PROGRESS Chapter 64 Review: Thunderbastards Are Go!

Thunderbastard Match

Flash Morgan Webster def. Tyler Bate, Mark Andrews, Chris Brookes, TK Cooper, Trent Seven, Pete Dunne, Eddie Dennis (34:30): ***¾

 For those of you who don’t know what a Thunderbastard match is, allow me to explain. Just a few years ago, PROGRESS came up with their very own unique match called the Thunderbastard, and the rules are as follows: Two men will start the match. The next entrant will come out two minutes following the starting bell, and the two minute interval will continue until every entrant has entered the match. Eliminations occur via pinfall, submission, or disqualification, with the winner getting a future match against the PROGRESS Wrestling World Champion, currently Travis Banks. Safe to say, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Let’s take a look at the entrants.

Tyler Bate: Bate is a workhorse. He’s one of the most gifted wrestlers in the world, and he is regarded so highly while still at the youthful age of 20. His future couldn’t be brighter, and a win here could lead to a rematch of Super Strong Style 16 2017’s finals.

Chris Brookes: Chris Brookes just wants Travis Banks one-on-one in a clean title match following the entire debacle with TK Cooper that had transpired just a couple chapters ago. A win here would guarantee him that rematch.

TK Cooper: Much like Brookes, Cooper wants his rematch with Banks. However, the roots for TK go back much further than just a few chapters. Back at PROGRESS’s supershow this past August in New York, Cooper and Banks, known collectively as the South Pacific Power Trip, were taking on British Strong Style for the PROGRESS Tag Team Titles. TK went for a corkscrew dive to the outside early in the match, dislocating his ankle. There wasn’t a hotter tag team in the world at the time than SPPT, and Cooper’s injury derailed his momentum entirely. However, Banks was able to continue to ride that wave of momentum all the way to a PROGRESS World Title win over Pete Dunne at Chapter 55 while Cooper could only watch from the sidelines. Needless to say, there’s a chip on Cooper’s shoulder the size of New Zealand, and he would be willing to do anything to get back to the top where he belongs.

Trent Seven: For a man who has been mostly a comedy wrestler since the face turn of British Strong Style, Seven was oddly enough the dark horse coming into this match. He reminds me a bit of Ryusuke Taguchi in the sense that they love to goof around and make people laugh while in the ring, but when they decide to find their next gear, they can beat anyone.

Eddie Dennis: Dennis is by far the most unique entrant into this year’s Thunderbastard. With surgery looming on a torn right pectoral, Dennis saw this as his last chance to keep himself in the title picture, knowing a four month absence was in his future, but he also saw it as his first chance to get his hands on Mark Andrews in a match since the split of FSU.

Flash Morgan Webster: Would Flash be able to get it done by himself? His only win in a PROGRESS ring as of late was against Doug Williams, but it wasn’t clean as the help from Vicky Haskins helped get Flash the victory. Will he finally get that one clean win to get him over his losing ways, or will it be tainted by unwanted help from Vicky once again?

Pete Dunne: The current WWE UK Champion and one of the top favorites just by his own ruthless past within the company, reigning as a dominant champion for nearly 300 days. This was his chance to get a long awaited rematch with Banks following his defeat at Chapter 55.

Mark Andrews: Andrews saw this as his chance to finally break free from the wrath of Eddie Dennis knowing after this match, Dennis would be out for the near future, allowing Andrews to reclaim the belt that was ripped away from him many chapters ago by the one and only Jimmy Havoc.
The match started with Bate and Brookes with Cooper following shortly after. Then came Seven and finally Dennis. Eddie Dennis was the captain that steered the ship for the bulk of storytelling here.

The sense of urgency to try and eliminate everyone early to preserve his body was halted only by himself prior to the next entrant, in hopes that Mark Andrews would make his way down. However, this did not happen. Instead, Flash Morgan Webster came out, immediately hitting the Eaton Rifle on Dennis, aggravating his biceps tear.

Dennis would spend a good portion of this match on the outside getting tended to by doctors. Dunne would come out and dominate for a short period of time until the final seconds counted down to Mark Andrews’s inevitable entrance. Eddie once again stormed the ring, clearing it of everyone. Dunne smartly chose to just step aside and let the two handle their business.

As a troubled Mark Andrews made his way down to the ring, Eddie Dennis made a grave mistake. A desperate man is capable of doing anything, but the one thing that will always defeat a desperate man is himself, and here was no different. In a cruel twist of irony, Dennis turning his back on the rest of the competitors to focus on Andrews – much like he accused Mark of turning his back on him – cost him everything. A roll-up from Cooper led to the 1-2-3, and a look of shock and surprise came over the face of everyone in the audience as well as Dennis. Eddie bullied his way into this match only for his own obsession with Mark Andrews to cost him a possible rematch for Banks’ title.

The match continued on with British Strong Style dominating. However, for the second time in a PROGRESS ring, a member of the South Pacific Power Trip would get the better of Pete Dunne. Dunne took the hand of Cooper, biting down on the fingers. The referee broke it up, chastising Pete. While the referee yelled at Dunne, however, Cooper took it upon himself to kick both Bate and Seven below the belt behind his back. Seeing this, Peter nailed Cooper down under in full view of the referee, getting himself disqualified. 

TK would then immediately roll up Trent Seven, eliminating him as well, but making enemies of British Strong Style in the process once again. Cooper made one mistake, and that was basking in the glory of his own fortunes, getting himself nailed in the skull by a tray by Chris Brookes. Brookes would follow this up with the Praying Mantis Driver, eliminating Cooper.

Down to the final four now with Brookes, Andrews, Flash, and Bate. Brookes would hit a slingshot cutter on Flash only to get hit with a running shooting star press by Tyler Bate. Andrews would then hit a top rope shooting star press onto both men, and he would then pin Brookes, narrowing the field down to three.

Bate would simultaneously swing Webster and Andrews, leading to a suplex attempt from Bate to Mark. Andrews would try to reverse it into Stundog Millionaire, but Bate saw this coming, countering with a back roll-up into Tyler Driver 97 to end Andrews’ run in the Thunderbastard.
And then there were two…Webster would lock in The Strangler only for Bate to power him up into a Gotch Tombstone. However, as Bate followed with the pin, an old friend made her way to ringside.

Vicky Haskins provided the distraction necessary for Webster to capitalize, regardless if he wanted it or not. Webster, having not seen Vicky yet, rolls up Bate for two. He then spots Vicky. Flash rolls out of the ring to send Vicky away, saying he can do it himself. He would the leaped back in the ring looking for Rude Boy off the top, but Bate cuts it off with a stiff superkick. Bate would then look for Tyler Driver 97, but a counter into a pin by Webster led to the three count, and Flash Morgan Webster will now receive a shot at Travis Banks’ title. The Nearly Man finally came up with a big win, but once again, it’s tainted by the help from Vicky Haskins.