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Mick Foley Praises PROGRESS and Hypes Their WrestleMania Weekend Shows

Former WWE Superstar and Hardcore Legend Mick Foley has commented on PROGRESS Wrestling’s upcoming WrestleMania weekend shows at the Pontchartrain Convention Center in New Orleans.

PROGRESS co-owner Jim Smallman and Foley are reportedly good friends having met on the comedy circuit in the UK. Smallman was the support slot for Foley’s 2013 UK stand up tour, he also supported William Regal as part of his speaking tour across the region in the same year.

Foley tweeted “Wishing all the best this weekend. Still can’t believe it was only 5 years ago that said “Mick, I have an idea for a different kind of wrestling promotion.”

Tickets for these massive shows are available to purchase from $25 from TicketFly and several big matches are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks as we head towards WrestleMania.

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/979089678463897600

James Ellsworth Announced for Major UK Independent Company

Former WWE Superstar James Ellsworth has been announced for IPW:UK’s upcoming ‘Chin Up Son’ event on Wednesday May 2nd from Milton Keynes Unit Nine venue.

This UK exclusive match for Ellsworth will be his debut for both IPW and in the United Kingdom in general. Since leaving WWE Ellsworth has been making sporadic appearances for independent promotions across the United States, including an upcoming bout against former UFC fighter Matt Riddle as part of Joey Janela’s Spring Break 2 on WrestleMania weekend.

This event takes place just days after IPW:UK’s International Battle Royale event which sees Austin Aries, Mark Haskins, Tenille Dashwood and more invading the Casino Rooms in Rochester, England.

Tickets for IPW:UK’s ‘Chin Up Son’ are available to purchase here.

https://twitter.com/IPWUK/status/979415895633223680

Frontline Wrestling Announce Japanese Wrestling Legend for Debut Show

New UK based promotion Frontline Wrestling (owned by NJPW star Will Ospreay) has announced the latest name for their debut event ‘Build Me An Empire’ which takes place June 28th at Stratford Circus in London.

Former Pro Wrestling NOAH GHC Heavyweight Champion Kenoh will be making his way to the Frontline alongside these already announced stars:

  • Travis Banks
  • Aussie Open
  • ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster
  • Mark Haskins
  • El Phantasmo
  • Bea Priestley
  • Chris Brookes
  • Rob Lynch
  • Toni Storm
  • Wild Boar
  • Adam Brookes
  • Connor Mills
  • Maverick Mayhew

Kenoh has been a part of Japan’s Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion since 2014, following an extremely successful stint in the Michinoku Pro promotion from 2007 when he was scouted by Jinsei Shinzaki. As well as being a former GHC Heavyweight Champion he has held the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, GHC Tag Team Championship and Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Frontline Wrestling are looking to bring the Japanese ‘Puro’ style to British shores in a way that has never been seen before. This announcement with these incredible athletes shows that the company is going full bore on ushering in a new era of Strong Style in Great Britain.

 

3 Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll Matches To Watch Before NJPW Sakura Genesis 2018

New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that two of the best exports from the British Isles will be clashing once again as part of the Sakura Genesis event on Sunday 1st from the fabled Ry?goku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. This is certainly not the first time that the two have faced, and hopefully this will not be the last in a storied rivalry spanning not just companies, but continents.

If you have never had the opportunity to see these two former PROGRESS World Champions collide then here are the best 3 matches to get you started on the Aerial Assassin/Villain journey:

Will Ospreay (c) vs Marty Scurll – PROGRESS Chat Sh*t Get Banged

will ospreay

Will Ospreay (Photo credit: Forbes)

The first match on our list comes from PROGRESS Wrestling’s 25th Chapter event ‘Chat Sh*t Get Banged,’ this was to be the end of Ospreay’s great run as Champion after defeating Jimmy Havoc at Chapter 20 and the beginning and quite frankly the making of Marty Scurll. This match had a No Disqualification stipulation and took place 2 weeks after an incredible bout between the two at Rev Pro’s High Stakes event in 2016. An excellent main event match between two of the most dynamic performers on arguably wrestling’s hottest independent ticket saw these two rise above the stellar Rev Pro effort and the No DQ stip certainly leant a gravity to proceedings, one to check out on Demand PROGRESS for sure.

Will Ospreay (c) vs Marty Scurll – NJPW Power Struggle

Marty Scurll

There are two matches that could easily fill this slot, the first bout between the two at NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament was extremely eye opening…the now established member of the Bullet Club stable Scurll arrived in New Japan and the crowd treated him like a veteran, his mannerisms and character resonated perfectly with the audience and the duo put on a Juniors styled match that captivated NJPW fans.

However the match that followed between the two for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title sees an even more entrenched Scurll facing a now tenured Ospreay and far more of their individual styles can be seen on display here. A great match that leads on to their eventual Wrestle Kingdom four way bout for the IWGP title and a good refresher before the two face at Sakura Genesis.

AJ Styles vs Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll – Rev Pro Uprising 2015

aj styles united states championship

AJ Styles celebrating after winning the United States Championship at WWE Live Event

What better way to make this feud even more epic than to throw in one of the best wrestlers in the world currently (if not in history)? Ospreay himself has stated that AJ is one of the reasons that he entered the squared circle and this bout for the British Heavyweight Title is one of the best matches in Revolution Pro history.

This match certainly helped cement Ospreay and Scurll as legitimate contenders on the World stage and proved many fans of the UK scene right; we have some of the best performers in the world rising the ranks in our homeland. You can watch this match as part of Rev Pro’s On Demand service right now.

Make sure that you catch this and all of the other incredible bouts happening this Sunday at New Japan’s Sakura Genesis on NJPWWorld.com

Match Involving Will Ospreay and Kota Ibushi Taking Place WrestleMania Weekend

Two of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s brightest stars will be colliding on WrestleMania weekend when IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay takes on the ‘Golden Star’ Kota Ibushi…as part of a six-man tag team match.

Rev Pro made the announcement that Kota Ibushi will be teaming with Shane Strickland and Flip Gordon to take on the team of Will Ospreay, Rocky Romero and Chuckie T as part of their show on Friday April 6th at the WrestleCon convention in New Orleans.

Whilst a singles match between two of the top performers in the world would’ve been the first choice there is a good chance that NJPW are looking to host that bout on a much bigger stage…potentially the G1 Climax or even at a Wrestle Kingdom show.

PROGRESS/ATTACK! Star Announced for CZW Tournament of Death 2018

Top British Deathmatch performer Drew Parker has been announced for Combat Zone Wrestling’s Tournament of Death.

The 2018 iteration will be taking place Saturday June 9th from the ‘Ultraviolent Underground’ 179 Ebenezer Church Road in Townsend, DE. CZW’s TOD is one of the most violent events in the wrestling calendar; light tubes, planes of glass and even barbed wire trampolines are commonplace and blood is always guaranteed to be shed by the bucket load.

Last year saw former PROGRESS World Champion Jimmy Havoc take the crown at the first time of asking…whether Combat Zone intends on giving PROGRESS/ATTACK! star Parker his own opportunity to shine on one of the most violent playgrounds in wrestling remains to be seen.

British Boxing Star To Make Professional Wrestling Debut

British Boxer Anthony Ogogo will be making his professional wrestling debut for the Knight family owned World Association of Wrestling promotion (WAW) in May. The Olympic medallist will be teaming alongside brothers of WWE Superstar Paige; The UK Hooligans and Ricky Knight Jr at EPIC Studios in Norwich, England.

Self confessed wrestling superfan Ogogo is one of the stars of British Boxing, he holds a professional record of 11 wins and 1 loss. Ogogo also saw mainstream success as a cast member of the BBC’s answer to Dancing With The Stars: Strictly Come Dancing, so this is potentially a major mainstream story for WAW in the United Kingdom.

Ogogo appeared in an in-ring segment for the company back in February where he entered the ring and hit a Rock Bottom and Five Star Frog Splash to assist the UK Hooligans, you can check out the footage below:

NJPW/Rev Pro Announce Strong Style Evolved: United Kingdom

Top UK based promotion Rev Pro has announced that New Japan Pro Wrestling will be taking their ‘Strong Style Evolved’ shows to the United Kingdom this June/July. The inaugural Strong Style Evolved event took place from Long Beach’s Walter Pyramid on March 25th and is available to view on NJPWWorld.com.

Simply dubbed #StrongStyleEvolvedUK no further information has been revealed at this time regarding Rev Pro’s involvement as a brand and whether this will be purely an NJPW based event. Rev Pro are known to hold a yearly ‘Global Wars’ event which sees NJPW talent face off against some of the UK’s best so this will hopefully not be affected.

Pre-sale tickets for the shows on Saturday June 30th in Milton Keynes’ Ice Arena and July 1st in Manchester’s Altrincham Arena will be available to purchase this Thursday and Friday at 9am respectively from Rev Pro’s official site.

International Women’s Dream Match Announced for wXw Superstars of Wrestling

Germany’s top independent wrestling promotion wXw has announced an International Dream match between two of the top stars in Women’s wrestling.

wXw and PROGRESS Women’s Champion Toni Storm will be facing former WWE Superstar Tenille Dashwood/Emma at the ‘Superstars of Wrestling’ event on May 5th from Oberhausen in Germany.

Toni Storm took part in the inaugural Mae Young Classic and is currently slated as a potential star that WWE are keen to bring into the NXT system as soon as possible. Whilst no news has emerged over the past few months there are still a number of European based stars that WWE will be hoping to secure, including ICW’s Piper Niven/Viper and Kay Lee Ray.

https://twitter.com/wXwGermany/status/976873769229803521

More Big Names Announced for Frontline Wrestling Debut Show

Frontline Wrestling owner and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay has announced the next 5 names for his company’s debut show on June 28th. ‘Build Me An Empire’ will be taking place at Stratford Circus and tickets for the show can be bought directly from the official Frontline site for as little as £15.

Already named for the debut show are Travis Banks, Chris Ridgeway, ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster and tag team Aussie Open.

Joining those already stellar names will be:

  • PROGRESS Women’s Champion Toni Storm
  • Wild Boar
  • Australian Star Adam Brooks
  • Maverick Mayhew
  • Conor Mills

Frontline Wrestling are looking to bring the Japanese ‘Puro’ style to British shores in a way that has never been seen before. This announcement with these incredible athletes shows that the company is going full bore on ushering in a new era of Strong Style in Great Britain.

British Wrestling Scene Reacts to Zack Sabre Jr New Japan Cup Win

British born New Japan star Zack Sabre Jr today beat Hiroshi Tanahashi to become the first ever UK born winner of the New Japan Cup and the first Gaijin to win the illustrious trophy in 12 years.

ZSJ will now go on to challenge IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada in the main event of the upcoming Sakura Genesis event, he becomes the first British born challenger to the title since William/Steven Regal back in April 1995.

Several stars and colleagues of Sabre’s from the UK wrestling scene were quick to offer their congratulations to the man being touted as the ‘best technical wrestler in the world.’ Check out some of the tweets below which feature comments from PROGRESS, Rev Pro, ICW, IPW:UK and OTT stars:

https://twitter.com/IPWUK/status/976442627204767744

https://twitter.com/Travis_BanksPW/status/976380967245041665

https://twitter.com/ZackGibson01/status/976421656343310336

5 Star Wrestling (UK) Promotion Loses TV Deal and Ceases Operations

UK based promotion 5 Star Wrestling has confirmed that they will no longer be hosting events in the United Kingdom, they have subsequently lost their weekly Thursday night slot on Freesports, a channel which was available on Freeview, FreeSat, Sky and virtually available on every television set in England.

Opinion: There were a myriad of problems surrounding the 5 Star project since the outset, the company had booked a slew of shows in arenas across England that they found it difficult to fill and sadly poor promotion and management appears to have sent the company to an early grave. There were a number of extremely talented UK stars such as Joey Axl, Nathan Cruz and Zack Gibson who have now lost a weekly slot on UK television through no fault of their own and that is a great shame. Hopefully a company can rise from the ashes and start to build a true following for a mainstream wrestling promotion as there certainly is scope to do so.

https://twitter.com/5StarWrestling/status/976163945869344768

Former WWE Tag Team Champion Challenging for ICW Title

Insane Championship Wrestling has announced that World Champion BT Gunn will be defending his belt on April 15th as part of their ‘Jimmy Nails Revenge II: This Time It’s Personal’ event. The ICW World and Zero-G Undisputed Champion will be defending the belt against former WWE Tag Team Champion: Paul London.

London was an active member of the WWE roster from late 2003, his initial run saw him teaming with WCW legend Billy Kidman. Shortly after Kidman’s retirement he formed a team with Brian Kendrick and began a run which culminated in his winning of the WWE Tag Team Championships. London eventually left the company in 2008 when Kendrick was drafted to Smackdown.

After his release London took the independent scene, his run as part of PWG tag team ¡Peligro Abejas! (alongside WWE’s Sami Zayn) saw him again win Tag Team gold and he can now be found on Lucha Underground as part of the ‘Rabbit Tribe’ stable.

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/974738444219047936

DEFIANT Internet Championship Match Changed Due to Injury

DEFIANT Wrestling have had to make a major change to tonight’s ‘Lights Out’ pay per view event.

Due to injury the current reigning Internet Champion Travis Banks has had to pull out of the triple threat bout that included WALTER and David Starr for the title. Instead the company will be pitting the PROGRESS ATLAS Champion WALTER against Starr in a bout that will now determine the Number 1 contender to Banks’ title.

WALTER and Starr have an ongoing rivalry that spans across a number of companies across the globe including wXw, Starr is desperate to defeat WALTER and tonight may well be his opportunity to finally fell the Ringkampf stable member.

You can watch the PPV via DEFIANT’s on demand service Access Defiant or through the FITE app which can be found on Android or iOS.

PROGRESS Announce Three Way Elimination Tag Title Match for This Sunday

PROGRESS has announced a huge 3-Way Elimination Tag Team Title bout for this Sunday’s Chapter 65 event ‘Have Some Faith In The Sound.’

Champions James Drake and Zack Gibson (Grizzled Young Veterans) will be defending their belts against Sexy Starr (Jack Sexsmith & David Starr) and Jimmy Havoc/Mark Haskins. All three teams have had their differences over the previous chapter events, the Grizzled Young Veterans took back their belts when they recently pinned an injured Jimmy Havoc and ‘Sexy Starr’ have been in the midst of a vicious feud with the Havoc/Haskins contingent. PROGRESS hope to bring this to a head when the three teams finally share a ring together this Sunday at Chapter 65.

Other matches for this Sunday are:

  • PROGRESS World Championship Match – Travis Banks (c) vs “Flash” Morgan Webster
  • Natural Progression Series First Round Match – Danny Duggan vs Danny Jones
  • Doug Williams Vs Rob Lynch

Minoru Suzuki Match Announced for WrestleMania Weekend

Rev Pro has announced an incredible battle for their upcoming WrestleMania weekend show as part of Wrestlecon in New Orleans on Friday April 6th.

IWGP Intercontinental Champion Minoru Suzuki will be going up against Lucha Underground star Jeff Cobb in what is likely to be one of the matches of the weekend. Rev Pro has also announced that the following stars will be hand for the Supershow this April:

  • Kota Ibushi
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Juice Robinson
  • Zack Sabre Jr
  • Will Ospreay
  • Aussie Open

More names are expected to be announced closer to the event.

Ted DiBiase Announced for UK Speaking Tour Hosted by Kayfabe Events

UK company Kayfabe Events has announced that WWE Legend Ted DiBiase will heading to England/Scotland this May for a three date speaking tour. ‘An Evening With The Million Dollar Man’ will be heading to the following cities:

  • May 17th – Newcastle
  • May 18th – Glasgow
  • May 19th – Manchester

The shows will be compared by PROGRESS commentator and FutureShock ring announcer Matt Richards and the Q&A portion of the nights will be hosted by Jimmy Havoc. Havoc will also be taking part in a speaking tour across the country and further information can be found via @KayfabeEvents on Twitter.

Tickets for the shows will be available to purchase as of Tuesday 20th March at 9am GMT from KayFabeEvents.com

https://twitter.com/KayfabeEvents/status/975117224905265152

 

Frontline Wrestling (UK) Announce First 5 Competitors for Debut Show 6/28

Frontline Wrestling has announced the first 5 competitors for their upcoming debut show from Stratford Circus on June 28th. Company owner Will Ospreay released the names earlier today and they include some of the finest performers on the scene.

PROGRESS World Champion Travis Banks, ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster, Chris Ridgeway and tag team Aussie Open lead the way for the new ‘sports orientated’ Frontline company who are looking to bring the Japanese ‘Puro’ style to British shores in a way that has never been seen before. This announcement with these incredible athletes shows that the company is going full bore on ushering in a new era of Strong Style in Great Britain.

Tickets for the debut event can be purchased via the official Frontline site now.

Will Ospreay Announces Debut Show For Frontline Wrestling

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay has released details for his new promotion Frontline Wrestling’s debut show ‘Build Me An Empire.’

The event will be taking place on Thursday June 28th at Stratford Circus in London, just 5 minutes walk from the Stratford Underground station. Frontline has released the following information with regards to entry and tickets:

This event hosts a mix of seating and standing tickets. 
Floor seating are Front Row (Includes 2 Streamers), Second Row & General Seating 
Balcony 
Upper Balcony

Meet & Greet: 6pm – 7pm | Doors: 6:30pm | Show Starts: 7.30pm

No names have been revealed for the show however it is expected to include some up and coming talents from the UK scene, particularly those who are yet to receive opportunities on such a stage elsewhere.

Tickets are available to purchase via the Official Frontline website.

Two Massive Matches Announced for WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne

WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne has been announced for Fight Club Pro’s upcoming Dream Tag Team Invitational events happening later on this month.

The former PROGRESS World Champion will be taking part in at least two bouts over the three day event and Fight Club Pro are bringing in two unique opponents for the young veteran. Day 2 of the DTTI will see Dunne face Lucha Underground star Rey Fenix in a bout that will pit the ‘Bruiserweight’ against one of the premier high flyers on the independent scene. Night Three of the event will see Dunne face an icon of Japanese wrestling; Meiko Satomura…

Satomura is the co-founder of the famed Sendai Girls promotion, she has performed across the globe for the likes of Gaea Japan, WCW and Chikara. Her bout against possibly the best performer in the UK in Dunne is highly anticipated and will only be seen live by the crowd in Birmingham’s NEC Arena due to the VOD streaming rules surrounding WWE UK contracted talent. If you’re in the UK you cannot miss this.

Rich Swann Pulled from UK Independent Tournament

UK promotion Southside Wrestling has announced that Rich Swann will no longer be taking part in their upcoming ‘Speed King 2018’ tournament. The company released the following statement confirming the cancellation of Swann and his replacement in wXw/Cruiserweight Classic star Da Mack:

The former 205 Live Superstar was arrested back in December for a domestic incident that included charges of battery and kidnapping/false imprisonment. The company wished him “the best in all of his future endeavors” – but still decided to release him on his birthday (February 15th), the decision was “mutually agreed” by both parties. All charges have since been dropped however Swann recently announced his plans to retire following his already confirmed independent dates.

Matches Announced for Pro Wrestling: EVE’s #Shevolution Event

UK based all women’s promotion Pro Wrestling: EVE has announced three bouts for their upcoming #Shevolution card on Friday March 30th from the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green, London.

Mae Young Classic competitor and staple of Insane Championship Wrestling – Kay Lee Ray will be facing Sendai Girls star Dash Chisako, Livvii Grace will be taking on United States based independent star Jordynne Grace and the Pro Wrestling: EVE Champion Sammii Jayne will be facing Kris Wolf.

Tickets are still available to purchase via the tweet below and tickets for their upcoming super show #WrestleQueendom at York Hall in Bethnal Green are available through EVE’s Official site.

https://twitter.com/ProWrestlingEVE/status/973855775419486209

wXw Announce Huge Title Match for London Show

Germany’s biggest independent promotion wXw has announced the main event for their upcoming #wXwLondon show on March 24th at The Dome in Tufnell Park, London.

wXw Unified World Champion Ilja Dragunov will be defending his belt against 16 Carat Gold 2018 finalist David Starr, WALTER and PROGRESS World Heavyweight Champion Travis Banks in a fatal four way match.

The show is part of wXw’s ‘We Love Wrestling’ tour that will see them hit cities across Germany and the UK including Leipzig, Frankfurt and Hamburg. Further information can be found via the official wXw site.

https://twitter.com/wXwGermany/status/973876498078863361

Rev Pro Announce International Tag Team Bout for Wrestlecon

Revolution Pro Wrestling has announced a huge International tag team bout for their Wrestlecon event during WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans.

The team of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Juice Robinson will be taking on one of the best up and coming tag teams on the UK independent scene in Aussie Open. We had this to say about the incredible duo as part of our ‘Best Emerging UK Tag Teams’ article earlier this year:

Comprising Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis, Aussie Open are one of the most dynamic and exciting teams to emerge from the UK scene in the past year. Having first formed in the ATTACK! promotion back in August they have been challenging for titles in the likes of HOPE, Rev Pro, IPW:UK and CZW which is an absolute testament to their talent and ability to gel so quickly as a unit. Aussie Open have a strong big man/little man dynamic almost akin to that of an early Hart Foundation, the stacked Mark Davis provides a powerful hot tag whilst teammate Kyle Fletcher has an agile flair to his in ring approach. If you are able to catch this team during Wrestlemania weekend in New Orleans (they will be performing on at least one card that weekend for Fight Club Pro) then you absolutely must, they are a force of nature and have no clear end in sight for their ability.

Kevin Owens Praises Independent Wrestler

Former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens recently took to Twitter to heap praise on one of Europe’s best up and coming independent performers.

Ilja Dragunov is the current reigning wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion, he captured the belt during last weekend’s wXw 16 Carat Gold tournament in a bout against WALTER and Bad Bones, he also successfully defended the belt on Night 3 of the tournament against Matt Riddle.

Check out the tweet that Owens sent below praising the Soviet star:

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/974145882131136512