Progress: Boston recap & review: Banks falls short again, Gibson shuts up, and BSS squeak one out on Ringkampf

Progress: Boston went up on Demand Progress yesterday, so let's get right into the action, shall we?

Jeff Cobb vs. Mark Andrews

Grappling early, Andrews game to test himself against an Olympian but Cobb's strength is too much. Mark adapts, throwing kicks but Jeff runs him over. Chopping away, a huge elbow, White Lightning fighting back where he can but Cobb's offense is overwhelming. Even so, Andrews is able to fend off a suplex, forcing Jeff to try and grind him down with a bear hug.

Mark escapes and turns to flight, diving Frankensteiner, a followup monkey flip is blocked as they struggle in the corner, Cobb with the delayed vertical lift but Andrews slips out! Looking for a powerbomb, bit of a mistake at first but he manages to power the Olympian over and get a nearfall out of it!

Throwing kicks, Jeff looking for the pop-up swinging suplex, denied, dropkick, running shooting star press... NO GOOD! A standing moonsault from Cobb in return! The standing shooting star comes up empty, Mark gets an enzuigiri... MOONSAULT INTO A TORNADO DDT AFTER A BIT OF STRUGGLE! NOT ENOUGH! Kick combo, Jeff hits a running Olympic Slam for a nearfall!

Cobb calling for the end, Tour of the Islands but Andrews manages to reverse to a crucifix pin for a nearfall of his own! Off the ropes, counter a gutwrench, tornado DDT denied, reverse the reversal... STUNDOG MILLIONAIRE! Rolling sunset flip countered...

Jeff Cobb wins by pinfall with Tour of the Islands.

Fun opener that ended hot but felt like it took a little while to click.

Dakota Kai vs. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Jinny

Jinny starting off strong with an elbow on Purrazzo and dumping Kai outside, quick exchange with Deonna and she gets a Russian legsweep into a Fujiwara armbar but Jinny makes the ropes! A lariat wipes Purrazzo out, Dakota in, chaining kicks together, Penalty Kick for a cover but Jinny bails! Deonna and Kai circling, locking up, into a bit of light lucha, leapfrogs and arm drags, quick covers and a stalemate!

Quickly broken by Jinny, throwing kicks, she takes Dakota outside and stomps away at her before firing a wicked forearm off and putting her into the ringpost! Back in to work Purrazzo over, neckbreaker for a nearfall, stomping away, choke in the corner, an elbow for her as well, front kick, a roundhouse kick, STO backbreaker, another kick and Jinny seems unstoppable.

Dakota in with a lariat, dropkick, the facewash gets a nearfall! Double stomp comes up empty, all three women in the ring and trading strikes now. Down and out, to their feet, triple knockout elbow spot! Jinny the first to her feet, ready to capitalize, Acid Rainmaker wipes Kai out, Deonna in to pick the bones but she eats a forearm and it turns into an exchange!

Jinny takes a shortcut but gets German suplexed, Dakota off the top...

Dakota Kai wins by pinfall with a diving double stomp on Deonna Purrazzo.

Good three-way match, albeit one where I kind of felt like it was just kicking into high gear as it ended.

Jack Gallagher vs. Travis Banks

Grappling to start, back and forth with Gallagher's flashier World of Sport stylings contrasting well with the grittier Banks. Off the ropes, things heating up, nearfall for Travis off of La Magistral and Jack tries to get in the Kiwi Buzzsaw's head by throwing a probing kick rather than simply accepting a test of strength.

Trading kicks, forehead to forehead, Banks plants a chop but Gallagher just wants more! Again and again, high on the collarbone and into the throat area, so Jack takes him to the mat for a Romero Special knee stomp. Jim Breaks elbow stomp, top wristlock, Gallagher clearly sees blood in the water around the arm.

Arm wringer to a stepover armbar, switch to a kneeling armbar, Travis tries to fight his way back in with kicks but the gentleman hits a series of armwringers to keep him down and out. Kicks to the counter into a double wristlock, Banks to his feet, slamming Gallagher away, kicks with the left and the right, basement superkick and Travis can see victory once again!

Charging forearms, a leg kick sets Jack up in the corner, cannonball connects, only two! Lion Clutch, Gallagher reverses to a pin, sweep on the kickout, Busaiku Knee Kick... NO GOOD! The kicks keep coming but Gallagher steels himself and returns forearms and knees in kind! Repeated headbutts to the midsection, a knockout headkick... NOT ENOUGH!

Kneeing double wristlock, a kick to the chest, but nothing seems capable of putting the Kiwi Buzzsaw away. Looking for a cross armbar, Travis keeps the hands hooked, rolling to try and escape! Overhead palm stricks from Gallagher and he gets the armbar locked on! Banks reverses to a pin, deadlift counter but Jack lands a headbutt!

Hard whip to the corner begets a shotgun dropkick, double jump double stomp, only a nearfall! Slice of Heaven denied, off the ropes... A HEADBUTT COUNTERS THE DIVE! Slingshot, rolling into it, bodyscissors sleeper hold! Banks fighting, he refuses to fail and gets a foot on the ropes to force the break! Scoop and a slam, Gallagher heads up top only to jump right into a double stomp to the face!

Leaping lariat, Kiwi Krusher... JACK GALLAGHER LIVES! Thinking about Slice of Heaven, Pete Dunne shows up in the entryway for the distraction and the delay gives Jack time to land a counter headbutt! Gallagher charges in...

Jack Gallagher wins by pinfall with the running dropkick.

A very good match in the same vein as Jack's match against Zack Gibson from the New York show.

Jack gets on the mic afterward and puts Travis over, saying he's thankful that not only do WWE let him come and do independent wrestling like this, but he gets to do it against talent the caliber of Banks. He talks about how he came to the Zero1 dojo three years ago to train with Ikuto Hidaka and met Travis, who had been training there for three months, and he says he needs to get his head in the game because he's been losing every time he faces an opponent selected by Peter.

He talks about Banks coming out to fight British Strong Style single-handedly in New York and says he needs that Travis Banks to fight Pete Dunne.

Well, speak of the devil... Dunne hits the ring and wipes Gallagher out before beating on Banks, hammering him with his shoe! Underhooks applied... PEDIGREE! Stomping at the knee for good measure but Jack has recovered and runs him off!

Martin Stone vs. Matt Riddle

Intense grappling to start, Riddle nearly taking it out the gates with a Fujiwara armbar. Cross armbar applied soon after but Stone goes after the toes to force a break, wishboning them after! A little more jockeying for position before we get into strikes, Matt landing a big overhand chop that just leads the Guv'nor to ask for another!

Throwing 'em right back in kind but Bro fires back with kicks to back him in the corner. Charging forearms, exploder suplex, knees to the ribs, Karelin lift connects! Chest kicks, Stone flips him the bird, running knee denied and Martin sets him up for the rope-hung Cutter but Riddle is ready!

Standing switch, back elbow, the Guv'nor lands an exploder suplex and an explosive right hand... NOPE! Off the ropes, Deep Waters counters a pop-up with a falling forearm smash, the Pele kick connects, Bro 2 Sleep, bridging German suplex... NOT ENOUGH! Slap rush follows, the jumping Tombstone... STONE KICKS OUT AT ONE!

Elbows and uppercuts... MARTIN STONE FLIP PILEDRIVER BUT RIDDLE POPS UP! Doube lariats, Riddle sidesteps a second and hits the Pele kick... Stone with the testicular claw! A headbutt connects, pop-up powerbomb, another headbutt but Matt catches him into Bromission! Elbows raining down, the arm is trapped, clubbing blows, the neck crank is in...

Matt Riddle wins by submission with the Bromission.

This match ruled. A hell of a sprint, toeing the line of excess without REALLY getting stupid, and the arm-trap Bromission variant in the finishing stretch alone is cool enough to carry the day even besides that.

Riddle gets on the mic and says that was "fucking awesome" and thanks Martin for the privilege, saying he can't wait to do it again. He then addresses the elephant in the room-- he's the first two-time Atlas Champion, and he wouldn't have that opportunity if WALTER didn't give him a rematch, so he offers one up any time, any place, anywhere in return.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Zack Gibson

Zack's usual introductory promo goes over about as well in Boston as it did in New York, and Gibson even gives up mid-way and has to ask Jim to do it for him. Of course, his ego can't take not doing it himself and he finishes, moving on to insulting Jimmy, calling him King of the Backyarders and issuing his usual threat to tap him with the Shankly Gates.

Rolling elbow, the bell rings, Acid Rainmaker ducked, Ticket to Ride, Tombstone lift Ticket... NOT ENOUGH! Short-arm lariat, clawing the face, landing an elbow but Havoc throws desperate punches in return. A lariat gives him a moment to recover and he heads outside for a breather but Zack brings him back in with an elevated wristlock over the ropes into another short-arm lariat!

Liverpool's #1 looking for plunder, he comes up with a few old bent folding chairs and the referee warns him, but Jimmy tells the ref that if he disqualifies him, he'll kill him! Throwing chairs at Havoc, he shrugs them off and punches one into Zack's face before cracking it over him! Setting him in a chair, right hands, sitting across from him, Jimmy takes a quick drink... BEER MIST!

Trading punches in their chairs, Havoc cracking away, big fakeout into an eye poke on their feet, Gibson puts him up in the corner, another eye poke, double jump tornado DDT... NOPE! Hooking the mouth, pulling Zack to his feet for a rolling elbow, boot to the back of the head sets him up in the corner for a facewash!

Diving double stomp gets a nearfall, waffling Gibson across the back with a chair, but when he stands him up Zack gets a Jim Breaks Special and punches him right in the face! Double pumphandle, whatever it is Jimmy counters with an eye poke, Acid Rainmaker, Gibson reverses right back to where he was, capture Helter Skelter... NOT ENOUGH!

Trying to use a chair to set up Shankly Gates, Havoc uses an ear for leverage, drop toehold into the chair, a chair shot across the back, diving double stomp into the chair, the wristlock applied...

Jimmy Havoc wins by pinfall with the Acid Rainmaker.

Good match, although another one where I felt like it stopped right as it was really starting to get going.

British Strong Style (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) (c) vs. Ringkampf (Timothy Thatcher & WALTER) (Progress Tag Team Championship)

Thatcher and Bate to start, British Strong Style having fun but Ringkampf are all business. Intense grappling once Seven is done flirting at ringside, Tim wrenching Tyler over the ropes something fierce before going after the leg but Bate is able to get the tag. Trent checking the ropes thoroughly before feeling out, Thatcher takes him right to the mat and gets an Ode to Jim Breaks!

Wrenching back, stepping on the arm and levering it to the mat for a nearfall, thence to the Fujiwara but Bate gets involved and WALTER comes in to fend him off! Tim with an elevated knucklelock suplex, wrenching at the arm, manipulating the wrist before switching to the other one and trying to destroy his ability to hit Seven Stars.

Desperate tag, Tyler in, committed to hanging with the former Evolve World Champion and student of Billy Robinson on the mat. Trading forearms with his legs trapped, Bate makes the tag and passes Thatcher's leg off but an upkick stops him from doing too much damage. Tags made, WALTER literally chasing Tyler around the ring, the younger man using his agility to slip around the Austrian beast and get the tag back to Seven before he gets into actual trouble.

Trent off the ropes, trying to go bull moose with WALTER and immediately regretting it, falling back in pain. Switching gears, he throws a chop to not much more effect and WALTER levels him with a chop in return! Bate comes in and gets the same treatment before being press slammed INTO his own partner!

Going to work on the arm, knee drop armbreakers, then the same to the legs, just dissecting Seven before tagging Thatcher in. Armbar denied so he picks an ankle lock before shifting to the Karelin lift, quick tags, each Ringkampf man hitting a Karelin lift in turn! WALTER legal, he draws Trent up by the arm and throws a chop before tagging Tim back in.

Russian legsweep into a grounded octopus hold, Bate tries to make the save but WALTER runs him off! Thatcher never quite got all of the hold so he breaks, Seven looking for a tag, referee Brandon Tolle distracted and he lands a knee to the gentleman's area! WALTER in hot, Trent rakes his eyes before turning back to Tim, single knee facebreaker, tag, whip into a spinebuster... NOT ENOUGH!

Seven with a front fireman's carry slam, Bate hits a Swanton, Trent hits a piledriver... TIMOTHY THATCHER LIVES! Double Pedigree denied, two for one headbutt, WALTER is legal! He catches the Koppo Kick, Gojira Clutch applied, Ringkampf rope break into the German suplex, Tim takes Seven off the apron, butterfly suplex... NO GOOD!

Charging in, Tyler with the boots up, diving for an uppercut, caught into a German suplex but he lands on his feet, Bop and Bang, Airplane Spine reversed, WALTER hossing him up into a fireman's carry gutbuster... SEVEN BREAKS IT UP BY SHOVING THATCHER INTO THE PIN! Trent and Tim trading forearms on their knees and rising to their feet, a backfist and an uppercut wipe out the legal men and the match breaks down into the "everybody do something cool" part of the match.

Like, say, WALTER countering Bate's rebound lariat into a big boot! Tyler plants himself on a lariat and goes right into the standing shooting star press, deadlift German suplex on the big man... NOPE! BSS running charging strikes on the Austrian, he comes back with a two for one dropkick, release powerbomb on Trent, Thatcher adds a butterfly Jackhammer...INTO THE FUJIWARA!

A low bridge puts WALTER outside and Bate kicks Tim in the side of the head, diving... RIGHT INTO AN UPPERCUT! FUJIWARA ARMBAR! WALTER HAS THE GOJIRA CLUTCH IN BUT SEVEN FLOATS OVER...

British Strong Style win by pinfall, Trent Seven reversing Gojira Clutch into a pinning predicament on WALTER to retain the Progress Tag Team Championship.

Excellent match. Particularly want to shout out the finish, because going into it I was thinking "aha, a Progress tag match where they completely lose track of who's legal, whatcha gonna do?" and then it actually played into the finish, our attention on Thatcher and Bate assuming they were the finish when nope, they didn't forget, it was WALTER and Seven all along.

A bit of strife between Ringkampf members, WALTER gets on the mic and says they met six years ago, he's sorry the match ended that way, they're friends, that sucks, but Ringkampf doesn't stand for "talk, talk, talk", and it doesn't stand for showman bullshit, they'll settle their issues in the ring. He brings up Riddle's offer of the rematch for the Atlas Championship, and makes it a three-way match! The Ringkampf lads shake on it, it's on!

Overall

While not reaching the heights of New York the night before, Boston was still a good show from Progress. The main event tag match is clearly the best of the bunch, but Riddle/Stone and Gallagher/Banks also stood out, and none of the other matches were bad as such, just felt a little like they didn't reach their full potential. Given the amount of stress this show was produced under, totally understandable!

Storyline-wise, again, on tour we don't get TOO much, but the Atlas Championship situation for Alexandra Palace getting resolved into what will surely be an excellent three-way at Alexandra Palace is very good, and Jack Gallagher taking a moment to crystalize the "Travis Banks isn't getting it done against his opponents on his road to the title" story goes a long way as well.

Check it out on Demand Progress, folks.