By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Progress Wrestling “Chapter 173 – Stay Young & Invincible”
Streamed on TrillerTV+
November 17, 2024 in Manchester, England at O2 Ritz
This show streamed live on Triller+. The lighting here is always just so-so, but it appears they have a good crowd.
* Simon Miller came to the ring with the Proteus title over his shoulder. He is not dressed to wrestle. He told some jokes but really didn’t say anything of value.
1. “Smokin’ Aces” Nick Riley and Charlie Sterling vs. “Subculture” Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster for the Progress Tag Team Titles. Sterling has long curly hair (think Bear Bronson); Riley’s hair is shorter (think Stacks Lorenzo), and they wore identical singlets today. Riley and Andrews opened. Webster hit a huracanrana on Sterling for a nearfall at 2:00. The SA began working over Andrews in their corner. Flash tagged in and they hit simultaneous dropkicks, then stereo headbutts, then stereo dives through the ropes to the floor at 4:30. In the ring, Flash hit a crossbody block for a nearfall, but the SA worked over Webster in their corner. Andrews got a hot tag at 7:30, and he hit a double Pele Kick.
Flash hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall on Sterling. Sterling hit a stunner on Flash, and Riley hit a standing powerbomb. Sterling hit a frogsplash on Flash for a nearfall. Riley accidentally kicked Sterling at 10:00! Subculture hit some quick team offense on Riley and got a nearfall, but Sterling made the save. Andrews nailed a Stundog Millionaire on Riley and went to climb the corner. However, Riley kicked the ref, sending him into the ropes to crotch Andrews in the corner. The Smokin’ Aces hit a team stunner and pinned Andrews. Good opener.
Nick Riley and Charlie Sterling defeated Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews to retain the Progress Tag Team Titles at 11:45.
* Backstage, Gene Munny, Session Moth Martina and Will Kroos spoke in a stairwell. Cameras panned over to female wrestler L.A. Taylor, who was knocked down on the ground.
2. Connor Mills vs. Myles Kayman. I don’t think I’ve seen Myles before; he is billed as “the golden boy.” Both of these guys strike me as heels. An intense lockup to open. Connor slapped him hard across the face at 1:30. Myles dropped him snake-eyes and hit a clothesline for a nearfall. It appears Connor is our default babyface, as Kayman grounded him and intimidated the female ref. They traded slaps to the face, then Mills hit a HARD forearm and some roundhouse kicks, then a running boot at 5:30. “Mills has had enough!” a commentator said. He hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Myles hit a springboard forearm and a pop-up powerbomb for a nearfall at 7:30. Mills avoided a springboard move and got a rollup for a nearfall. Kayman hit an X-Factor faceplant for the clean pin. The commentators were shocked, making it clear this was an upset in their eyes.
Myles Kayman defeated Connor Mills at 8:47.
3. Session Moth Martina and Gene Munny (w/Will Kroos) vs. Skye Smitson and Sam Bailey. Martina, as per usual, has a drink in her hand; she’s the sorority party girl. Kroos is rotund; he’s like a heavier Jimmy Lloyd. Munny is the Colt Cabana-style dork who always has tape over his nipples. Skye came out and said that LA Taylor is now unable to compete because of the backstage assault we saw earlier. She announced Sam Bailey as Taylor’s replacement. Martina started and she tried to ‘twerk’ up against Sam, who backed away from the dancing. Gene and Skye (think Shayna Baszler) traded punches. Munny hit a senton on Skye at 3:30. Some light-hearted comedy in Gene and Martina’s offense.
They began working over Skye in their corner but they aren’t always on the same page. Munny hit a butt drop on Skye’s chest at 5:30. Skye hit a Samoan Drop on Munny. Munny hit a leg lariat on Bailey, and Martina hit a DDT on Bailey. Skye went to cover Martina, but Munny grabbed the ref’s arms and stopped the count! Kroos hopped in the ring and superkicked Skye! LA Taylor ran to ringside and she pulled Kroos off the apron. Munny hit a hard clothesline on Bailey; Martina jumped on Bailey and pinned him. Okay match with decent comedy. The three heels had a group hug after the win.
Session Moth Martina and Gene Munny defeated Sam Bailey and Skye Smitson at 9:29.
4. Charli Evans vs. Cara Noir in an intergender match. Evans had a long wedding dress ‘train’ and she was dressed in white. Noir is the black swan ballet dancer who recently returned to action after a year of recovery from a leg injury, and he has a flamboyant gown similar to Dalton Castle. She charged at him at the bell but he knocked her down with a shoulder tackle. She is listed online as 5’2″ and 106 pounds, so she’s giving up a lot of size. She hit several quick kicks and then was able to knock him down with a shoulder tackle. He got up and they traded forearm strikes. She hit a crossbody block in the ropes and got a nearfall at 4:30. He whipped Charli into the corners and she sold pain in her lower back.
Noir hit a neckbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 10:00 and she sold the pain in her neck. He hit a German Suplex but she hit a decapitating clothesline. He hit a Shining Wizard and they were both down at 12:00. She switched to an ankle lock on his bare foot, and she turned it into a back suplex, then she went right back to the ankle lock, but he reached the ropes at 14:00. However, Noir nailed a package piledriver and scored the pin. That was intense and hard-hitting. I know Charli routinely does hardcore matches that I rarely watch; she looked good here against a bigger, stronger man.
Cara Noir defeated Charli Evans at 15:14.
* A very LONG intermission. I’m glad I wasn’t watching live so I could zip over it. I’ll point out here that Charli Evans, Kid Lykos, and Lykos II just wrapped up a quick U.S. tour and are now back in the UK.
5. “Lykos Gym” Kid Lykos and Lykos II vs. Mark Trew and Kieron Lacey. Who are these guys? Kid Lykos started with Lacey (his name is on his trunks.) These two are fairly identical white guys of average size; Trew has a long ponytail. Lykos II hit a huracanrana at 1:30. The youngsters began working over Lykos II with some heel tactics. Trew hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall at 5:00. Kid Lykos got the hot tag and he hit some leg lariats and a springboard crossbody block. He put Lacey in a Texas Cloverleaf, but Trew made the save.
Kid Lykos hit a corkscrew plancha onto the heels. Lacey hit a German Suplex. They hit a team Bulldog Powerslam move for a nearfall at 7:30. The crowd began chanting for Lykos Gym. Trew hit a top-rope diving headbutt. Lykos II hit a Spanish Fly. Kid Lykos hit a corkscrew senton. KL flipped Lykos II onto Lacey to score the pin. Decent match; the new guys looked decent.
Kid Lykos and Lykos II defeated Mark Trew and Kieron Lacey at 9:02.
* Connor Mills and Michaelangelo (spelling?) hit the ring and beat up Lykos Gym! (I wrote earlier that Mills was a heel even though he was the de facto babyface in that match!) They headed to the back, but paused on the entrance ramp to soak in the boos.
6. Emersyn Jayne vs. Natalie Sykes. The blonde Jayne is much taller and wider; she’s not heavy but she isn’t petite, either. She’s listed at 5’2″ and 132 pounds but she’s still bigger than the tiny Jayne. Jayne missed a top-rope moonsault at 2:30. They traded rollups. Jayne hit a shotgun dropkick and she hit a sliding German Suplex. She hit a Trash Compactor piledriver along her back for the pin. That was pretty one-sided.
Emersyn Jayne defeated Natalie Sykes at 4:04.
* Simon Miller was back in the ring. Session Moth Martina, Will Kroos and Gene Munny came to the ring and complained that they haven’t received title shots. Munny got into the ring, but Miller speared him. Miller challenged Munny’s team to a match next week, in a four-way!
7. “Boisterous Behavior” Man LIke Dereiss and Leon Slater vs. Luke Jacobs and Ethan Allen. Jacobs is Progress Champion but of course that’s not on the line here. All four brawled at the bell and they immediately brawled at ringside. Dereiss paired off with Jacobs. Slater hit a dive over a corner turnbuckle to the floor at 3:30, and that popped the crowd. The bell sounded to ‘officially’ begin at 4:30. Slater leapfrogged over Dereiss and hit a dropkick in the corner as they worked over Allen in their corner. Ethan finally hit an Angle Slam and tagged in Luke at 9:00. Jacobs hit a German Suplex on one opponent, then the other. He slammed Slater onto Dereiss. Luke hit a double German Suplex!
The heels began working over Dereiss in their corner. Jacobs hit a senton at 12:30 for a nearfall. Slater got a hot tag and hit a rewind kick on Jacobs at 15:00, then a handspring-back-double elbow on both heels. Jacobs hit a standing powerbomb on Dereiss fo a nearfall at 17:30. Allen hit a pop-up knee on Dereiss for a nearfall. Dereiss hit a stunner on Allen. Slater tagged back in at 19:30 and traded forearm strikes with Allen. Jacobs hit a German Suplex on Slater; Slater hit an axe kick on Jacobs. Slater nailed a Blue Thunder Bomb on Allen for a nearfall. Slater accidentally kicked Dereiss, and Allen immediately got a rollup for a nearfall at 22:00.
Allen hit a Doomsday Device clothesline for a believable nearfall on Slater. Dereiss hit a 450 Splash to make a save, and suddenly all four were down. They all got up and traded punches. Allen pulled the ref from the ring to save Jacobs from being pinned. Slater went for a plancha but he hit the ref! In the ring, Jacobs hit a low blow uppercut on Dereiss. Dereiss and Slater hit team superkicks on Jacobs at 27:00, and Dereiss struck Jacobs with a title belt. Slater nailed his Swanton 450 Splash on Jacobs; the ref got in the ring and made the three-count. The commentators went nuts, noting that Slater just pinned the champion.
Man Like Dereiss and Leon Slater defeated Luke Jacobs and Ethan Allen at 27:40/official time closer to 23:00.
Final Thoughts: A very good main event and the reason to tune in. If you asked me to name the top five wrestlers in the UK today, my list starts with Dereiss, Slater, and Jacobs (Michael Oku is on that list too; I’d have to really think about who else rounds out my top five). Anyhow, the main event delivered as expected, and Slater now has a claim to a future title shot with that win.
The rest of the show was fine. The opening tag title match takes second place and Noir-Evans was really good action. The other matches were adequate. The commentary team is fine but they are prone to screaming in my ears on big spots and kickouts. I do wish the lighting was better. I’ve enjoyed having Progress on Triller+ and I really hope they work out a long-term agreement to continue offering these shows.
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