard beats on JD in the front row. Senton on Hanson, thrust spinebuster through the front row on Big Rob! HANSON WITH AN EARTHQUAKE SPLASH THROUGH A CHAIR! Ray sets Lynch up on the apron, around the ring knee lift!

Setting Davis up, Warbeard also has an around the ring knee lift! Rob and Rowe in the ring, trading charging forearms, but Lynch wipes Rowe out with a lariat. Blocking a German suplex from Hanson, got the big man up in a fireman's carry but he jukes, into the corner, Banzai Drop! Davis looking for an exploder, Warbeard blocks, cartwheel, but JD catches him with the exploder suplex anyway!

Davis throwing forearms on Ray but he blocks over and over with headbutts! Strike rush lays the Riots man out but Big Rob is right behind with a belly-to-belly suplex. Hanson lays Lynch out with a springboard back elbow! James hits a quebrada on a standing Warbeard! This is nuts! Rowe with a takeover into a knee left, all four men on their feet but wobbling and they collapse to the mat!

Rob Lynch the first to his feet, he climbs the turnbuckles but Hanson comes to block. Struggle in the corner, Davis over, joining them, Ray joins in... GERMAN SUPLEX TOWER OF DOOM! Rowe looking to follow with a dive but the Riots catch him with tandem forearms. Hanson fighting them off one-on-two, charging lariats aplenty, whipping JD into Lynch and catching them both with a Stinger splash.

Bronco Buster denied, the Riots throw forearms as Rowe gets back into it and we got stereo slugfests. Off the ropes, War Machine get the Riots literally in hand, Hanson stacks Davis on top... ROWE POWERBOMBS DAVIS AT THE SAME TIME AS HE WORLD'S STRONGEST SLAMS LYNCH! IS THIS REAL LIFE?!

Warbeard up top, frog splash... ROB LYNCH LIVES! Hanson looking to springboard, Rob catches him with a German suplex, Riots have Ray Rowe in hand, District Line... NOT ENOUGH! Hanson back in, pop-up double spinebuster takes him out! Ray set up for GBH but he blocks the spear with an elbow! Rock Bottom puts Lynch onto JD's back!

Setting Fallout up but Big Rob makes the save, fireman's carry dropped into an elbow, German suplex, setting Ray in the ropes for the diving senton! LYNCH SPEARS WARBEARD TO THE OUTSIDE! GBH CONNECTS... RAY ROWE KICKS OUT?! Rowe throwing desperate elbows against both Riots, trying to stay in this, he flips out of District Line and lays Davis out with a knee!

Lynch off the ropes into the pop-up powerslam! Hanson dives on James, Rowe makes the cover... NO GOOD! Back suplex lift...

War Machine win by pinfall with Fallout on Rob Lynch.

My god, I hope these boys have good lawyers because they're gonna need help when the Physics Police file charges. That powerbomb / WSS combo alone is worth the proverbial price of entry, but these dudes laid it all on the line and had an excellent third match in their series here. Big lads wrestling, indeed.

Post-match sportsmanship, hugs all around.

Handshake, Riddle immediately lands a chop and we have a war! WALTER wants more and the chopping intensifies, both men with red chests in seconds! Forehead to forehead, the chop war continues! Bro goes behind for a German suplex, WALTER blocks and hits one of his own! Chops and kicks, Matt fired up, charging forearms away, WALTER goes for a pump kick early but is able to hold it and shuffle through to connect!

To the outside, yet more chops! WALTER drops Riddle with a boot, back suplex on the apron! Back inside, Karelin lift, looking for another, jockeying for position, Bro hits a Karelin lift of his own and rolls it into a second! The high jump senton connects, you can see the blood blisters on Riddle's chest as he throws kicks and backs WALTER into the corner.

Shushing the crowd, big chop, WALTER fires a shotgun in return and absolutely clobbers the champion in the corner! Sidestep a Mafia kick, German suplex in return, sidestep the running knee, WALTER has a sleeper in but transitions to a German suplex! Riddle rises, another German suplex, Bro pops up but WALTER lays him out with a kick!

Looking for a brainbuster, Bro counters to the fisherman buster! Both men spent, to their knees, more chops, rising to their feet, continuing to absolutely paste each other! Riddle turns to kicks, laying 'em in, but WALTER kicks his leg out of his leg! Riddle slips out of a powerbomb, looking for the Pele kick but WALTER counters with an ankle lock!

Bro rolls out of it, eats another Mafia kick, German suplex, lariat... NOPE! Sleeper hold applied, the crowd trying to will life into Riddle, he rolls out, Pele kick gets a glancing blow, big man up on his shoulders, Bro 2 Sleep, bridging German suplex... NO GOOD! Penalty Kick, trying to get the hooks in for the Bromission, grinding overhead elbows but WALTER slips out and back to the sleeper hold!

Matt flagging, fading, referee Chris Roberts lifts the hand... MATT RIDDLE LIVES! To his feet, reaching for the ropes, WALTER traps his arm, sleeper suplex, powerbomb, another powerbomb... MATT RIDDLE WILL NOT DIE! Back to the sleeper, falling to his back, the bodyscissors are on...

WALTER wins by submission with a sleeper hold, winning the Progress Atlas Division Championship!

Incredible match. Those chops! Both men's chests look like ground meat at the end there, so a little gross, but equally compelling! I especially like that we didn't juke away from the tap after the arm test and the nearfall off a pin-- no qualifications, no "Yeah, but...", Riddle knew he had the title lost and he gave up like a man.

Riddle presents WALTER with the title and takes his leave.

Dunne cuts a promo but honestly I couldn't make out three words in a row with the boos raining down. Reckon it was about not wanting the crowd to have any fun, though. And he kicks Webster low to boot!

Flash ain't out of it, thogh, bit of early lucha libre, arm drag, dropkick, back and forth, Webster with a slight edge, landing the imploding senton atomico. Damian sidesteps a charge, "Freeze!" enzuigiri knocks Morgan outside! Back in, repeated double axehandles (scientifically proven to be the least fun strike in professional wrestling), choking Webster on the ropes and generally testing referee Joel Allen's will.

Elbow to the kidney into a backbreaker, raking the nose, stamping the face, a cover gets one for Dunne. Clawing the face again, stomping away, more axehandles but Webster gets back in it with a wild slap rush! The Strangler is on but Damian backs him in the corner! Up and over, off the ropes, neckbreaker drop and Dunne is on the back foot in a big way.

Flash in with charging strikes, wheelbarrow facebuster into the turnbuckles, jumping knee strike catches the Chief Deputy of the Anti-Fun Police flush in the face! To the outside, tope con giro (very fun!), Damian taking a breather but Webster uses the ringpost to swing around him into a Frankensteiner!

Perched up top, Dunne tries to roll away but Flash readjusts and hits the senton atomico three quarters of the way across the ring! Britpop Drop... NO GOOD! Looking for Eton Rifles, denied, back elbow, moonsault up and over and Damian catches him with a Codebreaker for a nearfall.

Front facelock, hanging Morgan on the ropes, he slips away, goes low, big headbutt! Fireman's carry, denied, Poison Frankensteiner connects! Off the ropes, Dunne lands a spear, springboard... WEBSTER CATCHES HIM IN THE STRANGLER! Dunne rolls around and uses the referee to break the hold, kick to the gentleman's area, he sets Flash back up in the rope-hung facelock...

Chief Deputy Dunne wins by pinfall with a rope-hung brainbuster.

A lot to like here, a lot of (somewhat ironically) fun to be had, but this one didn't quite come together for me. I will say however that Flash looked better than ever here, really on point and in gear the whole way, but especially on fire in the back half with the swinging Frankensteiner and the catch Strangler.

Trent Seven on the mic but he gets cut off by chants of "Six!" at first. He harkens back to Manchester and says they wanted to welcome #CCK with open arms by putting their tag team championship on the line, and so he requests that they return the favor and put them on the line tonight. And if they do, and BSS lose again, they'll never challenge for the titles again.

Brookes hesitates but confers with Lykos, and Seven reminds them that the crowd paid good money and they'll let them down. They agree, and Trent adds that if one of them pins Dunne, they'll win the WWE United Kingdom Championship... in their dreams!

Dunne and Banks to start, but Pete immediately tags out to Seven, getting in his challenger's head. Lykos in, hard with a knee, could it be... NOT QUITE! Six out, Dunne back in, taking Kid to the mat and wrenching his hand and arm unholy before stomping the elbow in.

Quick thinking in the corner, evasion, Lykos lands an enzigiri, a tilt-a-whirl armdrag, diving Frankensteiner and Peter goes outside but is able to move away before Kid commits to the springboard. Back in, Dunne connects with a wicked forearm and tags Tyler in. Bit of mocking crane style precedes a kick, but Brookes is able to tag in.

Cleaning house, double ahoy, monkey flip into a splash, only good for two. To the corner, up and over, Chris comes up empty with a stomp and eats a knee. Seven and Banks in, chops and forearms, chest kicks, Travis floats over a suplex and lands a superkick. Bate and Dunne in to bite his fingers before he can capitalize, Brookes and Lykos save with knees and the Kiwi Buzzsaw takes flight!

Struggling with Dunne, Chris joins him, tope con giro, Kid thinking about a dive but Tyler catches him with Bop and Bang and throws a plancha into the pile! Pete hooks Lykos on the apron... X PLEX OFF THE APRON TO THE FLOOR! DUNNE MOONSAULTS OFF THE SECOND INTO THE PILE! He pulls Lykos out, puts him back in... CORKSCREW TOPE CON GIRO!

Kid springboards in on Bate, sets him up on the ropes, stereo dropkicks, slingshot back in but he runs off the ropes into a triple team pop-up uppercut from BSS! Trent hooks Lykos and clobbers him with a crossface before throwing disdainful kicks and tagging Pete in. Romero Special half-applied as is his tradition, Dunne wrenches both arms back wicked before stomping the knees!

Calling him over, playing Ali to Lykos' Inoki, dragging him in the corner and slamming him in the turnbuckles before bringing Tyler in. Seated senton, kicking away before just dumping him outside like garbage. BSS with the rare Triple HHH on the apron, but the time gave Lykos time to fill his mouth and spit mist!

Kid throwing forearms, Bate picks the leg and wrenches to buy a second to tag Dunne in. Pete goes back to work on the arms, double hammerlock, stomp to the shoulders, he ends up busy tarrying with Banks on the apron and Lykos is able to pull ahead a bit... ASAI MOONSAULT! DRAGONRANA! BANKS IS IN!

Shotgun dropkick, charging strikes, Pete meets him on the third with an elbow but gets hung in the ropes for a lungblower. Cannonball follows, chops on chops, fighting Bate and Seven two for one until he takes tandem headbutts into a double brainbuster! Kid low bridges Trent, Brookes hits a knee, Lykos in, assisted tornado DDT!

Dunne isolated but he throws Kid into Chris to even the odds. Big roundhouse from Lykos, calling for the brainbuster... PETE REVERSES TO ORANGE CRUSH! SUPERKICK BREAKS IT UP, KIWI KRUSHER! SEVEN DRAGON SUPLEX! BROOKES LEG TRAP GERMAN SUPLEX! BATE CATCH SUPLEX! LYKOS LOW MEIN PAIN!

All three BSS men are down in separate corners, CCK climbs... COAST TO COAST IN TRIPLICATE! NO GOOD! Travis firing forearm after forearm at Dunne but the Progress World Champion wants more! One is all it takes in return! The match breaks down into "everybody do something cool", Lykos finishing with a standing corkscrew senton!

Bate misses the rebound lariat and gets caught by a springboard cutter! Peter laying everybody out with lariats but Banks takes him out with a neckbreaker drop! Slice of Heaven on Seven! Lykos with the outside-in springboard tornado DDT! EVERYBODY'S OUT! Slugging it out on their knees, spent, six-way punching action! They end the sequence where they began!

Travis going Slice of Heaven but Pete counters with a forearm! Triplicate forearms from BSS! Lykos with a missle dropkick but Tyler catches him with a standing shooting star press, deadlifts him up for the German suplex... GERMAN SUPLEX OVER THE ROPES TO THE OUTSIDE! DIVE-ASSISTED TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER PUTS LYKOS INTO A CHAIR ON THE FLOOR!

Trent catches Brookes with a piledriver, the Tyler Driver '97 follows, Bitter End... TRAVIS BANKS MAKES THE SAVE BY PUSHING SEVEN INTO THE PIN! BSS kicking away at Banks, stomping a proverbial mudhole but the Kiwi Buzzsaw takes it all and fires up! Palm strikes and chops for everybody! German suplexes for everybody, with an interregnum for Dunne to hit one of his own first!

Slice of Heaven takes referee Chris Roberts out inadvertently! Dunne goes low and hits a Pedigree after! Pete throws Kid Lykos in to the crowd and heads under the ring, coming out with the weapon of his forefathers, a sledgehammer. He loads his fist but Banks ducks! Superkicks ahoy! Codebreaker / senton combo, Travis finishes with a double stomp!

Bate and Seven in, going low, Banks kicks their dicks in return! Trent cuts Travis off in the corner... AVALANCHE PILEDRIVER! Referee Joel Allen arrives to count the pin... TRAVIS BANKS LIVES! Dunne and Brookes on the apron, trading strikes, Chris takes him out but Seven arrives... DRAGON SUPLEX ON THE APRON!

Tyler hoists Brookes up... LEG TRAP EXPLODER SUPLEX INTO THE CROWD! Lykos in with a dropkick, Bate is in the turnbuckles, he's calling for it... BRAINBUSTER! But Trent is distracting Joel from the pin! Pete clobbers Lykos with the sledgehammer! He drags Tyler into place...

British Strong Style win by pinfall with a lateral press from Tyler Bate on Kid Lykos, winning the Progress Tag Team Championship.

Really good match. A step away from the pure spectacle of the previous tag title match, and the added structure from Dunne and Banks really helped this feel like a sequel rather than a retread. By example, the way they ran the "Brookes takes every move" sequence back, but with the addition of Bitter End, which seems like it would have finished him there if Banks hadn't been able to make a save.

Another really strong show from Progress. Of particular excellence, War Machine/Riots and WALTER/Riddle, which I would stick way up in the canon of greatest matches Progress has had to date for sure, but also the main event was very compelling and the first three matches all shined in one way or the other. Indeed, the only misfire was Dunne/Webster, and that was more "not quite cooked through" than a chore to get through.

Storywise, we got BSS being absolute dicks and winning the tag titles back under questionable circumstances, WALTER winning the big lads title (and check out his already-scheduled defense against Fred Yehi at Evolve 90 next month!), and the Riots experiencing failure again immediately after ending their losing streak, all of which provide interesting places to go.

But the developments I'm perhaps most interested in are Eddie Dennis putting it all on the line as a full-time wrestler (he's said he's gunning for the Progress World Championship), and the growing issue between Haskins and Havoc as to who can stake a better claim to the title. Which is going more interesting places than I expected-- my initial thought was basically "alright, who's turning", but it's clear both guys bleed Progress and we're doing more shades of grey, which Progress is quite capable of.

Check it out on Demand Progress, folks.

Originally posted here:

Progress Chapter 51 recap & review: Big lads do big things and others do underhanded ones - Cageside Seats (blog)