Previously on Progress… A bit of violence happened. In the aftermath of Chapters nine and ten, Jimmy Havoc has become the new Big Bad of the promotion and is now Champion. Now it’s time for the counterattack. Does it work? Well…
We are, for the final time, at The Garage. The card:
Screw Indy Wrestling vs Stixx and Dave Mastiff
Josh Bodom vs Flash Morgan Webster (Natural Progression Series)
Noam Dar vs El Ligero
Swords of Essex (Will Ospreay & Paul Robinson) vs FSU (Eddie Dennis & Mark Andrews)
Rampage Brown vs Tommy End
Jimmy Havoc vs Zack Sabre Jr (w/ Marty Scurll as Guest Referee)
1.Tag-Team Tournament I: Boo City
Well, you can’t say Haskins and Cruz can’t get heat.
Screw Indy Wrestling have made their full transition from being the Big Bads to a heel stable going after the inaugural Progress Tag Team Titles (which will be fought for in a Triple Threat at Chapter 12) by taking on the team of Dave Mastiff and Stixx. The boos kept raining for these two, especially in the beginning by their own personal ring announcer, Katherine Rose. In that very Vickie Guerrero way, she plays up a very shrill and annoying voice that just gets right into your soul.
As for the match, it’s a decent opener, with big Dave Mastiff being the clear fan favorite and Nathan Cruz definitely “NOPE”-ing everytime he is forced into the ring against him. Eye rakes, and distractions were SIW’s forte as their two bigger opponents kept coming for them. The standout scene, however, went to Mastiff and his delayed suplex, holding Haskins upside down for thirty-three seconds. In the end thought, trickery beat strength as Rose distracted Mastiff long enough for Cruz to get him out of the ring while Haskin took out Stixx to win and advance them to the tournament finals.
2. A Boy From Malice
No sooner did the first Natural Progression Series tournament end then does the second begin and it introduces a wrestler that would be a Progress regular to this day: “Flash” Morgan Webster. He’s a great underdog wrestler who has chased and chased the Progress Championship to the point where the outrage from the crowd when his actual win for the championship at Chapter 65 was overturned on technicality were massive. On top of that, as a character in the promotion he’s fascinating; having been teetering in the light and dark here in 2018.
But that’s the future, here in the present (errr, past-ish? Retrospectives: they are weird) we have Webster against Josh Bodom, who has the advantage of strength. But this match is very much a showcase: to show that babyface fire and resiliencey that Webster has, taking shot after shot. The crowd comes alive as Webster begins to take advantage with his speed and acrobatics (although, there was a bit of mistake with Morgan not fully getting a hurricanrana in, but Bodom followed through it it. It kind of looks like he just flips for no reason thanks to the camera catching all of it). The crowd, and me, cheered when Webster managed to kick out of a mid-rope piledriver. In the end, Webster goes to the top rope, only for Bodom to join him. However, after Webster straight-up headbutts the bigger man twice to knock him off, does Webster finish it with a 450 splash, advancing in the tournament and earning a place in this promotion.
3. Tag-Team Tournament II: Look at all the High-Flying Madness
The last of the Tag-Team Tournament semi-finals match to finish out the triple threat for Chapter 12 and it’s…awesome. Easily the best match on the card for a pure style technique.
Will Ospreay makes his Progress return teaming with partner Paul Robinson as the Swords of Essex and Mark Andrews is fresh off the harrowing events of Chapter 10 teaming with Eddie Dennis (FSU) in a firecracker of a match. Ospreay, Robinson and Andrews have all been lauded by me for their speed and acrobatics and they show it off here, but Eddie Dennis was great in this. Apart from playing a great foil to the other three with his size. However, just because he’s bigger than the others doesn’t mean he is left out of the feats of acrobatics, as he pulls from his gear a lucha mask and becomes “Eddie Mysterio Jr.”. All of a sudden, the 6’6’’ man becomes a lot quicker and manages a hurricanrana on Ospreay! Another spot had Ospreay on Dennis’ back and Robinson in his arms, so Dennis deals with both of them with a massive Throw Away Slam.
Continued belowIn the end, we would see FSU win over the Swords of Essex and move on, but everyone in this match came out a star. While the “storytelling” may have been light, it was athletic, it was comedic, it was intense. It balanced all of these out so well to create a fantastic wrestling match that earned a “You’re All Mental!” chant from the crowd, to which I agree. If you’re going to watch this Chapter, this is the match I recommend.
4. No Room For Friends
Chapter Seven saw these two wrestlers, these two friends Jimmy Havoc and Zack Sabre Jr., have an amazing match guest refereed by a legend who praised both of them. But that was so long ago and a lot has changed.
If the Swords of Essex/FSU was all about athleticism, this was all about storytelling. After Chapter 10, referee Chris Roberts refused to call this match, so Jim Smallman was able to get a special guest ref: Marty Scurll, who is also friends with Havoc and Sabre. They all trained together and Havoc tries to play off on that in the beginning, offering Zack to just call off this match and they all just go off to the pub. But Zack and Marty aren’t having it as the match starts.
Whereas the match in Chapter Seven was about technicals, this match was all about viciousness. Scurll does his best to maintain some form of order, but both Havoc and Zack trade hard strikes, massive slams, and both trying to destroy the other with submissions. It isn’t long before Havoc is tempted to us weaponry but Zack stops it. They travel all throughout the Garage, outside the ring, onto the stage area (where Zack gets Havoc in an armbar and actually manages to make Jimmy tap…which means nothing since it’s outside the ring). All the while the rage builds more and more.
The ending is also chock full of story: as Marty is caught by a kick from Zack and knocked down. When Zack tried to check on Scurll, Jimmy straight up punts Zack in the crouch. On the outside, one of the security guards grabs the Progress title and throws it in the ring, where Jimmy drops Zack on it with the Go Home Driver. Scurll recovers to count, but Zack still kicks out! Jimmy has had enough at this point and takes out Scurll with a Death Valley Driver. Jimmy’s security friend hands him the mic and Jimmy demands Jim Smallman get in and finish refereeing or he’s gonna wrap his arms around Zack’s throat and kill him.
Hesitantly, Smallman gets in as Havoc performs the chokehold. Zack shows some resilience but it isn’t long before Zack fades away and, ironically considering his speciality, loses via submission. As his security friend gets in the ring, Jimmy lambasts Smallman, saying that until Smallman shows him respect, he’s going to keep doing whatever he has to to keep the title and fuck Progress over.
5. An End of an Era
The main event ended with a friendship broken and the good guys losing a battle. But it’s just the beginning, as Jim Smallman swears to the fans that until Jimmy Havoc loses that title, he’ll put the champion through absolute hell. New resolve is found in this Chapter, fitting because Chapter Eleven would be the final Chapter show to take place at the Garage. When you look at the card, it does feel like a bit of a goodbye: most of the wrestlers that shine brightest in these eleven Chapters (including every champion) had a presence, fitting for a final goodbye.
Next time, Progress Wrestling enters the Ballroom…
