After Jimmy Havoc managed to hold onto to his championship, he is challenged by the man that he stole the championship from. But that’s not all that happens in this week’s Chapter, including the breaking of a tag team and a dream match…
Taking place at the Electric Ballroom, the card:
Rampage Brown vs Darrell Allen
Pete Dunne vs Robbie X (Natural Progression Series)
Eddie Dennis vs Michael Gilbert
#1 Contenders’ 4-Way Tag Team Match
El Ligero vs Tommy End
Prince Devitt vs Zack Sabre Jr
Jimmy Havoc vs Mark Andrews in Ladder Match for the Progress Championship
0. Have a Freebie
Normally, you have to watch Progress’ show through their streaming service: Demand Progress. However, Chapter 13 is slightly different: because they had problems with the hard cam with this show, so as such the company decided to put the entire show on their youtube channel for free. So, if I have intrigued you the last twelve weeks but weren’t sure if you wanted to contribute money to give it a try, here’s a free sample. So you can watch alongside reading this (and you should, considering the semi-main and main events of this card) and then yell at me if I get anything wrong.
1. Wittle Baby Peter
In 2018, Pete Dunne is one of my favorite wrestlers in the world. The Bruiserweight is one of the most gifted wrestlers at his scary young age, had one of the best title reigns in Progress history and is a better champion with his WWE United Kingdom Championship than Brock Lesnar is with the Universal Championship. He is able to combine athleticism, character work and even a bit of comedic touch that has gotten him over so much not just in the UK but in the US as well (as I can attest from the ovation he and the rest of British Strong Style got at Progress NYC).
In 2014, we had “Dynamite” Pete Dunne taking on Robbie X. This felt very much like a Dunne not in his final evolution form. Some bits are there, the hard hitting, the submission moves, even the Bitter End is there in a more minor form, not used as the devastating finisher it is now. What isn’t quite there yet is the ruthlessness to the character that Pete would eventually create, but not unlike Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr., it is nice seeing these wrestlers before they truly hit strides to see how far they’ve come.
2. Broken Sword
The four-way elimination tag match was between Screw Indy Wrestling (Sha Samuels & Mark Haskins), Project Ego (Martin Kirby & Kris Travis), London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) and the Swords of Essex (Will Ospreay & Paul Robinson). Now, the rules are only two wrestlers are aloud in the ring at a time. This lasts…about five-ish minutes before it breaks down into pure chaos. Very Spot-Fest City that really got the crowd going. However, it was brought down a bit with what followed: the ref actually following the rules and counting out both Samuels and Travis, eliminating both Project Ego and Screw Indy Wrestling.
We resume with just the Swords of Essex and the London Riots, with the fans getting a bit divided on who to cheer. Ospreay does a wonderful job of playing trying to fight off both Davis and Lynch, while desperate -so desperate- to get the tag to Robinson. So close… so close… Ospreay goes for the tag…
…and Robinson jumps off the ring edge and leaves Ospreay. A shocked Ospreay tries to fight valiantly on (including kicking out of the Riots’ double finisher, the District Line) but it’s only a matter of time before the Riots win and become the new #1 contenders for the Tag Team Championships and the friction between the two Swords of Essex members finally culminated here…
But it’s not fully the end…
3. “I’m Gonna Torture You Now, and I’m Gonna Really Fucking Enjoy It”
Chapter Thirteen is a pretty story-heavy chapter. It saw the breaking of the Swords of Essex as well as something later on. But we’re going to talk about what happened right after the tag match. As the Riots beat down Ospreay, Jimmy Havoc (chair in hand) and Isaac Zercher come out. As the Riots tape Ospreay to the chair, Havoc addresses Jim Smallman. As Havoc said in a promo prior to the show, until Smallman shows Havoc respect, more people are going to get hurt. Now, Havoc is moving on from Smallman to people the fans care about.
Continued belowAnd this is how Jimmy Havoc and Will Ospreay meet in Progress for the first time: with Jimmy pulling a switchblade from his boot and threatening to cut Will’s ear off while “Stuck in the Middle with You” plays. While Mark Andrews, Eddie Dennis and Pete Dunne make a run in to save Will, I doubt many realized just how important this moment was to the future of Progress. As Ospreay, rightfully terrified is helped out of the ring, it’s, in hindsight, a real good start to the growth of a hero that could rise to the occasion.
4. Real Rock-N-Roll’s Final Hurrah
Here’s a dream match that probably won’t happen again. In one corner: Zack Sabre Jr. In the other, former multi-time champion and founder of a group that you may have heard of; they’ve kinda fallen off the radar: Prince Devitt. The man now known in WWE as Finn Balor makes an entrance in grandiose fashion, cosplaying as The Dark Knight’s Joker, complete with clown mask and playing card, to a chorus of applause.
Not unlike the Joker, the match starts off chaotic, with Devitt immediately going for a dropkick and going to the top rope for the double-foot stomp that would become known as the Coup de Gras for a very close two count. From there, ZSJ tries to slow down the pace, trading submission techniques. As the match continued, it got more furious with the two trading harder (or at least louder) strikes. Once more, ZSJ tries to transition back into his specialty, hitting a Penalty Kick for a two-count before immediately transitioning into an armbar, which Devitt is frantic to break.
These matches are some of the hardest for me to talk about, since my style is less play-by-play and more telling how they make me feel or how they connect to the grander picture but take my word for it: if there’s one match on this card to watch, it’s this one. It isn’t a thirty minute war, but is an example of technical mastery from two who have pushed the envelope these last ten years.
5. Regression
“If you don’t like swearing, you may want to turn your volume down.”
This is it. The Champion who Stole His Title vs The Champion who was Robbed. Havoc vs Andrews in the promotion’s first ladder match. Rules are simple: the championship (or in this case, a clipboarded piece of paper that says “I.O.U. One Title” because Stupid Nazi Staff championship is to clumsy to be elevated that high) is hung high over the ring. Climb ladder. Get prize. The match starts off vicously with Havoc cheapshotting Andrews in the head with his championship before Andrews regained control and hurricanranas Havoc out of the ring and following it up with a Suicide Dive to meet him.
This match feels less like “high-flying Hardy Boy-esque” ladder match and more “hardcore match that you just happen to have to climb a ladder to win.” Havoc repeats the spot from Chapter 10 where he threw a chair at Andrews’ unprotected face multiple times. Andrews lands a sickening DDT on Havoc on the ring apron. But there is a story being told here: Havoc going up before changing his mind to deliver more punishment to Andrews every time the crowd cheers Andrews on. Furthermore, it also tells the story of Andrews being driven to more desperate measures, measures he normally wouldn’t go to, to keep Havoc down.
Andrews’ opportunity finally arrives when he manages to deliver a hurricanrana on Havoc from the top rope onto a pair of chairs. As Mark climbs, the London Riots run out to stop him, only for Eddie Dennis and Pete Dunne to follow and drag them beat them both out, to keep this match one-on-one. This would be the first time that Havoc would use the Rainmaker lariat (which would eventually be his new finisher). Havoc is after more blood, going out to help the Riots…which gives Andrews his chance!
Now, remember when I said this didn’t have many high spots? It does have one though when Mark decides friends are more important and from atop a ladder in the ring, dives to the outside to take out Havoc, the Riots, Dennis and Dunne. Soon, Eddie and Pete get the Riots out of there and both Havoc and Andrews climb. They brawl and brawl at the top, exchange blows before each deal a wicked headbutt, the ladder tipping over. Havoc, more desperate, has a table set out to Superplex Andrews, only for Andrews to knock him into it! Andrews has the chance. Havoc’s down. All he’s got to do is climb!
And that’s when Paul Robinson comes out…
Smashing a chair into Andrews’ back, Robinson continues to pummel Andrews as Havoc climbs and gets the “championship,” retaining. Afterwards, Havoc and Robinson hug and the final member of Havoc’s group that would be known as Regression has been revealed. As Andrews gets a standing ovations as Dennis and Dunne help him out of the ring, it’s just the beginning of Regression’s reign of terror.
