PROGRESS Wrestling is set to make its return to London’s Alexandra Palace on Sunday 15th September.
With Ally Pally being the company’s new home for its biggest shows including Super Strong Style 16, Chapter 95: Still Chasing will be the first standalone show to grace its echoey halls since Chapter 55: Chase The Sun. 2019 sees what is arguably PROGRESS’ strongest card of any ‘big September’ show hosted thus far. Let’s take a closer look at the matches in store for us.
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship: Grizzled Young Veterans (c) vs. Aussie Open
In a championship rematch from Chapter 93, Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher aim to regain their PROGRESS Tag Team Titles from James Drake and Zack Gibson and become three-time champions, just like the Grizzled Young Veterans. Fresh off the back of their NXT UK Tag Team Title loss at TakeOver: Cardiff and with their focus now on retaining their PROGRESS gold, the vets will also be out to prove a point – that their win at Chapter 93 was more than just a fluke.
Pete Dunne returns to PROGRESS
The Bruiserweight is set to make his first appearance for PROGRESS since his goodbye-match against Tyler Bate at Chapter 82: Unboxing Live. With an unannounced opponent, Twitter speculation as to which poor soul will have their fingers broken has been running rampant. A few names come to mind: Chris Ridgeway, Jordan Devlin, Dan Moloney and Chris Brookes just to name a few.
The endless possibilities will certainly be the biggest topic of conversation in the Alexandra Palace queue.
PROGRESS Women’s World Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) vs. Meiko Satomura
Ever since defeating Jinny for the PROGRESS Women’s World Championship back at Chapter 82: Unboxing Live, Jordynne Grace has been an unstoppable force within the women’s division. Having defended the title on multiple occasions overseas, Grace has rarely defended her title on British soil, stating that “there is not enough competition” in her latest promo video. Meiko Satomura is widely regarded to be one of the best wrestlers in the world regardless of gender, and will certainly prove to be Grace’s biggest challenge to date.
Moustache Mountain vs. Matt Riddle and Keith Lee
Tyler Bate returns to PROGRESS to team with Trent Seven to battle Matt Riddle and Keith Lee as NXT clashes with NXT UK. Riddle and Lee are no strangers to PROGRESS as they frequently hopped over the pond to compete for the company before signing with WWE. This special attraction match announced on WWE.com is a nice treat for those attending and indeed those watching on Demand Progress.
PROTEUS Championship Rumble Match
With the recent retirement of the PROGRESS ATLAS Championship creating the possibility for a second singles title within the company, fan theories on the title’s replacement have been in abundance. Jim Smallman announced in a video on July 21st that Chapter 95 will see a Rumble match to crowd the inaugural PROTEUS Champion – a championship that will be defended under the rules of the champion’s choosing. 20 names have already been announced for the 30-person inter-gender Rumble match:
- Spike Trivet
- William Eaver
- Chuck Mambo
- NIWA
- TK Cooper
- Travis Banks
- Chakara
- Paul Robinson
- Roy Johnson
- Dani Luna
- Connor Mills
- Ilja Dragunov
- Charli Evans
- Eddie Kingston
- Chief Deputy Dunne
- Los Federales Santos Jr.
- Candy Floss (if she’s fit in time)
- Lucky Kid
- Sugar Dunkerton
- Millie McKenzie
With at least ten surprise entrants, it is easy to see why the PROTEUS Championship Rumble has been the most talked-about match of Chapter 95 thus far.
PROGRESS Unified World Championship: WALTER (c) vs. David Starr
Dreizehn. David Starr goes toe-to-toe with WALTER in singles competition for the thirteenth time. Having never pinned or submitted the Austrian, Starr’s obsession with defeating WALTER in a singles match has been the hottest story in European wrestling this year after match-of-the-year contenders during wXw’s 16 Carat weekend and OTT’s WrestleRama. The two share an unreal chemistry in the ring and are capable of wrestling magic from one of the most captivating yet simple storylines in professional wrestling today – Starr is simply obsessed with getting the job done, despite coming up short against the reigning PROGRESS Unified World Champion all over the world.
In Starr’s latest promo video, he states that the INDEPENDENT movement is a driving force for him to finally overcome the odds and dethrone the Ring General, despite history dictating that he is “not supposed” to beat WALTER. One can only imagine the eruption in the crowd if Starr is successful in his title opportunity on Sunday.
Paired with the Natural Progression Series tournament taking place the night before, it is fair to say that PROGRESS have put together an exciting weekend of shows that are sure to keep the fans talking for a long time.
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