— In an interview with The Mirror, Tomasso Ciampa spoke about the athletes in PROGRESS Wrestling, who he thinks could wind up in NXT in the future. Here are highlights:
On the biggest PROGRESS fans in WWE: “I imagine I am! Mr Regal and I do talk about PROGRESS from time to time.”
On if the stars could wind up in WWE: “I wouldn’t be shocked if more PROGRESS regulars find their way to NXT in the near future.”
On Zack Sabre Jr: “At the time of Super Strong Style 16, Zack was starting to get buzz as being ‘the best in the world’. I had just left ROH and felt I had a lot to prove. A match with ZSJ in Progress was an opportunity that I very much welcomed. And Zack is correct, the chemistry was instant and the buzz in the crowd that night was magic. Regarding Zack’s comments about our final match, I didn’t expect a kiss and hug from him. Let me put it this way: the PROGRESS fans will not be disappointed in Brixton. Our global rivalry will definitely be ended.”
— Jimmy Havoc recently spoke with Talk Sport, here are the highlights…
On Loving to Work PROGRESS: “PROGRESS has always been my favourite place to wrestle, 100%. Ever since we started, purely because of the ethos of punk rock pro wrestling. freelance performers, that’s basically what we do. We’re all independent. We’re all trying to make it for ourselves, there are no big people backing us. We’re doing this together as a group to try and make it a success. From day one, [PROGRESS co-owners] Jim Smallman, Jon Briley and Glen Joseph and I worked together to make my story as good we possibly could.”
On The Performers & Brand Growing Together: “I think we’re all finding our voices, here in this country, a lot more. Instead of trying to copy what other people – particularly in the US – have done, we’re sticking with what we do. We’ve found our own gimmicks, we’ve found our own characters. The fact that we’ve had Will Ospreay win [New Japan tournament] Best of the Super Juniors, the fact that Zack Sabre Jr is clearing up in tournaments for wXw and PWG… PROGRESS has just done an international tour with Smash Wrestling in Canada and there are going to be shows in Orlando during Wrestlemania week, too. This is all because PROGRESS and PROGRESS fans have come to expect the very best. The brand of PROGRESS is so strong now, you know if you buy a ticket you’re going to get an amazing show – it almost doesn’t matter who is on there. It has got to the point where they can sell out an entire show without announcing a single match. And you know there’s no chance of the promoters putting on a crap show because of how loyal fans are to PROGRESS and the goodwill and trust that has been built up with the audience.”
On The Success of His Students: “Pastor William Eaver, he’s done very well. He’s one of mine,” says Jimmy. “Sebastian, as well. He’s been gone for a while but he’s going to shine at Brixton. And then there’s Jinny. She gets huge reactions… probably because she’s very good at copying me,” he jokes. “She always wants to learn, she’s always asking questions and constantly wanting to get better. That’s a very important part of becoming a wrestler – and succeeding in PROGRESS.”
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