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PROGRESS Wrestling NYC Results (8/12/17): Title Change, Injuries, Heatwave Takeover Queens

Pete Dunne

Photo: WWE

Before The Show

London-based PROGRESS Wrestling made its New York City debut on Saturday night, and it was quite a turbulent journey before, during, and after the show.

As Top Rope Press reported earlier this month, WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne was scheduled to compete and defend the title against fellow WWE superstar Gentleman Jack Gallagher. On Friday, August 11, Dunne was at another independent show in Brooklyn and was legitimately injured in the final moments of the main event against Darius Carter. It was later detailed he suffered a cut on his temple and required 11 stitches. The injury forced Dunne to withdraw from competing in PROGRESS’ NYC and Boston shows, which forced the creative minds of PROGRESS to come up with new plans for the over 1,000 fans scheduled to attend Saturday night’s show. Although he had to withdraw from competing, Dunne was still set to appear at the Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities facility in the Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York.

Upon entering Elmcor, you immediately felt heat from the reported 1,500 fans in attendance. The room was packed, difficult to find seats, but plenty of standing room. Fans were reminded not to enter the room with alcohol, but water seems to be the main beverage of the night in order to keep hydrated since there was no air-conditioning. Despite the sauna-like conditions, fans were ready for PROGRESS!

Showtime!

Jim Smallman, co-founder of PROGRESS, kicked off the show by sincerely thanking the fans for being part of the wrestling promotions’ first NYC show and reminded attendees about Dunne’s injury. Dunne appeared and cut a promo about not wanting to fight in front of the New York crowd regardless of his condition. Jack Gallagher entered with a tremendous pop and welcome back chants. After Dunne said he owns the owns the WWE, Gallagher brutally quirked about the lack of Dunne on WWE programming. Gallagher came to fight, although understandably not with Dunne, and challenged anyone from the back.

Zack Gibson, who was originally scheduled to compete in a triple threat match against Mark Haskins and Mark Andrews later in the show, interrupted and received non-stop boos from the Elmcor crowd. If you need a comparison, think of the heat Vickie Guerrero received whenever she even tried speaking into a microphone. Dunne left the ring, and it was time for Gallagher vs. Gibson. After a good solid fight, Gallagher defeated Gibson.

Next, it was time for the only women’s match on the PROGRESS NYC card, which featured WWE’s Mae Young Classic competitor Dakota Kai and occasional WWE enhancement talent Deonna Purrzzo, who has appeared on NXT and SmackDown Live. Purazzo teamed with Jinny against Dahlia Black and Kai. It was a brilliant tag-team match which saw Deonna pin Kai for the surprise win. I call it a surprise, even though Jinny and Purrazzo did brilliantly in the ring, since it may have been expected Kai would get the victory since she’s now WWE talent and was promoted by WWE to appear on the show.

Donovan Dijack vs. Timothy Thatcher was next to determine the No. 1 contender for the PROGRESS Atlas Championship. For those unfamiliar with the Atlas division, as I sure was before the show, it’s solely for wrestlers weighing more than 205 pounds, purposely above the cruiserweight weight limit. Thatcher entered the ring with his manager Stokely Hathaway, making his PROGRESS debut. I was perhaps more hyped seeing Hathaway, a prominent figure in EVOLVE, than the competitors in this match. And it was a good night for Hathaway as Thatcher won the match and will compete against the PROGRESS Atlas Champion at a later date.

Before the intermission, it was time for the no-disqualification match between Jimmy Havoc and Joey Janela. I’ve seen countless stories about both guys but this was my first time seeing them live, and, as expected, they didn’t disappoint. Chairs, tables, cinder blocks, and even thumbtacks were used in the match. There were at least two moments when items were used that could have nicely finished the match, and I did groan at the lack of selling in those moments. Regardless, Janela and Havoc wrestled and entertained Elmcor and received a great ovation after the match, which was won by Havoc.

It was intermission time, and plenty of attendees used that time to get fresh air from the surprisingly cool Queens weather. Following the short break, we saw a marriage proposal from a fan who drove 16 hours with his girlfriend.

As mentioned earlier, a triple threat match was originally on the card with Zack Gibson, Mark Haskins, and Mark Andrews. Since Gibson was shifted to fight Gallagher earlier, it was assumed we’ll have Andrews vs. Haskins in a one-on-one singles match. Smallman, however, kept his promise of having a triple threat match and introduced Austin Theory. The surprise wasn’t over as Smallman introduced another competitor, thus making the match a Fatal 4-Way. Keith Lee entered with a great pop from the crowd. The match was a brilliant showcase of Haskins and Andrews’ agility, while Lee and Theory’s strengths were evident. This match was definitely the surprise hit of the show, especially the talent from Lee. Haskins won the match via submission on Theory.

The penultimate match of the show was for the PROGRESS Tag Team Championship, but we encountered further trouble. Champions Tyler Bate and Trent Seven, accompanied by Dunne, initially started the match against South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper and Travis Banks). Minutes into the match, TK Cooper flipped from the top turnbuckle onto Bate, Seven, and Banks. From a distance, the move was nicely executed but apparently the landing was not pretty. We see the referee checking on the guys and the dreaded “X” gesture was made, signifying there’s an injury.

TK Cooper’s ankle broke. Smallman and other officials were quick to determine the necessary steps to keep Cooper safe and keep the crowd calm. The crowd, however, remained quiet and shushed for complete silence while PROGRESS officials assessed Cooper. Full credit to Smallman who kept the show rolling by acknowledging Cooper’s smile despite the injury and thanking the crowd for their patience. The latest injury comes less than 24 hours after Dunne, who was still ringside with his fellow British Strong Style mates, was injured at another show. Coincidentally while Cooper was being assessed at ringside, a fan fainted, likely from the heat within Elmcor. The fan was immediately checked on, but the Elmcor crowd still stayed positive and supportive.

After Cooper was carried to the backstage area by other wrestlers, Banks went to the microphone and said the tag-team match’s purpose is no longer about the titles, but now about family. From a tag-team match, we now have a non-title handicap match at the request of Banks. It was perhaps the most emotional match of the show with Banks, Bate, Dunne, and Seven doing their best to provide a great show for the fans, and they did. Despite interference from Dunne, Banks pulled an underdog victory to an elated audience.

It was main event time with PROGRESS Atlas Champion WALTER against Matt Riddle. I’ve seen so much hype and positive feedback about Riddle, so I was ready to finally see him perform live. Perhaps the most memorable moment of the match is the excessive back and forth chops. You can hear the slaps and thuds from the chops and see the sweat flying off Riddle and WALTER. Riddle won the match via submission to win his second Atlas title reign.

After The Show

PROGRESS’ first NYC show is done, and it was definitely a rollercoaster ride for fans but no doubt especially for the show’s promoters. The fans remained loyal and vocal throughout the show despite the muggy heat and injuries. Hopefully this first NYC show served as a learning lesson as well for PROGRESS for their future NYC show, which includes a bigger room – since there was indeed a large audience – and improved restroom and air conditioning services.

After the show, the adventures for the PROGRESS team did not end and they encountered hurdles before traveling to Sunday’s show in Boston.

As a result of “various issues,” such as Cooper and Dunne’s injury, PROGRESS will make change to the Boston card. But again, despite the hurdles leading up to and during the NYC show, PROGRESS still expressed its gratitude for the fans.

PROGRESS Wrestling NYC Results

Gentleman Jack Gallagher defeated Zack Gibson.

Jinny and Deonna Purazzo defeated Dahlia Black and Dakota Kai.

Timothy Thatcher defeated Donovan Dijack.

Jimmy Havoc defeated Joey Janela.

Mark Haskins defeated Austin Theory, Mark Andrews, and Keith Lee in a Fatal 4-Way Match.

British Strong Style (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) (c) vs. South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper and Travis Banks) ended in no-contest via injury.

Travis Banks defeated British Strong Style (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) in a handicap match.

Matt Riddle defeated WALTER (c) to win the PROGRESS Atlas Championship.

The post PROGRESS Wrestling NYC Results (8/12/17): Title Change, Injuries, Heatwave Takeover Queens appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

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