Progress Wrestling

Progress Wrestling
Founded 2011
Headquarters London
Key people
 Jim Smallman (Owner) [1]
Jon Briley (Owner) [1]
Glen Joseph (Owner)
Website PROGRESSWrestling.com

Progress Wrestling (stylized as PROGRESS) is a British professional wrestling promotion that was established in 2011 by comedian Jim Smallman and events and comedy promoter Jon Briley, later to be joined in management of the company by actor Glen Joseph. [1]

History

The company was conceived by Jim Smallman and Jon Briley in 2011, who were both massive wrestling fans. Smallman is a big fan of "strong-style" wrestling, Japanese in particular, and Briley was Smallman's agent.[2] The pair decided to put on a wrestling show in London, as not many shows were being put on in the capital itself, featuring the type of wrestling that they would both like to watch. The pair then spent seven months putting their first show together. Smallman is also a huge fan of punk music, and the pair decided to emphasize the fact that it would be a London-based promotion with a punk rock vibe. They also were keen not be import-heavy, like other promotions, but to promote British talent. The pair eventually settled on The Garage in Islington for the venue, because of the size and also having a great reputation as a music venue. The Garage were also very supportive of what Smallman and Briley wanted to do, and the pair ran their first show on 25 March 2012.

After eleven consecutive sell out shows at the Garage, with the later shows drawing 350 fans, the promotion moved to the 700-capacity Electric Ballroom in Camden from Chapter Twelve in March 2014 for their second anniversary show where the sell outs have continued. To date PROGRESS has sold out all seventeen main shows up to and including January 2015 and two ENDVR shows.

The promotion have been reluctant to use "imports" (talent for which the UK is not their home or one of their homes). Colt Cabana was the first such talent to be included on a show as part of the debut show, Chapter One, in a losing effort to Loco Mike Mason. Ricochet has appeared twice for the promotion, losing to El Ligero at Chapter Six and in a triple threat with Mark Haskins and Zack Sabre Jr at Chapter Eleven. Adam Cole was the first non-European wrestler to register a win in PROGRESS, defeating Mark Haskins at Chapter Ten. Prince Devitt also appeared twice for the promotion, defeating Zack Sabre Jr at Chapter Thirteen and losing to Jimmy Havoc at the PROGRESS World Cup, his final match in the UK before signing with the WWE.

In 2014, Progress held three shows at The Satellite Stage at the Sonisphere Festival being the first UK wrestling company to hold a show at a Music Festival. On March 22nd 2015, the Download Dog (mascot for the Download Festival) made an appearance at the Chapter 18 show in London. The Dog invited the entire roster to do a show at Download 2015 but excluded the current Progress Champion Jimmy Havoc causing Havoc to attack The Dog. It was confirmed that Progress would do a show at Download after the previously in 2014 doing three shows at the Sonisphere Festival. [3]

Events

2012

Title Venue Location Date
Chapter One: In The Beginning... The Garage London, England 25 March 2012
Chapter Two: The March Of Progress The Garage London, England 24 June 2012
Chapter Three: Fifty Shades Of Pain The Garage London, England 30 September 2012
Chapter Four: The Ballad Of El Ligero The Boston Dome London, England 25 November 2012

2013

Title Venue Location Date
Chapter Five: For Those About To Fight, We Salute You The Garage London, England 27 January 2013
Chapter Six: We Heart Violence The Garage London, England 31 March 2013
Chapter Seven: Every Saint Has A Past, Every Sinner Has A Future The Garage London, England 19 May 2013
Chapter Eight: The Big Boys Guide To Strong Style The Garage London, England 28 July 2013
ENDVR:1 The Bedford London, England 1 September 2013
Chapter Nine: Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kick Me, Kill Me The Garage London, England 29 September 2013
ENDVR:2 The Bedford London, England 17 November 2013
Chapter Ten: Glory Follows Virtue As If It Were Its Shadow The Garage London, England 24 November 2013

2014

Title Venue Location Date
Chapter Eleven: To Fight War, You Must Become War The Garage London, England 26 January 2014
ENDVR:3 The Bedford London, England 2 February 2014
Chapter Twelve: We're Gonna Need A Bigger Room The Electric Ballroom London, England 30 March 2014
ENDVR:4 The Bedford London, England 13 April 2014
Chapter Thirteen: Unbelievable Jeff! The Electric Ballroom London, England 18 May 2014
ENDVR:5 The Garage London, England 29 June 2014
World Cup The Garage London, England 29 June 2014
Sonisphere Night 1 The Satellite Stage, Sonisphere Festival Knebworth, England 4 July 2014
Sonisphere Night 2 The Satellite Stage, Sonisphere Festival Knebworth, England 5 July 2014
Sonisphere Night 3 The Satellite Stage, Sonisphere Festival Knebworth, England 6 July 2014
Chapter Fourteen: THUNDERBASTARD The Electric Ballroom London, England 27 July 2014
ENDVR:6 The Bedford London, England 7 September 2014
Chapter Fifteen: Just Because You're Paranoid, Doesn't Mean They Aren't Out To Get You The Electric Ballroom London, England 28 September 2014
ENDVR:7 The Bedford London, England 2 November 2014
Chapter Sixteen: Very Very Very Breaky Breaky Breaky Bishi Bishiii The Electric Ballroom London, England 30 November 2014

2015

Title Venue Location Date
ENDVR:8 The Garage London, England 4 January 2015
Chapter Seventeen: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger The Electric Ballroom London, England 25 January 2015
ENDVR:9 The Bedford London, England 1 March 2015
Chapter Eighteen: The Show We Can't Call ProgresslMania for Legal Reasons The Electric Ballroom London, England 22 March 2015
ENDVR:10 The Garage London, England 19 April 2015
Chapter Nineteen: Super Strong Style 16: Tournament Edition 2015 (Part 1) The Electric Ballroom London, England 24 May 2015
Chapter Nineteen: Super Strong Style 16: Tournament Edition 2015 (Part 2) The Electric Ballroom London, England 25 May 2015
ENDVR:11 The Garage London, England 21 June 2015
Chapter Twenty The Electric Ballroom London, England 26 July 2015
Chapter Twenty-One The Electric Ballroom London, England 6 September 2015
Chapter Twenty-Two The Electric Ballroom London, England 18 October 2015
Chapter Twenty-Three The Electric Ballroom London, England 29 November 2015

Training School

In late 2012 PROGRESS launched the only full-time wrestling school in London and the South East, also known as the ProJo. The school has classes for beginner and advanced level wrestlers, and has a wrestling ring permanently erected along with another ring-sized matted area. The original head trainer at the school was Jimmy Havoc, but he was replaced in November 2013 by Darrell Allen. Other guest trainers include Eddie Dennis, Rhia O'Reilly, Glen Joseph and Jim Smallman. The school has hosted seminars by the likes of Michael Elgin, Scott Levy, Nigel McGuinness and others. In late 2013 PROGRESS announced that the ProJo students would be putting on their own shows, which would be called ENDVR. ENDVR shows feature a mix of trainees from the ProJo, their trainers, and other professional wrestlers. The first four ENDVR shows were held at the The Bedford Arms in Balham, while ENDVR:5 was held as an afternoon show before the Progress World Cup on 29 June 2014 at The Garage in Islington. Starting from ENDVR:8, the trainee shows move to The Garage on a permanent basis.

Jimmy Havoc & Regression

To date, the most significant storyline within the company has been that of Jimmy Havoc's ascent to the championship. Havoc debuted for PROGRESS on Chapter Two in May 2012 and went on to lose six matches without registering a victory, though became very popular with the PROGRESS fans as an underdog babyface. At Chapter Nine in November 2013 Havoc attacked promoter Jim Smallman and aligned himself with the London Riots, turning heel in the process. Havoc would then use an open contract given to him by Smallman to defeat PROGRESS champion Mark Andrews (who had just wrestled both Paul Robinson and Rampage Brown in consecutive matches) to become champion and pick up his first victory in PROGRESS. In his first title defence at Chapter Eleven, Havoc defeated Zack Sabre Jr with the help of his newest associate, PROGRESS trainee 'The Omega' Isaac Zercher. Havoc was joined at Chapter Thirteen by Paul Robinson, and the group later christened themselves 'Regression' as a play on the name of the company and to symbolise their hatred of PROGRESS Wrestling.

The group lost its first members at Chapter Fifteen, as the four members of the group (not including Zercher) took on PROGRESS Tag Team champions Eddie Dennis and Mark Andrews, Will Ospreay and Noam Dar in a 'titles vs careers' match. Ospreay pinned James Davis of the London Riots, meaning that the Riots were gone from PROGRESS.

Championships and Accomplishments

Progress Championship

Unlike conventional wrestling championships which are generally represented by a belt, the PROGRESS championship was initially represented by a large staff with an eagle head piece. The eagle represented the promotion's logo, but was affectionately referred to as the "Nazi staff" by fans. Promoter Jim Smallman was never afraid to defend the accidental likeness of the championship during shows, by occasionally declaring "It's not Nazi, it's regal" whenever a "Nazi staff" chant was started by the fans in attendance.[4] At Chapter Sixteen the staff was replaced by a more traditional title belt.

# Champion Reign Date Days held Location Event Notes Ref.
1Nathan Cruz1 25 March 2012 246 London, UK Chapter One: In The Beginning Defeated Marty Scurll, El Ligero & Mike Mason in a tournament final to crown the inaugural champion
2El Ligero125 November 2012245London, UK Chapter Four: The Ballad of El Ligero
3Rampage Brown1 28 July 2013119London, UK Chapter Eight: The Big Boy's Guide to Strong Style
4Mark Andrews1 24 November 2013 0 London, UKChapter Ten: Glory Follows Virtue As If It Were Its Shadow Cashed in his Natural Progression Series title shot
5Jimmy Havoc1 24 November 2013 517+ London, UKChapter Ten: Glory Follows Virtue As If It Were Its Shadow Cashed in his open contract given to him by Jim Smallman

Progress Tag Team Championship

It was announced at Chapter Nine that beginning in November 2013 there would begin a series of matches to determine the first PROGRESS Tag Team champions. The champions were crowned at Chapter Twelve, the second anniversary show, in March 2014. As with the PROGRESS championship not being a conventional belt, the Tag Team championship is represented by a shield with the PROGRESS eagle on the front. The shield splits into two, one for each championship holder.

# Champion Reign Date Days held Location Event Notes Ref.
1FSU (Mark Andrews and Eddie Dennis)1 30 March 2014 301 London, UK Chapter Twelve: In The Beginning Defeated Screw Indy Wrestling and Project Ego in a tournament final to crown the inaugural champions
2The Faceless1 25 January 2015 90 London, UKChapter Seventeen: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Natural Progression Series

Beginning with Chapter Four: The Ballad of El Ligero, PROGRESS launched the Natural Progression Series, with the intention of showcasing young and up-and-coming British talent. From Chapter Four each card will feature a match in the series. The tournament was announced as an annual tournament, with the winner gaining a shot at the PROGRESS title.[5]

2013
Mark Andrews won the inaugural Natural Progression series at Chapter Ten in November 2013. He cashed in his titleshot immediately and won the title from Rampage Brown.

Quarterfinals
(Chapters Four, Five, Six and Seven) 		Semifinals
(Chapters Eight and Nine) 		Final
(Chapter Ten)
         
Mark Andrews Pin
Will Ospreay
Mark Andrews Pin
Jonathan Windsor
Mike Hitchman
Jonathan Windsor Pin
Mark Andrews Pin
Paul Robinson
MK McKinnan
Paul Robinson Pin
Paul Robinson Pin
Eddie Dennis
Eddie Dennis Pin
Darrell Allen, Joey Lakeside & Xander Cooper

2014/2015

Quarterfinals
(Chapters Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen & Fourteen) 		Semifinals Final
         
Josh Bodom
Morgan Webster Pin
Morgan Webster Pin
Pete Dunne
Pete Dunne Sub
Robbie X
Morgan Webster Pin
Zack Gibson
Will Ospreay
Zack Gibson Sub
Zack Gibson Sub
Ali Armstrong
Ali Armstrong Pin
Chuck Mambo & Pastor William Eaver

PROGRESS World Cup

The PROGRESS World Cup was a one-night tournament held on 29 June 2014 at The Garage in Islington to crown a new number one contender for the PROGRESS Championship. Each competitor represented a different nation, and the tournament was won by Noam Dar. Dar subsequently challenged for the PROGRESS Championship at Chapter Fourteen at The Electric Ballroom in Camden, but was defeated by Jimmy Havoc. The tournament show also served as a farewell show to The Garage as PROGRESS' original venue.

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
Tommy End (The Netherlands) Pin
Eddie Dennis (Wales)
Tommy End
Rampage Brown Pin
Paul Synnott (Canada)
Rampage Brown (England) Pin
Rampage Brown
Noam Dar Pin
Noam Dar (Israel) Pin
Grado (Scotland)
Noam Dar Sub
Darrell Allen
Darrell Allen (Jamaica) Pin
RJ Singh (India)

Media Review/Industry Response

Patrick Lennon, lead wrestling journalist for The Daily Star, has attended and reviewed PROGRESS Shows such as the acclaimed "Chapter Seven: Every Saint Has A Past, Every Sinner Has A Future."[6]

Carrie Dunn, founder and main contributor of wrestling blog "The Only Way is Suplex",[7] recently published "Spandex, Screw Jobs & Cheap Pops: Inside the Business of British Pro Wrestling".[8] PROGRESS Wrestling features frequently in the book including opening a chapter regarding London based wrestling promotions.[9]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "About". Progress Wrestling. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
  2. ↑ Rehal, Sumit (26 May 2014). "Progress Wrestling – ‘If we didn’t have such talented guys in Britain, then the promotion wouldn’t be doing as well as it is,’ says co-founder Jim Smallman". The Independent. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  3. ↑ http://downloadfestival.co.uk/news/progress-wrestling-set-wreak-havoc-download-2015
  4. ↑ "PROGRESS Chapter One DVD review". RTJR Publishing. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
  5. ↑ "Natural Progression Series". PROGRESS Wrestling. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
  6. ↑ "Every Saint Has A Past, Every Sinner Has A Future show is a winner". Daily Star. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  7. ↑ "The Only Way Is Suplex". Carrie Dunn. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  8. ↑ ""Spandex, Screw Jobs & Cheap Pops: Inside the Business of British Pro Wrestling" Amazon listing". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  9. ↑ Dunn, Carrie (2013). "Chapter 11: In the spotlight - London calling". Spandex, Screw Jobs & Cheap Pops: Inside the Business of British Pro Wrestling. Pitch. pp. 174–176. ISBN 978-1-909178-46-5.

External links