By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Progress Wrestling “Chapter 166 – Freedom Walks Again”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
April 5, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Penns Landing Caterers
This show was among the 11 events in “The Collective” that took place during WrestleMania weekend. I’ve already checked out Seattle-based Defy and Atlanta-based Action Wrestling as well, as promotions from all over the world converged on Philadelphia. Like the other shows here, the crowd is perhaps 700-800. Rich Bocchini and Jack Farmer provided commentary.
* So Cal Val is doing ring announcing. The opening match features some of the Defy talent from Washington state and the Pacific Northwest.
1. Kid Lykos II defeated Leon Slater, Cody Chhun, Simon Miller, Marcus Mathers, Gringo Loco, and Tate Mayfairs in a six-way scramble at 9:20. I know he wrestles, but I know Simon more for his wrestling recap videos on youtube. Tate came out last and he got on the mic and ripped his opponents; he is just like Noam Dar in his smarminess. Mathers hit a second-rope crossbody block for a nearfall. Lykos hit a huracanrana on Loco at 1:30. Slater hit a plancha to the floor on Chhun. Simon teased a dive, but instead climbed through the ropes and hit an ax-handle. Mathers hit a moonsault to the floor at 3:00. Tate hit a hard kick to Marcus’ spine. “He’s got a punchable face, doesn’t he?” Bocchini said of Tate. Funny.
Simon hit some spears. Loco hit a top-rope Spanish Fly on Slater, then a flip dive to the floor on everyone else at 6:00. Chhun hit a series of jab punches on Loco, then a DDT. Lykos hit a Code Red for a nearfall. Lykos and Mathers traded forearm strikes. Slater hit a flip dive over the ring post onto several opponents on the floor. Mathers hit a Canadian Destroyer. Chhun hit a fadeaway stunner. Slater hit his awesome 450 Splash on Loco for a believable nearfall at 8:00, but Tate pulled him to the floor. Lykos hit a Sliced Bread on Simon. Lykos hit an Arabian Press-style Spanish Fly on Cody, then a brainbuster on Cody for the pin. That was really good action.
2. Yoichi defeated Ricky Knight Jr. to win the Progress Atlas Title at 13:34. I don’t know Yoichi; he’s on excursion from Pro Wrestling NOAH and he’s got a thick build with short black hair; his face reminds me of a young Satoshi Kojima. They traded shoulder tackles until Yoichi finally knocked him down. Knight hit a dive through the ropes at 2:00. In the ring, Knight applied a testicular claw and was loudly booed. You can see a palm print on Yoichi’s chest from a hard chop! Yoichi hit a bodyslam. Knight hit a Death Valley Driver into the corner at 5:00 and took charge. Yoichi hit a short-arm clothesline and they were both down. They traded more chops and Yoichi’s chest is just raw and splotchy now.
Yoichi hit a belly-to-belly suplex for a nearfall at 7:30. Knight hit a Razor’s Edge for a nearfall. Knight hit an enzuigiri. Yoichi hit a spear. You would just have to see Yoichi’s chest to know how it has changed in this match. Knight caught Yoichi coming off the ropes with a stunner, and Ricky hit a Muscle Buster for a believable nearfall at 10:00, and the crowd started chanting, “You can’t beat him!” He hit a piledriver, but Yoichi rolled to the corner to avoid being pinned. He hit a brainbuster on the ring apron. He rolled Yoichi into the ring and hit a top-rope 450 Splash for a believable nearfall, and Knight was in disbelief at the kickout! Yoichi hit a clothesline for a nearfall. Knight hit a superkick. Yoichi hit a uranage for the pin! New champion! That was really good stuff and I didnt’ expect that title change.
3. “Bussy” Effy and Allie Katch defeated Gene Munny and Session Moth Martina at 11:35. I’ve seen Gene a few times and his comedy is like former TNA wrestler Grado, or like Colt Cabana. Martina is the party girl who always has a drink in her hand, so I’m expecting this to be all comedy. LONG ring intros and everyone danced to Martina’s energetic pop number. The men traded offense with Effy doing some of his lewd antics. “We never said it was a family show,” Bocchini said. Munny and Martina argued. The women mirrored each other’s offense and hugged; Munny tagged in to break up the fun. Bussy worked over Munny, while Martina left the ring apron and went to the bar to get a beer!
Martina got a hot tag at 7:00 but hilariously tripped as she entered the ring, allowing Bussy to immediately work her over. Munny got back in and hit clotheslines in the corner on each opponent. Munny tossed Effy onto Allie at 9:30. Munny hit a coast-to-coast headbutt to Effy’s groin. Effy hit a Doomsday Device-style flying leg lariat, and Katch covered Munny for the pin. The commentators agreed that Munny and Martina never seemed to get on the same page.
4. Luke Jacobs defeated Spike Trivet at 10:29. Spike is bald. Jacobs always makes me think of a young Bryan Danielson, but thicker. Jacobs hit a bodyslam and a senton at 1:30, and they traded chops. Jacobs hit a uranage in the corner, then an Exploder Suplex, then a brainbuster for a nearfall at 6:00. Trivet hit a Lungblower to the chest for a nearfall. Jacobs hit a Razor’s Edge into the corner, then a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 8:00. They traded forearm strikes. Jacobs hit a German Suplex. Trivet suplexed him into the corner, then a doublestomp to the shoulders for a nearfall at 10:00. Spike hit a kneestrike to the chin. Jacobs hit a Death Valley Driver and a decapitating clothesline for a nearfall. He hit a Brian Cage-style Drill Claw piledriver for the pin. That was intense and good action.
5. Rhio defeated Lana Austin to retain the Progress Women’s Title at 13:53. Lana (think Jessicka Havok’s party girl gimmick) is a former champion. Rhio hit a dive through the ropes at 2:30 and they brawed on the floor. Rhio is Black with long, braided purple hair; she wrestled on other shows this weekend, too. Lana was in charge as they got back in the ring. She hit a basement dropkick for a nearfall at 7:00. Rhio hit a stunner out of the ropes at 11:30 and was fired up. Rhio nailed a Package Piledriver to score the pin. Okay match; it admittedly didn’t reach my expectations.
6. “Sanity” Axel Tischer & Big Damo defeated “Cheeky Little Buggers” Alexxis Falcon & Charles Crowley and “Sunshine Machine” Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper in a three-way to win the Progress Tag Team Titles at 18:49. Damo & Axel were WWE’s Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe, respectively. The CLB were tag champions entering the match. Crowley is the goofball with horns on his magician’s hat. Alexxis is much smaller than all of the men in this one. She started with Mambo and they did some comedy. Crowley and Cooper entered and did more comedy. Bocchini wondered what was going through Sanity’s minds while watching all this silliness. The SM worked over Crowley.
Damo tagged himself in at 6:00; he hit a Samoan Drop-and-fallaway slam combo on the Sunshine Machine. Axel hit a flying clothesline. Damo got shoved into Axel. Mambo hit some chops on Damo, who no-sold them. Cooper hit a top-rope elbow on Damo. Axel hit a Lungblower and Damo hit a big senton, as Sanity worked over Mambo. Alexxis tagged in, but Axel kept her grounded. Crowley got the hot tag at 11:30 and hit a sit-out powerbomb on Axel. Crowley hit a flip dive to the floor by launching off Falcon’s back! In the ring, Falcon hit some kicks on both of SM. SM hit stereo headbutts on her. Cooper hit a Wheelbarrow German Suplex for a nearfall at 13:30.
Mambo leapt off Cooper’s shoulders onto Sanity on the floor. Alexxis hit a double DDT. Tischer tagged in and hit a hard kick to the side of her head at 15:00. She hit him with some forearm strikes that he no-sold. So, she hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. She hit a snap suplex on Damo that defies plausibility, then a powerbomb on Cooper for a nearfall at 16:30. Mambo got a rollup on Damo for a nearfall. Mambo hit a flying Metora on Damo, and Cooper hit a Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. Damo hit a powerbomb and a Bulldog Powerslam on Cooper for the pin! New champions! Good action once we put the comedy aside. The CLBuggers lose their titles without being pinned.
7. Kid Lykos defeated Man Like Dereiss to retain the Progress Title at 17:07. I see Lykos and I think of pop singer Ed Sheeran. A feeling-out process early on, and Dereiss was in charge. Lykos hit an enzuigiri at 7:00, then three back suplexes. Dereiss hit a dropkick and a German Suplex at 9:00, and a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. They traded rollups for nearfalls. Dereiss hit a stunner at 12:00 and they were both down; they both kipped up at the eight-count. Dereiss hit a German Suplex and a Shotgun dropkick, then a Blue Thunder Bomb. Lykos hit a superkick and a swinging brainbuster for a believable nearfall at 14:30. Lykos tied him in a mid-ring Octopus. Lykos went for a springboard move but Dereiss caught him and hit a powerbomb. Dereiss nailed a top-rope 450 Splash for a believable nearfall. Dereiss hit a snap suplex and a springboard Swanton Bomb for the pin. Good match.
Final Thoughts: The hard-hitting Yoichi-Knight match easily stole the show, and I wouldn’t have predicted that going in, as I hadn’t seen Yoichi before. The main event takes second, and a good Jacobs-Trivet match takes third. The scramble was really good too. My usual objections to intergender matches, as I don’t find any of the three women involved here as being remotely believable against bigger, stronger athletic men. Always great to see the Sanity team, as I’ve always been a fan of Big Damo. I really expected to like Rhio-Lana more than I did. Lana jawed at the fans a lot and kept fans engaged, but the action just didn’t click for me. Rhio had a much better match a few hours later that same day against Shoko Nakajima.
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