Cheeky Little Buggers became the NEW PROGRESS World Tag Team Champions at TWISTED METAL.
History was made at Chapter 163: Twisted Metal when Charles Crowley and Alexxis Falcon, as the recently formed Cheeky Little Buggers saw an opportunity – and took it.
A bold challenge had arisen arisen as Cheeky Little Bugger’s dared to face off against The Smokin’ Aces, who, while boasting of having just conquered the previously undefeated SAnitY also declared their superiority over every other PROGRESS Tag Team opponents.
For months, The Smokin’ Aces had belittled Charles Crowley, asserting that he was out of his element in the wrestling ring, urging him to take his comedic antics to Comedy Central.
In a moment of defiance, Alexxis Falcon seized the microphone, throwing down the gauntlet to The Smokin’ Aces for an impromptu match right then and there at TWISTED METAL, punctuating her challenge with a line that rattled the Aces to their core, and echoed PROGRESS’S punk wrestling traditions: “Unless you don’t have the bollocks!”
With the stage set, the bell rang, and amidst fervent excitement from the crowd, Alexxis Falcon clinched victory by pinning Nick Riley, thereby securing the PROGRESS World Tag Team Championship.
In a groundbreaking achievement, Alexxis Falcon etched her name in the annals of wrestling history as the first female to ever hold the prestigious PROGRESS World Tag Team Championships.
Following their historic triumph, we caught up with Alexxis Falcon and Charles Crowley to hear their thoughts on this momentous victory.
Congratulations on winning the PROGRESS Tag Team Championships! Was it always your intention to challenge the winners of Smokin’ Aces vs SAnitY?
Crowley: Erm, no. I mean, we’re still a pretty new team, sure we’ve wrestled internationally and we get around but compared to those two beast teams we’re at the start of our journey but we’re both opportunists, the kick was to annoy them off more than anything, and we hate the smoking and while we may appear to mess about, we’re wrestlers on PROGRESS for a reason, we’re top tier and we’ll always be up for a fight. But, that said – well, no, we didn’t expect we’d be holding these at the end of today though.
Alexxis: Nah, we were just sick of being put in these mixed tag matches, there was no reason why we couldn’t wrestle those guys. As soon as we heard their cockiness about beating all the tag teams, we jumped at the chance.
Before the title win you faced Gene Munny and Danny Black, who weren’t quite on the same page. How have you two developed such chemistry?
Crowley: Well, we have been quietly tag team training instead up north at futureshock and we spent time learning about each others wrestling journeys (which are so opposite btw) but fundamentally, we’re just insanely good friends, we’re so close, Falcon would say Twin Flames but I think that’s some weird Disney jargon, and I just think we share the same wrestling brain.
Alexxis: Great. Well we spend a lot of time together, and have spent time in the ring facing each other as well. We know each other inside and out – and so, we were ready for that match.
Alexxis, you made history with this title win, becoming the first female wrestler to hold the tag team championships. How much does that mean to you?
Alexxis: It means a huge deal to me. To be the first female to hold these belts is insane, there will never be another person who can take that spot from me in the history books, but also, I will say there is nobody else I would want to do this with or celebrate this with than Crowley. We took a chance on ourselves whilst everybody doubted us and said we didn’t take it seriously. Well look at us now.
It’s taken 12 years for a female wrestler to win a male dominated title… do you think your achievement will signal the winds of change in PROGRESS?
Alexxis: Yes of course but for now we want to establish ourselves as a beast tag team. Yes, this is amazing for the women and we want to encourage every team, every gender, but we’re not here to be seen as an inter-gender team. We’re just another team in PROGRESS – OH, WAIT, WE’RE NOT, (LAUGHING) – we’re the tag team champions. Lastly we only want to face teams who train as a team, no random mixed pairings just ‘because it looks fun’ otherwise people will think that’s what we are. We’re not, we study tag wrestling like crazy, we have matching gear we’re passionate about this team and have invested in it, and we want people who clearly CARE about tag wrestling. We want people who will push us to be better.
Your venture into the tag division was born from the stipulation that you can never challenge for the women’s championship again after your failure to defeat Lana Austin. Can you see yourself locking horns with the Lana Austin Experience again in the tag team division?
Alexxis: Maybe! Never say never. But for now I think Lana is on her own path in PROGRESS; and she put me on mine. you could say she’s lead me to success of making history.
The Smokin’ Aces were criticised for their lack of title defences… do you believe you and Crowley will be fighting champions?
Alexxis: As long as PROGRESS don’t mind, then yeah we will be. We know we have to give this 110% right now to keep our heads above water; but we’re not gonna shy away from any challenge. We never do.
Lastly, how will you be celebrating your win?
Crowley: We’re off to the pub for shots of apple sours (EE CEE DUB EE CEE DUB) and anyone that wants to come with us is MORE than welcome.
Alexxis: I’m already drunk on our success, so I don’t need anything to celebrate.
