Progress Wrestling (stylized as PROGRESS) is a British professional wrestlingpromotion that was established in 2011 by comedian Jim Smallman, events and comedy promoter Jon Briley, and later, actor Glen Robinson (professionally known as Glen Joseph). The company is now co-owned by Lee McAteer and Martyn Best.
History
Progress was conceived by Jim Smallman and Jon Briley in 2011, who were both wrestling fans. Smallman is a fan of "strong style" wrestling, Japanese in particular, and Briley was Smallman's agent.[1]
In 2015, Progress appeared for five nights at Download Festival.[2] In December of that year, they began running regular shows at The Ritz in Manchester.[3] On 30 September 2018, Progress Wrestling held "Hello Wembley" at the Wembley Arena. Billed by the promotion as the largest independent wrestling show in England for 30 years, the event drew 4,750 people; making it the most attended event in Progress Wrestling history.[4]
Smallman left Progress at the end of 2019 after Chapter 100. In June 2020, Progress would be affected by reports of sexual harassment in the British independent circuit. After several accusations, Progress decided to no longer work with David Starr, Travis Banks, and El Ligero, as well as suspending indefinitely then- Tag team Champions Jordan Devlin and Scotty Davis, who vacated the titles.[6] Ring announcer and creative team member Matt Richards also left the promotion.[7] On 21 June 2020, it was announced that Glen Joseph was stepping down with Michael Oku, Vicky Haskins and James Amner all taking prominent roles in the company.[8]
In 2021, Progress announced its return amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, travelling to South London to set up a temporary home at Theatre Peckham for Chapter 104: Natural Progression on 20 February, eventually producing 23 shows behind closed doors which featured on the WWE Network. On 31 December that year, ahead of their return to live shows in January 2022, it was announced that Progress had been acquired by Lee McAteer and Martyn Best - taking over ownership from Briley.
On 9 February 2024, it was announced that PROGRESS Wrestling would merge with DEFY Wrestling, an independent promotion based in Seattle, Washington in the United States. It was created to bring a "global presence" to both brands and aid further expansion plans.[9]
Demand Progress Plus
Demand Progress Plus is Progress' video-on-demand service that launched in 2023, replacing the previous service on Pivotshare.[10] January 2017 saw the first episode of Freedom's Road, a new series from Progress which would feature matches taped specifically for the show and have a heavy focus on characters and plots.[11]
It was announced on 21 July 2019 that the old Progress Atlas Championship which was unified with the Progress World Championship will be replaced. The title was named after the shapechanging Greek god, Proteus. Progress co-founder Jim Smallman said in the announcement that the champion will be able to pick the stipulation for the championship matches, subject to approval by the promotion.[15]
This was a 30-person rumble match. Paul Robinson lastly eliminated Danny Duggan to become the inaugural champion. Robinson's selected stipulation was that he could only lose the title by being knocked out or by tapping out.
Patrick Lennon, wrestling journalist for the Daily Star, has attended and reviewed Progress shows.[17]
Carrie Dunn, founder and main contributor of wrestling blog "The Only Way is Suplex",[18] published the book Spandex, Screw Jobs & Cheap Pops: Inside the Business of British Pro Wrestling.[19] Progress Wrestling features frequently in the book including opening a chapter regarding London based wrestling promotions.[20]
^"Spandex, Screw Jobs & Cheap Pops: Inside the Business of British Pro Wrestling" Amazon listing. ASIN1909178462.
^Dunn, Carrie (2013). "Chapter 11: In the spotlight - London calling". Spandex, Screw Jobs & Cheap Pops: Inside the Business of British Pro Wrestling. Pitch. pp. 174–176. ISBN978-1-909178-46-5.
.jpg)
