Progress Chapter 37: A Sudden Sense of Liberty recap & review: Haskins & Brown retain, Scurll is #1 contender, and four strong debuts

Progress’s 37th chapter show (...in a row?!) went up on Demand Progress this morning, so let’s dig in!

Bubblegum vs. Chuck Mambo

Much stalling and playing to the crowd from Bubblegum early, before the bell rings, and when the action does start, he immediately complains that his (practically nonexistent) hair is being pulled. Back and forth live-action cartoon stuff carries on, but things get more serious after Bubblegum knocks Mambo off the apron with a dropkick and Mambo comes back at him with a slingshot somersault leg drop.

Bubblegum takes a lead until he misses a diving double stomp and Mambo capitalizes with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into a flying forearm, a superkick, and a blockbuster in quick succession. A Reef Break slingshot knee strike follows up but it’s not enough. Bubblegum slips out of an Air Raid Crash and they jockey for advantage, on the mat and in the corner until Bubblegum shoves his wrist tape down the back of his tights and forces Mambo to eat it. Gross, sir. A double stomp across the back of Mambo’s neck follows, and then...

Bubblegum wins by pinfall with a rope-hung Ice Cream Headache.

Solid opener. Not particularly a fan of either of these guys but they put in good work here and it lasted basically the exact right amount of time for what they had.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Kimber Lee

Hugely intense collar-and-elbow tie-up to start here into a series of pinning predicaments exchanged. Ray seems like she’s won the exchange with a Gory Special setup but Lee flips out into a wicked sunset flip powerbomb! Things spill outside with a boot and a suicide dive from Lee but she gets her own back when she sends Ray back inside and eats a dive in return.

Back in the ring a flurry of offense ending in a delayed vertical suplex gets reversed into a small package by Ray and she locks a bodyscissors guillotine in for a moment. KLR presses her advantage with a snap suplex and big chops but Lee ducks one and fires plenty of chops in return. Ray goes back to the guillotine but Lee deadlifts out and counters it into a suplex! Kimber takes Ray to Suplex City with no less than six German suplexes in a row, the last ending in a bridge but it’s not enough to put Kay Lee Ray away!

Enzuigiri to the Gory neckbreaker gets Ray a two-count and a Liger Bomb in return does the same for Lee. Lee goes up top and Ray trips her neck-first into the turnbuckles hard enough that referee Joel Allen is concerned for her health, but Ray pushes him aside...

Kay Lee Ray wins by submission with the bodyscissors guillotine choke.

Really good match, especially the struggle early and the story of KLR returning to the guillotine again and again.

Fabian Aichner vs. James Drake

Another match between two debuting wrestlers, another intense start, with Drake scraping his forearm bones against Aichner’s face after breaking the lockup. Aichner flips out of some wrist control and pulls out an advantage to the point where Drake takes a breather outside. Aichner hits a ridiculous running spingboard crossbody, pausing on the top rope a moment before taking the plunge.

Aichner takes Drake to the woodshed with chops on the outside but James manages to ram him into the ringposts and turn the tide. Aichner takes a beating in the ring now, Drake targeting his head and neck but Fabian manages to get some separation with desperation punches and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Cartwheel evasion into lariats and a springboard crossbody, Finlay Roll, second rope moonsault... No good!

Drake fights out of a powerbomb and throws an enzuigiri and a wicked corner dropkick before going back to the mounted punches to Aichner’s head as the crowd chants “Arseface!” and “Arse! Face sucks!” in the New Day rhythm at him. Aichner takes advantage of the distraction and throws a huge German (Italian? Tirolian?) suplex and a double jump moonsault but Drake gets a hand on the ropes!

Release powerbomb plants Drake in the mat and Aichner goes up for the frog splash only for Drake to slip away...

James Drake wins by pinfall with a suplex lift dropped into a sitout facebuster.

Two for two on good intense debuts here. Drake is vicious as hell and Aichner, well, if you saw him in the Cruiserweight Classic, you know the deal. Kinda weird how radically different James Drake looks and works every time I see him, though, almost like there are actually two different wrestling James Drakes. Nah...

Joe Coffey vs. Marty Scurll vs. Pete Dunne vs Trent Seven (Progress Championship #1 Contender’s Match)

Scurll kicks it off hot, kicking Coffey in the ding-ding before the bell even rings! Seven tries to lay down for Dunne but Coffey and Scurll rush in to break up the pin. Dives ensue, Seven on Dunne, Scurll gets cut off diving on Seven and Dunne, but Coffey connects! Coffey and Seven slug it out a while until the Villain comes in to throw machine gun chops on Seven. So many chops.

Scurll looking for the apron superkick but Dunne trips him and gets him caught up in the apron before going Bull Moose against Coffey, trading shoulder blocks until Coffey wipes him out. Seven in again, Coffey suplexes both members of British Strong Style but they come back with the uppercut-assisted Dragon suplex. Scurll back in, the former champion fending them off two-on-one with chops until they drop him with simultaneous headbutts.

Dunne with the Romero Special leglocks, looking to have a bite to eat but Scurll slips out to the tune of “PETA!” chants and get a double crossface chickenwing on the tag champs! Coffey sends the whole pile in the corner and gets BSS up for a fireman’s carry for a moment before running a series of Stinger Splashes on them and laying them out with a dropkick-assisted DDT. The Iron Man ducks another dick kick from the Villain and takes him for a ride with the giant swing into the Boston Crab.

Seven comes in, firing chops but Coffey’s too fired up to feel them and switches the crab to him. Dunne in with a sleeper on Coffey but Scurll peels him off with the chickenwing. Dunne has a snack to break it before switching to Coffey, Seven takes a bite out of Scurll and Marty breaks Dunne’s finger for his trouble. Giant swing on Dunne, Marty looking for the Helicopter Crash style superkick but Coffey won’t give him an opening, so he just pokes the eyes.

Fake-out superkicks for Seven and Dunne but Coffey doesn’t fall for it, throwing an uppercut. When he goes to the second, he jumps off into a superkick party that takes his knee out anyway! Superkick-assisted piledriver on Coffey from Seven, but it’s not enough! Scurll, Dunne, and Seven slug it out on their knees, but Marty wakes up and throws superkicks, inviting the match to break down .

Coffey has it won with a bridging German on Dunne but Sven pulls Joel Allen out of the ring! Coffey and Seven slug it out, Coffey lands two of his trademark discus lariats but Scurll pulls him off, locks the chickenwing in and falls to the mat...

Marty Scurll wins by submission with the crossface chickenwing on Joe Coffey.

Great match. Fast-paced, never let up and never stayed on any one idea long enough to get bored with it.

Marty gets on the mic afterwards, he says that even though he genuinely despises each every fan, he keeps coming back to Progress just to spite them. He got off a 24-hour flight from Australia, stepped back into the ring, and he’s number one contender again. He says Progress would be nothing without him, before putting over all his achievements thus far. He claims he was screwed at Brixton last month, and that everybody, whether they like him or not, knows that he’s the greatest Progress Champion of all time.

Enter Jimmy Havoc! He slips in the ring to lay Scurll out with an Acid Rainmaker and leaves.

F.S.U. (Eddie Dennis & Mark Andrews) vs. South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks) vs. the Origin (Dave Mastiff & El Ligero)

Dave Mastiff made his entrance wearing a cape and a beer helmet, so we’re off to a great start already.

The Power Trip are content to leave the other two to start it off but they come in to go two-on-one with Mastiff. Dave looks to make friends by offering them some Foster’s, but Australian beer and New Zealand wrestlers don’t mix. Dennis in, he’s hot because they spilled the beer, and he has body slams for everybody, up to and INCLUDING the Bastard!

FSU work Ligero over a while but he gets the knees up on a Mark Andrews standing moonsault, inviting Travis Banks to make the tag. The Power Trip then continue to work Ligero over. You’d almost feel sorry for him if he weren’t El Ligero, really. Andrews finally takes what might be pity on him and tags himself in. Mastiff in soon after and now the Origin have their revenge on the flying man.

Ligero’s got a foam finger on now and lays in some wicked assisted chops with it, but a finger-assisted headbutt comes up empty. Mastiff knocks Dennis off the apron to deny the tag but Andrews gets it anyway after the suplex reversal stunner. Banks in as well and Dennis is a house afire, landing the combo fallaway slam/Samoan drop on both members of the Power Trip! Ligero back in, turnabout is fair play as Andrews knocks Mastiff off the apron, causing Ligero to do a very “Wile E. Coyote realizing there is no ground underneath him” double-take waiting for the tag.

The obligatory multi-man breakdown “everybody do a thing” sequence follows, ending with Dennis and Banks crawling to their feet. Dennis ducks a kick and throws the crucifix buckle bomb enzuigiri combo with Andrews but looking for the assisted Next Stop Driver and Ligero cuts him off. Ligero caught in it instead but he slips out and and tries the Samoan drop/fallaway slam combo on FSU only for Dennis to just fall on him into a cover. Mastiff with a huge release German on Dennis, then a cannonball from Ligero but Cooper comes in. and drops him with an assisted brainbuster with help from Banks.

Dennis breaks it up and nails Cooper with a knockout superkick, but when he’s ready for the Next Stop Driver, Dahlia Black gets on the apron to distract him with her wiles. Dennis looks for a kiss, Dahlia hauls off and slaps him but Cooper nails her with a boot! Stomp assisted Next Stop Driver on TK... THE ORIGIN BREAK IT UP! All four slugging it out on their knees now before rising to their feet. Dennis and Mastiff with a double crossbody, Banks in with a springboard kick that wipes Ligero out, he gets Andrews up in an Argentine backbreaker rack...

South Pacific Power Trip win by pinfall with a Travis Banks spinning release Argentine powerbomb on Mark Andrews.

Another good intense fast-paced multi-man match in the middle of the card here.

Mikey Whiplash vs. Rampage Brown (c) (Atlas Championship)

Lockup and early feeling out gives way to the obligatory Big Lads Bull Moose shoulder block exchange, which Rampage wins. Thence into forearm-for-forearm striking, which Rampage wins again, but an attempted cover gets less than a one-count and Whiplash knocks him out of the ring shortly after. Rampage catches the followup dive and drops Whiplash face-first across the apron for his trouble.

Rampage keeps the beating going as they head back in the ring, sending Whiplash into the turnbuckles so hard they creak like the dickens. Whiplash back into it with a flurry of blows, including a running low-angle corkscrew uppercut that gets a two-count for him. Rampage flips him off and they go chop-for-chop now, Whiplash getting sick of it and running the ropes right into a big spinebuster for two.

Rampage sets Whiplash up top, Mikey trying to fight out but Rampage stays with him and drops him with a back superplex. Whiplash heads outside, playing possum and wiping Rampage out with a dropkick and a tope con giro after he takes the bait! Whiplash heads up top for a diving elbow that crushes Rampage but can’t put him away. Whiplash with a fireman’s carry, Rampage fights out, they struggle to the ropes, Rampage drags him out into piledriver position...

Rampage Brown wins by pinfall with a piledriver, retaining the Atlas Championship.

Not quite as good as their match earlier this year, but still a fun solid match.

Mark Haskins (c) vs. Zack Gibson (Progress Championship)

Jockeying and jockeying early on, two excellent technical wrestlers evenly matched, grappling giving way to striking and early attempts at their finishers but Gibson gets the ropes and bails. Haskins with the inside out Tiger feint kick as Gibson runs away but Haskins nails him with the second attempt, dropping him with a suicide dive in front of the steps. A dropkick to the knee puts Gibson on the defense and Haskins capitalizes with a knee drop to the face and more legwork.

Haskins continues to wrench and tear, Gibson fights out of a second shinbreaker only to get a running knee through his head. An armbreaker over the top rope and a shoulder into the ringpost even the score, with a low dropkick cutting Haskins off as he tries to get into the ring. Hammerlock armbreaker against the apron, then overhead elbows into the shoulder back in the ring. Short-arm clothesline targets the shoulder, Gibson wastes time jawing at Haskins but manages to keep Haskins from capitalizing with a shoulderbreaker.

Wristlock armdrag over the ropes to the inside, Gibson looking for Shankly Gates but Haskins fights him, stomp to the elbow misses but a low dropkick nails the champion right in the eye! Another elevated wristlock attempt but Haskins slips out, still fighting. Haskins to his feet off another attempt at Shankly Gates, he nails Gibson in the face with a dropkick to make some breathing room.

Haskins looking for a suplex but his arm gives out so he doubles down on kicks, then they slug it out from kneeling to standing, Haskins kicking Gibson’s leg out of his leg and throwing a scoop powerslam modified to keep the weak arm from failing! Gibsons ducks a kick, Haskins charges in, tilt-a-whirl into the bridging Fujiwara armbar! Gibson has the ropes! Forearm, knee, but Gibson ducks a kick and returns a cross chop and a lariat for a nearfall.

Haskins looking for the Stretch Muffler but Gibson won’t let him have it, the same goes for a third try at Shankly Gates, Haskins with a flying armbar but Gibson slips out and into a Tiger Driver but Haskins is ready and catches him into a triangle, Gibson with the deadlift... BUCKLE BOMB! Diving Codebreaker... HASKINS CATCHES THE FOOT! ANKLE LOCK! Gibson throws him off and to the outside and throws a rare suicide dive of his own!

Haskins with a dive of his own, then rolls Gibson back in the ring for a springboard small package! No good, followup superkick also comes up empty, as does a second, so Haskins heads up top, slapping some life back into his arm on the way. Gibson’s right there to cut him off with forearms, he goes to the second himself, looking for the superplex but Haskins counters with the gourdbuster. Double stomp misses, Gibson with a rake to the eyes that’s practically an iron claw! A pair of Codebreakers from the challenger but Mark Haskins will not die!

Hammerlock Divorce Court, Gibson then shoots Haskins shoulder-first into a ringpost, spinning Tombstone... not enough! Pounding forearms into Haskins’ face now, he stands and gestures for the champion to rise. Haskins fights out of a bear hug, looking for the roll through but Gibson locks the Shankly Gates! Haskins fights out, Gibson with a German, Haskins lands on his feet, bicycle kick, exploder, Gibson wrenches the arm but Haskins stays in it and locks the Sharpshooter in...

Mark Haskins wins by submission with the Sharpshooter, retaining the Progress Championship.

Hell of a match. Gibson working the arm is always beautiful, and Haskins’ salesmanship was awesome as well.

Overall

A really strong show from Progress. No duds, two strong debut matches, two strong multi-directional matches that, and the title match was frankly the best one since the three-way at Chapter 24. Check it out on Demand Progress, it’s worth your time.