PROGRESS WRESTLING – UNBOXING VI & A MOVIE
It’s that time of year – Christmas joy, old traditions, good friends, Yuletide fun and of course PROGRESS Wrestling’s much-loved final show of the year – UNBOXING VI – and a movie.
It’s a stranger tradition is UNBOXING. No announcements before the day and a wonderful selection box of a card – very much in keeping with the fun of Christmas and this year didn’t disappoint.
The show started with a very poignant moment as host Jerry Bakewell acknowledgement the memory of, and sad passing of Kurtis “Mad Kurt” Chapman. Kurt had been on last year’s UNBOXING and was much loved amongst the wrestling community.
Spirits were lifted by the exuberant arrival of Sunshine Machine to face the SAnitY duo of Big Damo and Axel “Axeman” Tischer and PROGRESS debutants Trew and Lacey. All six set the scene for an athletic, humour-packed match and Damo showed his stature with the pin on Lacey.
That was high energy triple threat tag action quickly followed by another octane-fuelled triple threat singles with Yoichi (Yoshiki Inamura) from Pro- Wrestling NOAH ultimately overcoming Charlie Sterling (who even called upon his Smokin’ Aces title belt at times,) and Kid Lykos II (who built up a little more resentment towards Dominatus Regnum, as Bullit intervened and manhandled him out of the match). Yoichi pinned Sterling – who took out his loss on one of the helping red shirts.
Then the arrival of Detective Kosta who is still on the hunt for the Proteus Belt. But, even Malik and the The 265 OG’z (including Roadfam, Durag and Bruno Brown) crew were no match for Man Like Dereiss and the return of his 0121 partner, the Drilla, Dan Moloney taking a break from his Japanese triumphs with New Japan.
Then, arguably the highlight of the day and the culmination of a bitter year long feud between Tate Mayfairs and former ring host Simon Miller. Miller had made his in ring debut at Unboxing last year being the surprise opponent for Tate Mayfairs who had been goading him prior to that, and this fight had been the exception to the UNBOXING announcement rule.
This street fight had some audacious moments including Mayfairs mimicking a “Where’s Wally” under a very high pile of chairs, headfirst into a dustbin and enduring a Congo line of chest slaps from the less than adoring fans – this was too brutal and too hilarious.
Miller also had the assistance of doors, chairs, and I think we saw the sugar plum fairy too. However, Tate, drawing on his experience as current TNT Extreme Wrestling World Champion brought his drawing pins and cheese-grater into the ring and Miller, reverting to his morale compass, eschewed Mayfairs’ knuckledusters and opened himself to the final defining onslaught, at the hand of both Mayfairs and the ‘dusters.
The second half opened to the absence of former champion Lana Austin, but the Experience and menace of LA Taylor and Skye Smitson contrasted with the joyous Session Moth Martina and the ever effervescent Millie McKenzie.
A poignant nod to the memory of Mad Kurt saw keyboards being used, but to better effect by LA Taylor as a prelude to her winning pin on Martina.
The strains of Dominatus Regnum split the Electric Ballroom for the second time as Spike Trivet, reigning PROGRESS Men’s World Champion appeared with Bullit to face a nostalgic opponent in the guise of Mike Hitchman, known to PROGRESS and WWE fans as Wild Boar. Boar didn’t bore us with a spirited fight but the traditional Yuletide interference by Bullit on the referee’s count at two deprived him, and an ultimate submission hold by Trivet quickly ensued.
The Men’s title hadn’t been on the line but the Women’s was – with the increasingly confident Rhio defending against a returning Nina Samuels.
A dazed referee may have been able to count Rhio’s shoulder’s down for a three count but we will never know as Nina ultimately lost when the ref recovered.
Nina’s normal decorum slipped after her viewed injustice and she was not shy in taking her frustrations out on Rhio after the match with a vicious and not very festive chair beat down.
And to the main event – a fine mixture of two great wrestlers as the unmasked Kid Lykos on his unmasked PROGRESS debut and the ever Partying Hard Eddie Dennis, combined athleticism and emotion. The winning pin by Lykos heralded a very heartfelt and touching note to what will be the enduring memory of his friend Mad Kurt – and a very fitting headline ending for the always popular UNBOXING.
Popular with all, that is, except the Men’s champion who, behind the scenes, voiced his churlish disapproval, at PROGRESS management, in a very unsavoury episode, for not being the main event.
PROGRESS are back in 2024 with their first show on 28th January at the Electric Ballroom: Chapter 162 – The Light of the Dragon – and Mustafa Ali likes the idea of being the Main Event, although he will actually open the show as the Men’s Thunderbastard is the feature, and already officially announced are Mark Haskins, Gene Munny Luke Jacobs, Connor Mills and sliding in at the end of this show, as a self-announced declaration, Kid Lykos. The remaining two will be announced in the first week of 2024.
Chapter 162 – UNBOXING VI will be available to watch on DEMAND PROGRESS PLUS on Friday 5th January 2024.
