By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Progress Wrestling “Chapter 191: For the Love of Progress 4”
February 20, 2026, in Manchester, England, at Bowlers Exhibition Centre
Streamed live on TrillerTV+
I haven’t seen a show from this venue before. The ring is really well-lit; this is much better than the dark, drab Electric Ballroom, where most Progress shows are held. The hard camera looks over a ring post; I dislike that view.
* Progress had a show last weekend as well, but this lineup has only a few wrestlers who competed on that show.
1. “Sanity” Axel Tischer and Big Damo vs. “Young Guns” Ethan Allen and Luke Jacobs in a No. 1 contender’s match for a shot at the Progress Tag Team Titles. Axel and Allen opened. Damo hit a running crossbody block that flattened Allen, then he slammed Jacobs. He punched Allen in the gut at 2:00, and Santiy worked the slender Ethan over in their corner. Axel hit a bodyslam for a nearfall. Sanity ‘wishboned’ his legs at 4:00.
Jacobs finally got a hot tag, and he hit some clotheslines and running back elbows. Luke hit a Michinoku Driver on Axel for a nearfall. Damo hit a senton on Luke, as Luke was lying on Axel’s knees, and Damo got a nearfall at 5:30. Damo was pushed into Axel. Luke and Ethan hit front-and-back strikes on Axel. They hit an FTR-style Shatter Machine, then Luke hit a piledriver to pin Tischer. Good action, but shockingly short.
Luke Jacobs and Ethan Allen defeated Axel Tischer and Big Damo at 6:36 to become No. 1 contenders to the Progress Tag Team Titles.
2. Sam Bailey vs. Kouga. My first time seeing Bailey; at first glance, I thought he was Santino Marella. Kouga is of Asian heritage, and he’s been competing here for a few months. Session Moth Martina marched to the ring before the bell and told Kouga that if he didn’t win tonight, “You are grounded!” Standing switches at the bell. Kouga hit a spinning heel kick to the jaw at 1:30. Sam hit a suplex, and he applied a top hammerlock. He hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 4:30. Kouga took control and kept Bailey grounded. Martina got on the apron and barked at Kouga. Sam kicked Kouga into Martina, knocking her to the floor. Sam immediately hit a Death Valley Driver for the pin. Looks like everything is being kept short.
Sam Bailey defeated Kouga at 6:29.
* Martina got on the mic and was livid. (Angry Martina sounds like angry Becky Lynch.) She demanded that her opponent come to the ring now!
3. Melissa Fierce vs. Session Moth Martina (w/Kouga) for the PWC Ladies Title. My first time seeing Fierce, who has unnaturally deep red hair that goes halfway down her back. Martina knocked Melissa off the apron as she was trying to enter the ring, and the ref called for the bell. In the ring, Fierce hit a running back elbow in the corner and a flying leg drop across the stomach for a nearfall. Martina hit a clothesline at 2:00, then repeated punches to the face.
Martina stomped on Fierce in the corner and kept her grounded. Fierce hit some kicks. Martina held onto both Kouga and Fierce as she did an Old School tightrope walk, but she slipped and fell. Fierce hit a Northern Lights suplex at 4:30. She hit a 619 in the corner and a missile dropkick for a nearfall. Martina got a drink, sprayed alcohol in Fierce’s eyes, hit a piledriver, and scored the tainted pin. New champion!
Session Moth Martina defeated Melissa Fierce to win the PWC Ladies Title at 6:31.
4. Kid Lykos vs. Spike Trivet. Both competed on last week’s show. Lykos has a big wrap over his right elbow. (It’s unclear if this is a worked injury or legit. Lykos stalled in the ropes at the bell. Spike grabbed the (uninjured) left arm and twisted and targeted it. Lykos stomped on Spike. Trivet fired up and hit some chops, and he dropped Lykos with a punch. Lykos hit a Lungblower to the chest at 3:30. Lykos hit a chop block on the back of the left knee.
Lykos tied up Spike’s legs on the mat in a modified Figure Four. He hit another chop block for a nearfall at 5:30. They got up and traded punches. Lykos hit an enzuigiri; Spike hit a back suplex, and they were both down. Spike slammed Lykos stomach-first for a nearfall at 8:00. Spike hit a clothesline. Spike hit a second-rope Lungblower to the chest for a nearfall. Spike got his leg caught in the ropes; he rolled back into the ring but sold the pain in his knee. Lykos applied a Figure Four, but Trivet reached the ropes at 10:30.
Spike hit a shoulder-breaker over his knee. Lykos hit a superkick. He pulled a soft covering down on his elbow to expose the harder surface, but the ref ordered him to cover it again. Spike hit a second-rope stunner and another shoulder-breaker over his knee for a nearfall at 12:30. Bullit, Spike’s former teammate, walked to the ring. The distraction allowed Lykos to hit Spike with the exposed, harder elbow protector. He then hit his sideslam faceplant for the tainted pin. Good action.
Kid Lykos defeated Spike Trivet at 13:27.
* Spike got on the mic and yelled at Bullit. Bullit got in the ring, they brawled, and the massive Bullit (think a young Braun Strowman) hit a chokeslam.
5. Shotzi Blackheart vs. Lana Austin (w/Hollie Barlow) in a Super Strong Style 16 women’s tournament match. They took turns playing to the crowd; obviously, Shotzi got bigger pops. Lana hit an armdrag, and we got the bell to begin! Shotzi hit a top-rope crossbody block. She hit her leg drop to the groin, and a basement dropkick to the groin. Lana sat in the corner holding her groin area, and rolled to the floor to recover and talk to her lackey, Barlow. Shotzi followed, and they fought at ringside.
Shotzi hit some chops at 2:00; Lana fired back with her own chops. Shotzi crashed face-first on an open chair. They fought up the entrance ramp and away from the ring. Lana hit a bodyslam on the entrance stage at 4:00, then they brawled back towards ringside. In the ring, Lana hit a snap suplex for a nearfall, then another. Hollie hopped onto the ring apron to distract Shotzi.
Shotzi hit a suplex on Lana into the corner at 7:00, then her rolling cannonball for a nearfall. Lana hit a DDT out of the ropes for a nearfall. Shotzi hit a huracanrana, then a rolling Koppo Kick! Hollie climbed inside the ring and laid across Lana to be a shield! Shotzi went ahead and hit a top-rope senton onto Hollie, then she hit a fisherman’s DDT move on Lana for the pin. Good action.
Shotzi Blackheart defeated Lana Austin at 9:31 to advance in the tournament.
6. Man Like DeReiss, Simon Miller, and Charles Crowley vs. Saxon Huxley, Bullit, and Jack Morris. They each got their own entrance, so this took a while. DeReiss and Morris (think Drew McIntyre) jawed at each other at the bell, and they immediately traded forearm strikes. DeReiss hit a bodyslam, so Jack rolled to the floor. Saxon entered at 2:00 and locked up with DeReiss. Simon made a blind tag to enter to face Saxon, and Miller hit some punches. Crowley and Bullit squared off at 5:00; Charles looked intimidated by the bigger Bullit.
Bullit dropped Crowley with a punch and threw him into the heels’ corner so they could work Charles over. Bullit hit a bodyslam and a guillotine leg drop for a nearfall at 7:00. He picked up Crowley and rammed him back-first into the heels’ corner. Jack held Crowley upside down for maybe 30 seconds before hitting the delayed vertical suplex. Simon got a hot tag and hit a Samoan Drop on Morris at 9:00, then a Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall. DeReiss got a hot tag, and he squared off with Bullit and hit some chops. Bullit fired back with some heavy chops.
DeReiss lifted Bullit, but Bullit escaped and hit a chokeslam for a nearfall at 10:30. Saxon tagged in, but DeReiss hit his kip-up stunner on him. DeReiss hit a fallaway slam on Bullit, and that popped the commentators. Miller hit a stunner. Crowley and Miller hit a Team 3D on Bullit at 12:00! Miller speared Huxley. Crowley followed up with a springboard fadeaway stunner, and DeReiss hit the top-rope 450 Splash on Saxon for the pin. Nice finishing combo by the babyface trio.
Man Like DeReiss, Simon Miller, and Charles Crowley defeated Saxon Huxley, Bullit, and Jack Morris at 12:39.
Final Thoughts: If the shows at the Electric Ballroom are like Progress’ version of a WWE Raw, then this show in Manchester is the equivalent of a house show. The early matches were short, and in many ways, the action felt a bit inconsequential — no storylines were really moved forward.
The action was fine, though. Because so many matches were short, the wrestlers really packed in the offense and did a lot in just a few minutes. A quick show, coming in at under two hours. Not a must-see show for Progress followers, but a decent event.
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