PROGRESS Wrestling: Super Strong Style 16 – Day 2 Recap

PROGRESS Wrestling: Super Strong Style 16 – Day 2 Recap.

If you don’t want spoilers then look away now…

Day 2 of Super Strong Style 16 will hit Demand PROGRESS PLUS on Saturday 1^st June 5pm UK time.

https://demandprogressplus.progresswrestling.com/

Date: 27th May 2024

Location: Electric Ballroom

PROGRESS Wrestling’s annual Super Strong Style 16 tournament kicked off Day 2 with huge build up from the day before, setting the stage for an unforgettable last day of the bank holiday weekend.

Day 1 delivered on its promise of strong-style wrestling, with each competitor leaving everything in the ring. With Rufus Hound on the search for competitors for his Rufus Hound Underdog Over The Top Battle Royale and a ladder match for the PROGRESS Women’s Championship to look forward to Day 2 was one to look forward to especially with a few surprises and shocks that had occurred from the day before.

Here’s a recap of the thrilling matches and shocking moments from the second day of the event.

Super Strong Style 16 Tournament Matches

Day 2 of Super Strong Style 16: An Epic Continuation

Let’s delve into the quarter-final matches, The Rufus Hound Underdog Over The Top Battle Royale and the highly anticipated Fatal Four way Ladder Match for the PROGRESS Women’s Championship. Leaving us with the semi-finals and final of Super Strong Style 16.

Quarter-Final Matches:

Luke Jacobs vs. Kid Lykos II

The animosity between so called friends boiled over as Luke Jacobs, fresh from his vicious assault on Kid Lykos, squared off against Kid Lykos II. With tensions running high, the match was a powder keg of emotion and it was clear that this was a different Jacobs to who we had seen before. Despite Kid Lykos II’s thirst for retribution, Jacobs’ ruthless aggression and strong-style wrestling proved too much to handle.

Eddie Dennis vs. Tate Mayfairs

In a clash between undefeated dominance and veteran experience, Tate Mayfairs faced off against PROGRESS Wrestling legend Eddie Dennis. With personal relationships set aside, Mayfairs vowed that this was all business and nothing personal.

After interrupting Eddie’s exit after Day 1 the tensions were truly starting to reach boiling point. With disrespect and arrogance coming from Mayfairs, Eddie was willing to up the ante and do whatever it took to get the victory.

After a back and forth between the two, Eddie would move on to the semi-finals against Luke Jacobs after a questionable way of defeating the man who calls himself “The Greatest Professional Wrestler to ever walk planet earth”. We are certain that this will not be the last of this.

Where does this now leave Tate? His one year undefeated streak has come too an end with only Will Ospreay and now Eddie Dennis holding victories over him.

A match labelled with a “banger alert” sent shockwaves through the arena as RKJ clashed with the formidable Mike Santana. With both competitors known for their explosive hard-hitting in-ring style, anticipation was high for this encounter. In a battle that pushed both men to their limits, RKJ emerged victorious, cementing his status as a rising star in PROGRESS Wrestling.

Please come back chants could be heard loud and proud for Mike Santana, but RKJ showed why he was the longest reigning ATLAS champion of all time.

Man Like Dereiss vs. Shelton Benjamin Super Strong Style 16

In what could be described as one of if not the hottest entrances in PROGRESS Wrestling history, ‘The Gold Standard’ Shelton Benjamin faced Man Like Dereiss… who was on fire!

Youth collided with experience as Man Like Dereiss went head-to-head with the seasoned Shelton Benjamin with the Meal Deal Maestro wanting to show WWE Shelton Benjamin who was the real gold standard after revealing his new hair replicating Shelton’s own gold tinge.

With the potential to steal the show, this match was a showcase of skill and determination. It was one of those matches that you just had to be there for. A match that has to be watched on Demand PROGRESS PLUS, but with tactics that no doubt came out of pure frustration leaving Dereiss injured – resulted in Man Like Dereiss moving forward into the semi-finals of Super Strong Style 16 to face RKJ.

The Rufus Hound Underdog Invitational Over The Top Battle Royale

Celebrity Juice’s Rufus Hound had been recruiting since Day 1 of Super Strong Style 16. Gene Munny wasn’t feeling too prestigious after his loss and looked back to his 13-month losing streak after his original campaign to be in Super Strong Style 16. He wanted to release the Hound, but wasn’t expecting it to be Rufus Hound!

After tweeting Rufus, there was indeed a spot for a “big boy like you” but he didn’t want to be in the Wasteman challenge. From one hound to another Gene reluctantly agreed on the basis of pizzazz being added to the match and that set the benchmark for things to come.

Rufus continued to recruit even speaking French to Aigle Blanc even though we have to confess this writer has no idea what was actually said, it must have worked as he too decided to join the fray.

Mike D was next in Rufus Hound’s sights and boy did Rufus have an invitation for him. The invitations continued and the match was then truly blessed with the addition of KC Navarro, the Youngest in Charge Leon Slater, TK Cooper, Connor Mills and Taishi Ozawa who we can only presume took on John Cena with both men not being seen or moving forward into the next rounds of Super Strong Style 16.

With so much action and high-flying spots the match was bonkers and crazy from start to end. Every competitor wanting to show Rufus Hound why they wanted too win, but it was Gene Munny who would reign victorious. Yet this was not a Gene Munny we had seen before with a whole host of low blows to the likes of TK Cooper and even Rufus Hound himself.

Every dog has his day and that belonged to Gene Munny resulting in a new spinner version of the Gene Munny championship.

Who’s a good boi? Not Gene Munny.

Semi Finals of Super Strong Style 16

Man Like Dereiss v RKJ

Dereiss was clearly injured after his match with Shelton Benjamin, but the heart and determination he showed to even compete was a testament to the 0121 member. With RKJ proving time and time again that he’s at the very top of his game there was only going to be one result. Even RKJ admitted how he too loved Dereiss, but it was RKJ who deservedly moved onward into the final of Super Strong Style 16.

Luke Jacobs v Eddie Dennis

After a victory over Tate Mayfairs, Eddie Dennis was adamant his time was now. After never winning Super Strong Style 16 Eddie was coming into this with a determined mind-set, but North West Strong’s Luke Jacobs was a new and entirely different beast. After destroying Kid Lykos on Day 1 and his tweets before Strong Style it appeared nothing, not even Eddie Dennis, from moving onward into the final. A truly strong-style match that left the crowd even feeling the brutal shots from Luke to Eddie and in-between. With Tate Mayfairs unimpressed from the previous match making his thoughts known, Luke Jacobs would move forward and into the final of Super Strong Style 16.

Fatal Fourway Ladder Match for the PROGRESS Women’s Championship:

Rhio, Lizzy Evo, Kanji, and Nina Samuels stepped into the ring for a heart-stopping Ladder Match for the PROGRESS Women’s Championship. The championship hung-up above the ring for all to see.

With high-flying manoeuvres and breath-taking athleticism, the match was a true spectacle. It appeared that this was going to be all about the Nina Samuels show, but then and what can only be watched to be believed saw Kanji pay homage to Shelton Benjamin by executing a manoeuvre reminiscent of Shelton Benjamin’s iconic WWE ladder spot.

Lizzy Evo showed why she is one of the greatest women wrestlers today and there can be no doubt there is more to come between Nina Samuels and Kanji, but Rhio with an explosive finish onto the ladders before climbing the ladder retained her championship.

Sometimes the phrase show-stealer can be over used, but you just have to simply watch this match on Demand PROGRESS PLUS words do not do it justice.

With the promise of a new era by management, Rhio has promised some changes. Starting with The Devil on my Shoulder on July 28^th.

ATLAS Championship Match

YOICHI v Axel Tischer

YOICHI has been on fire and after what was described at match of the week against RKJ in Philadelphia, but fresh from his own championship victory with Big Damo, Axel is also a current PROGRESS tag-team champion.

In a truly brutal back and forth match that really epitomises Strong-Style, both YOICHI and Axel drew the best out of each other. The PROGRESS faithful cheering on both competitors with chants of “Shake that Axe for me” and YOICHI, YOICHI, YOICHI loud and proud, both fan favourites gave it their all with the Axeman coming out on top to become a champ, champ.

Incredible match!

Final of Super Strong Style 16

Luke Jacobs v RKJ

They say that at PROGRESS Wrestling you are watching tomorrow’s superstars today, but the reality is with RKJ and Luke Jacobs the future is now not today.

Both former ATLAS champions and with a desire to become the PROGRESS Men’s World Champion Luke Jacobs and RKJ put it all on the line to win Super Strong Style 16.

This match was the very definition of Strong-Style wrestling; a truly brutal and bloody affair with the fans desperately wanting RKJ to be victorious – especially after Jacobs’ antics against Kid Lykos. After his incredible match in Philadelphia RKJ and victories over Jack Bandicoot, Mike Santana and Dereiss it looked like it was RKJ’s year with another tournament to win after being victorious at the Natural Progression Series. Yet Luke Jacobs has also never lost a tournament in PROGRESS Wresting. Something had to give.

In what RKJ describes as one of the best matches of his career and with Dave Meltzer taking notice you could feel that this match was special and the start of a new era in British professional wrestling.

A match that you have to watch on Demand PROGRESS PLUS, but Luke Jacobs pulled out all the stops to victory and now he will take on Kid Lykos for the PROGRESS Men’s World Championship at ‘The Devil on my Shoulder’ Chapter 169.