PROGRESS: FOR THE LOVE OF PROGRESS 2 – AT BOWLERS, BEC ARENA, MANCHESTER
This coming Friday night sees Progress Wrestling returning to the North West, as the company will be hosting its second annual show as ‘For the love of PROGRESS 2’ will help to kick off the whole ‘For the love of Wrestling’ weekend convention that is taking over the Bowlers-BEC Arena just outside Manchester. At the time of writing this piece, there are eight matches on the stacked card, involving two title defences and a couple of hometown heroes, with a real banger of a Main Event.
One of those championship matches features the current longest reigning champion at PROGRESS right now, as Ricky Knight Jr will put his ATLAS Championship on the line on day 369 of his title reign, where he’ll face his toughest opponent to date in former MLW World Champion – Alex Hammerstone. It was Hammerstone who issued the challenge for Knight’s ATLAS title, so could we see a possible title change? In the second title match on the card, it sees Preston’s own Rhio making her sixth defence of the Women’s title when she faces Irish star Debbie Keitel. This will be the Galway native’s first match back in Progress for a while, as Keitel last appeared at Chapter 125 in a losing effort against now TNA Star Gisele Shaw, so she will be hoping to go one better and take the strap back over the Irish Sea with her.
Other matches on the card sees the self proclaimed ‘Greatest Professional Wrestler To Ever Walk Planet Earth’ in Tate Mayfairs, as he locks up with NOAH Rookie Taishi Ozawa, as both find themselves on current losing streaks, where Mayfairs has took to social media and claimed he is ‘going to kick the **** out of him’ and so Ozawa will looking to suprise his cocky opponent. At Twisted Metal this past Sunday, Simon Miller earned his maiden PROGRESS win over Rob Drake, while his opponent is perhaps the most underrated wrestler in British Wrestling today in Connor Mills, as he shows violent side at ‘The Light Of The Dragon’ event, when he attacked everyone in the match follow his elimination.
After last week’s Six Nations clash between Ireland and Wales in Rugby. It sees an immediate rematch of those two countries coming head to head as Ireland’s SAnitY member Big Damo and Wales’ own Eddie Dennis meet for the first time in PROGRESS Wrestling, as both men will be looking ahead to Super Strong Style 16. Dennis has suffered two losses to Kid Lykos II as well defeat against the now former champion in Spike Trivet. Both will be hoping ignite their respective 2024, with a battle for sure between the former champion and the ‘Beast of Belfast’.
In one of the potentially chaotic matches on the card, Manchester’s own Lana Austin teams up with her main squeeze Rob Drake against the eccentric Daft lad in Gene Munny, and his tag partner in Session Moth Martina. Munny and Session Moth were meant to team up this past Sunday, but Martina didn’t appear till after the event and saw Munny giving her on more chance. One thing for sure is that this will be utter chaos, and I am completely here for it! Another hometown hero is that of Luke Jacobs, as he goes up against the Golden Boy of British Wrestling in Myles Kayman, and this has potential to be the standout match of the night with these two young stars coming into their own the last year.
However, the Main Event is set to be an absolute banger, and has me feeling like Barney Gumble in wanting it hooked to my veins, as the BEC Arena will witness two of the best British tag teams today squaring off against each other. There is a slight irony of having Liverpool’s no.1 in Zack Gibson in Manchester ahead of this weekends Manchester Derby football game on Sunday, as he and long time tag partner James Drake make their way back to the UK and the North West. Their opponents are two men who are on a couple of highs right now, as Kid Lykos II picked up the impressive win over the unbeaten Bullit, while his partner in crime saw him finally overcoming Spike Trivet to become the new PROGRESS HEAVYWEIGHT Champion in Kid Lykos, as the duo of ‘Lykos Gym’ face the well-oiled machine of Grizzled Young Veterans in what should be a barnburner. No doubt the GYV will hope that their foes GRIT THEIR TEETH!
While the card has been put together in less than a week it feels. One thing for sure though, is that Progress are certainly on an upward trajectory, having seen them kicking on massively since the All In weekender back in late August, as the quality of top matches from PROGRESS to present day has been incredible. This event will also be a superb way to kickstart the long weekend of festivities at this years’ For the Love of Wrestling Convention.