March 2, 2021
PROGRESS Wrestling digs deeper again; On My Screen This Week
Progress horse bolts while misguided statements leave the barn door open
On March 1, former Grand National-winning jockey and esteemed trainer Gordon Elliott was forced to release a statement after a newly-released photograph captured him sitting on the barrel of a dead horse, taking a phone call while smiling and offering a “peace” gesture to the photographer. The alleged apology - made without using the word “sorry”, and showing remorse only for the “offence caused” - was a prime example of not only acting in an appalling manner, but also trying to use semantics to get oneself out of trouble, something that did not go unnoticed by those inside and outside of the horse racing community. In the hours after Elliott’s statement, Betfair pulled out of any further association with him and his stable.
The parallel with the ongoing situation at Progress Wrestling was stark as, since last week, the promotion has verbosely attempted to distance itself from the scandal of Paul Robinson working the Chapter 104-108 tapings. In a February 25 statement, it noted that “no disclosures were made to Progress about [Robinson’s] conduct following a post on the social media platform, Twitter, originally shared on 22 June 2020 at 11:30 am (UK time). A review took place by the lead safeguarding officer, and findings were given to members of Progress management, who were also made aware of the information posted online.
In light of this, conversations were had with Paul Robinson and it was determined that he did not present a risk to talent and staff.”
The statement left no doubt that Progress was well aware of the allegations made against Robinson, but given that no-one had subsequently come forward to the company directly, it did not deem them to be below its stated “highest standards expected from [the talent].”
Tellingly, the statement also noted that Robinson had decided not to work with Progress in the future, meaning that the company itself had not made the decision not to book him going forward. As in the Gordon Elliott case, Progress had the chance to promptly apologise for its error in bringing back Robinson, moving swiftly on with a plan to show the way forward for other independent groups hoping to return to promoting this year, but failed to do so. Admitting the error, and displaying obvious good intentions, would have gone a long way to limiting the damage it has now done.
Since it has proven that it cannot regulate itself, even with a supposed safeguarding team in place, Progress’ next move should be to align itself with an organisation that specialises in safeguarding, which can audit the company’s safeguarding standards and adjudicate on specific cases. Doing so with a charitable group such as Ann Craft Trust would also allow the public to hold a national, public organisation to account, rather than having to take the word of a now compromised management team at Progress.
Gordon Elliott so nonchalantly sitting on a dead animal, one supposedly under his care, is a look Progress is getting all too close to emulating.
On My Screen This Week
Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose (AEW; February 24, 2021)
After last week’s Serena Deeb versus Rhio triumph, I was prompted to take a look at February 24’s Britt Baker versus Nyla Rose bout, also in the Women’s title eliminator tournament. The match was always going to be difficult because it was fought between two heels, a point that was inadvertently made when the commentators spent time discussing Baker’s mean streak while she was being beaten down with heel tactics by Rose.
Baker has something, but while I am aware that she also struggled with her earlier babyface persona, her bad guy act is flimsy, and worked credibly here only when she left the ring and threw a tantrum.
As for the match itself, it required some refereeing quirks to ignore the smokes-and-mirrors interference of Rebel, and was a classic example of how near-falls can be abused to make the untrained eye think a contest is better than it is.
The best bit of the bout, pleasingly, was the finish, which was well-executed and came at the right time. **
Every member of this match was an interesting personality for their own reasons, but while most followers of Japanese wrestling may have heard the names Shinjiro Otani and Koji Kanemoto, their respective partners Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Minoru Tanaka remain less famous. This is particularly curious in the case of Tanaka, who was perhaps the most technically gifted of the quartet, and is surely down to the fact that never seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Takaiwa, so rarely discussed these days, has only recently come back into my own thinking as one of the great junior-heavyweights of the late-1990s and early-2000s.
Rapid and stiff, this was a match without a lot of flow, which actually worked to its benefit, as there was no sense of friendship or co-operation here. After some devastating, nasty action, there were two great spots struck at the same time that led to an supremely-timed submission finish. ****1/4
Jun Akiyama vs. Katsuyori Shibata (August 4, 2005)
Take a look at some of the remarkable names on this card: Terry Funk, AJ Styles, Genichiro Tenryu, Bob Sapp, Kensuke Sasaki, Riki Choshu, and Keiji Muto. You’d barely believe that this was a Wrestle-1 card in 2005, but despite all of this star power, two other grapplers put on a Grand Prix tournament contest that was head and shoulders above everything else.
Jun Akiyama and Katsuyori Shibata were the authors of this slice of violence, and typically, Shibata was the spark that lit the flame, as a sick boot to Akiyama’s head sent the former GHC heavyweight champion into a fury the likes of which has never otherwise been seen from him. If Akiyama was not legitimately angry, this was an acting performance on the Pesci scale, and while Shibata was tremendous here, it also ended up being Akiyama who proved that, for the time at least, it was he who was the made man. ****1/4
Daisuke Ikeda vs. Alexander Otsuka (Battlarts; November 5, 1997)
Daisuke Ikeda and Alexander Otsuka had scores of battles against one another throughout their careers, most often in Battlarts, and violence was almost always the order of the day. That was certainly in the case in this 1997 singles bout, which Ikeda - who has looked grizzled since his 20s - opened with a truly disgusting headbutt. Despite the damage, Otsuka remained incredibly fast and explosive, and was skilled enough to make a giant swing work in a more legitimate match setting, and even hit a fabulously unexpected flip dive to the floor.
As the amateur wrestler of the pair, it was hard not to be impressed by Otsuka in particular, as even his selling was first class. Everything he did here seemed natural in a war of attrition with the greatest rival he ever had. ***3/4
Nobuhiko Takada vs. Super Vader (UWFI; April 20, 1995)
Although 1995 was long past the peak of the UWFI, the playing of the national anthems for Nobuhiko Takada and Super Vader still added greatly to the sports feel of this, their third championship bout. There was more pro wrestling in this one than either of the other two, even if the previous bouts themselves had more of that than purists preferred. The added sports entertainment was good value, though, exemplified in the early moments by Vader slapping Takada, and then taking a huge bump over the top rope from a Takada kick.
The pair had actually crossed paths in 1988’s New Japan Pro Wrestling, and Vader sold for Takada to the peak of his powers. For his own part, in general Takada was stunning in this style, even though it would be an exaggeration to call him a competitive fighter in real bouts. It’s easy to forget, though, just how good he was at pro wrestling.
With chokeslams and powerbombs to enjoy, this was the most accessible Takada versus Vader bout, and without question, it topped their first and most illustrious contest. ****
Chigusa Nagayo, Mika Suzuki, Mika Takahashi, Yachiya Hirata, Yumi Ogura & Yumiko Hotta vs. Etsuko Mita, Kazue Nagahori, Lioness Asuka, Mika Komatsu, Mitsuko Nishiwaki & Sachiko Nakamura (AJW; December 6, 1987)
This match gave me brain damage.
It was not just that the action was move after move after move from these 12 women, although that was part of it; it was much more so that the sound was astonishing, and unlike anything I’ve ever heard. At times, the high-pitched screams of the young audience were uncomfortable and even painful on the ears, so much so that it’s a match I’ll never forget.
With two early eliminations to boot, the action was rapid and crisp, but also hard to follow, especially since there were a number of rookies involved. Likely because of that, the moves were mostly simple - dropkicks, slams et cetera - but it was still an impressive match because of its pace.
It was fun, but for all the reasons I mentioned above, I also couldn’t wait for it to end. ***
A Little Bit Of Housekeeping
I’ll be back with a brief second issue this week, which will include my thoughts on the Wrestling Observer reader awards, and why they attract so much derision in today’s online community.
I still often get pitches sent to me for Fighting Spirit Magazine, so I will consider article submissions here on a rare basis. If there’s something you want to pitch to me, you can do so at brian(at)hardcopy(dot)ie.
I am available for further editing and occasional writing work, with my expertise being in pro wrestling, mixed martial arts, football (soccer), and classic rock music. You can inquire about my rates by emailing brian(at)hardcopy(dot)ie. I can also provide professional editing feedback, or offer advice or mentoring, by prior agreement at the same email address.