Mike D Vecchio Wins PROGRESS Atlas World Championship

New Champion Crowned at Stay Humble

London, 27 July 2025 – Mike D Vecchio captured the PROGRESS Atlas World Championship in emphatic fashion at PROGRESS Wrestling’s Chapter 182: Stay Humble event. In a brutal Tables Match held at the Electric Ballroom in Camden, Vecchio dethroned defending champion Axel Tischer (formerly WWE’s Alexander Wolfe) to claim the Atlas Title.

The hard-hitting bout culminated with Vecchio powering through Tischer and driving him through a table to score the decisive win. The crowd erupted as the referee signalled the title change – a moment PROGRESS officials hailed as “not just a title change, but a major power shift in the heavyweight division”.

This victory marked Vecchio’s first championship in PROGRESS, delivering a moment of validation after over a year of climbing the ranks. Shortly after his win, Vecchio himself took to social media to reflect on the achievement, writing, “I didn’t just walk out champion. I walked into history. From a small country to a big statement.”

The 29-year-old Belgian powerhouse’s post underscored the personal significance of the moment, representing his homeland on one of British wrestling’s biggest stages and ushering in a new era for PROGRESS’s heavyweight division.

Mike D Vecchio and The Road to Atlas Gold

Mike D Vecchio’s path to the Atlas Championship has been a story of perseverance on the independent wrestling scene and within PROGRESS Wrestling.

Vecchio earned a reputation as a formidable powerhouse known for his brute strength and surprising agility. A native of Mons, Belgium, Vecchio first made his name across Europe, most notably in Germany’s wXw promotion, where he became a wXw European Champion. He has competed in various European independent promotions and even made appearances in Japan’s All Japan Pro Wrestling, showcasing a truly international résumé.

Vecchio joined PROGRESS Wrestling in 2024, entering that year’s Super Strong Style 16 tournament to make his debut. Early on, he endured several setbacks: he was eliminated in the first round of Super Strong Style 16 by Luke Jacobs and fell short in subsequent multi-man matches and a four-way encounter later that year.

In July 2024, Vecchio received his first shot at the Atlas Championship at Chapter 169: The Devil On My Shoulder but was defeated by Axel Tischer in a hard-fought 15-minute contest that many called match of the night. Rather than derail him, that loss became a driving force.

By early 2025, Vecchio began turning heads with a string of impressive performances. At Chapter 179 in Las Vegas, he scored a dominant singles victory over Kuro, proving he could thrive outside of chaotic multi-man bouts. With momentum on his side, Vecchio earned another chance at the Atlas title.

The rematch with Tischer at Stay Humble – this time under Tables Match rules – would showcase Vecchio’s evolution from raw bruiser to well-rounded competitor capable of thriving in hardcore environments. Vecchio withstood the German veteran’s offence and seized his moment to put Tischer through the table, finally capturing the gold.

A New Chapter in Atlas Championship Legacy

Vecchio’s title victory writes a new chapter in the history of the Atlas Championship, a title introduced in 2016 as PROGRESS’s showcase for heavyweight wrestlers. The inaugural Atlas Champion was British veteran Rampage Brown, who won a round-robin tournament final at Chapter 36 to claim the belt in September 2016.

Since then, the championship’s lineage reads like a who’s who of hard-hitting talent. Former titleholders include internationally renowned names such as Matt Riddle and WALTER, both of whom battled over the Atlas Title in 2017. WALTER – now famous as WWE’s GUNTHER – became a three-time Atlas Champion and even unified the Atlas Championship with the PROGRESS World Championship during his dominant run in 2019. That unification underscored the Atlas Title’s prestige, effectively elevating it to equal footing with PROGRESS’s top championship at the time.

After WALTER’s reign, the Atlas Championship was revived in the hands of a new generation of heavyweights. In 2022, a 21-year-old Luke Jacobs became the youngest Atlas Champion, defeating international star JONAH (Bronson Reed) in a tournament final to claim the belt. Jacobs’ success and subsequent transition to PROGRESS World Champion highlighted the Atlas Title’s role as a springboard for rising talent.

With Mike D Vecchio now holding the Atlas Championship, the title gains its first Belgian titleholder and further reinforces its global scope. Vecchio’s win fits the belt’s legacy of powerhouse champions while also bringing a fresh international flavour to the lineage. He joins the likes of Rampage Brown in carrying the torch for the heavyweight division, and like his predecessors, Vecchio will be expected to deliver the kind of knock-down, drag-out battles that have defined the Atlas Title over the years.

Looking ahead, Vecchio’s reign faces immediate tests. The new champion stands atop PROGRESS’s heavyweight mountain with a target on his back and challengers are already beginning to line up. A defiant Axel Tischer, the deposed champion, will no doubt seek a rematch, aiming to reclaim the title he held for over a year.

Meanwhile, other contenders from the UK and beyond are likely to emerge, eager to topple the Belgian strongman. As PROGRESS officials noted, Vecchio’s triumph at Stay Humble signalled a seismic shift in the division, and the real test of his reign begins now. If his journey to the title is any indication, Mike D Vecchio is prepared to meet that challenge head-on, determined to build a championship legacy that stands alongside the Atlas greats who came before him.