FRIDAY, MARCH 31
12:00 PM EST: Finally, some wrestling! It was biggest goal this week to catch PROGRESS wrestling live, as I’ve been catching up on their catalog of events in anticipation of their first major stand-alone event in the United States. The crowd was impressive, nearly selling out the venue (the same building WWN is running for all their shows this week) with an estimated 1,200 to 1,400 people in attendance.
The matches were all good-to-excellent, with a few already popping up in my head as Match of the Week candidates. It actually seemed like every match just got gradually better, with everyone on the card trying to out-do the act that came before them. The WWE UK title and the PROGRESS title matches were both phenomenal. Rockstar Spud was very popular in an earlier match, to the point where I still can’t believe how underutilized he is by Impact Wrestling on a consistent basis.
Will Ospreay was around, despite not being booked, watching the matches and talking to some fans. Eddie Kingston was also there, as well as several other names working the shows later in the day. It’s always great to catch up with Matt Riddle, and I finally got to meet his lovely wife Lisa, who is travelling with him to shows this week. I also had the opportunity to talk a bit with Jim Smallman – who does ring announcing and general hilarity for PROGRESS – right after Big Dave Meltzer finished up with him. Jim is such a great guy, and he brings an incredible amount of energy to every single PROGRESS show. It would not be the same product, or even close to the same feel, without him. For a more detailed recap, check out my live report from the show.
5:00 PM EST: While I missed a good chunk of the Revolution Pro event, I did make it for the second half. For my tastes, this was probably the most stacked card of any show during the week, from top to bottom, with pretty much every single indie name you would expect on a high-profile show and then show. Ricochet and Marty Scurll tore the house down, Pentagon and Zack Sabre Jr. had an absolute clinic, Fenix and Will Ospreay did everything you would expect Fenix and Will Ospreay to do, what I got to see what out of this world. Sami Callihan had a great match with Jay White from what I’m told – I literally saw him wrestler two hours before this at PROGRESS – and I got there just in time to see Michael Elgin and Brian Cage have an absolutely incredible tag team match with Shane Strickland and Ryan Smile. If you don’t know all four of those names, look into them. If you’re going to buy one indie show from WrestleMania week on-demand, and you’re looking for something accessible with big, flashy names, this is hands down the one to pick.
9:00 PM EST: After much deliberation, the decision was made to go back to the villa and rest for the night. I grabbed some beer from the store, ordered in some food, and watched the WWE Hall of Fame from the comfort of our private pool. I couldn’t be happier with the way the show came off, either. Eric Bischoff’s speech was quite good, Jim Cornette sold a whole new generation on one of the best tag teams ever, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express reminded me why I love old school pro wrestling, and seeing Kurt Angle finally take his place as one of the all-time greats was truly special. But it was Beth Phoenix who completely stole the show. Her speech was eloquent, graceful, and without a single thought for her own accomplishments. Instead she praised her rivals, supported the women who got her into the business, put over the current crop of women’s stars, and even gave up some of her spotlight so that her husband Edge could have one last unforgettable moment at the Hall of Fame. I have no shame in admitting that I cried like a baby during Beth’s speech, and I think it will go down as one of the most important, beautiful speeches in all of WWE history.
