Progress Wrestling has long been a proving ground for some of the best talent in the world, delivering matches that are as innovative as they are hard-hitting.
Over the years, Progress has become synonymous with unforgettable moments, shocking twists, and the kind of in-ring action that stays with you long after the final bell rings.
From emotional grudge matches to technical masterclasses, and everything in between, this list highlights the bouts that didn’t just define Progress Wrestling—they defined an era. These are the matches that had fans on their feet, chanting, gasping, and, in some cases, shedding a tear or two.
Here are the top matches in Progress Wrestling history that made the promotion what it is today.
10. Jimmy Havoc vs Will Ospreay (Progress Chapter 75)
While the result of this match wasn’t what the fans wanted, the in-ring action more than made up for the disappointment.
Jimmy Havoc was fighting for the chance to face WALTER at Wembley Arena for the Progress World Championship. He chose Ospreay in a hardcore match as his opponent, aiming to prove how good he was and how worthy he was of being the champion.
Sadly, he failed to win the bout and Tyler Bate took that match at Hello Wembley! However, this match was one of Jimmy Havoc AND Will Ospreay’s best matches and well worthy of a spot on the list of the best matches in Progress Wrestling history.
Jimmy Havoc is now retired from wrestling following his involvement in the Speaking Out Movement.
9. Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher vs. WALTER (Progress Chapter 55)
In 2017 it was hard to argue that these three men weren’t among the best in the world. But with incredible hard-hitting, brawling and technical skills, this three-way had all the potential for greatness.
And it did. The match had a brilliant rhythm, not dragging once and playing to the strengths of Matt Riddle, Tim Thatcher and WALTER. Big hits, giant suplexes and fast-paced action were on the menu and the fans absolutely feasted.
It only went 12 minutes but filled those minutes with incredible action. WALTER picked up the win to take home the Progress Atlas Championship in an incredible outing for the trio.
8. Marty Scurll vs Will Ospreay (Progress Chapter 25)
While they have wrestled so many times over numerous promotions, the clash between Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay at Progress Chapter 25 is up there with the best of them.
This one was different, given the no-disqualification stipulation added to it. It mixed Ospreay’s (at the time) spot-monkey antics with an incredible, emotional story and fantastic hardcore wrestling spots.
While many do not look back kindly at anything Marty Scurll did, ignoring this excellent match would do a disservice to Progress Wrestling and Will Ospreay’s histories.
7. Chris Hero vs Mark Andrews (Progress Chapter 30)
A “David vs Goliath” clash came out of nowhere in 2016 to take Progress Wrestling by storm.
American star Chris Hero, fresh off a run in WWE, took on Welsh youngster Mark Andrews in the first round of the British Strong Style 16 tournament.
It was the longest match of the first night and well deserved. Mark Andrews spent 16 minutes working up to his larger opponent, wrestling as the ultimate underdog as he sought to end Chris Hero’s spell in the UK as quickly as he could.
While Hero ran out the winner eventually, this match has gone down in legend as one of Progress Wrestling’s greatest-ever bouts.
6. Matt Riddle vs WALTER (Progress New York City)
Progress found themselves in New York City in August 2017 and rewarded their American fans with one of the best matches they’d ever seen.
This match was like a real fight, which is not a surprise when you’ve got a former UFC star in Matt Riddle competing. He used his skills to match up to the size and strength of WALTER, taking him down to the ground with some excellent mat wrestling to kick off the fight.
This match was more like a Progress version of Ilja Dragunov vs WALTER, and should be the prototypical “big man vs technical wrestler” match that new wrestlers should study in the future.
5. Ringkampf vs British Strong Style (Progress Chapter 47)
The only tag team encounter on this list is a big one. Ringkampf and British Strong Style are two of the biggest factions in British wrestling history, with each man becoming a huge star in Progress.
Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne and Trent Seven battled WALTER, Timothy Thatcher and Axel Dieter Jr in 2017. Ringkampf dominated most of the action and used their physical stature to their advantage.
The match was full of great moments, most of all when Tyler Bate deadlifted WALTER, much to the shock and awe of the crowd. It was a fantastic bout that everyone should go out of their way to watch at least once.
The only downside was the ending and Pete Dunne’s cheap belt shot. If not for that, then this match could be higher up the list of Progress’ best matches. Fifth isn’t bad though, is it?
4. Chris Hero vs Marty Scurll (Progress Chapter 31)
Making their second appearances on this list, Chris Hero and Marty Scurll took each other on at Progress Chapter 36 in what is the fourth-best match in company history.
At this point in time, it was hard for Hero to not put on the best match of the night wherever he was, so putting him in the ring with a talent like Scurll was just asking for a five-star encounter.
Scurll managed to control the match, doing horrible things to Hero’s arms in an attempt to keep him from hitting one of his devastating moves. He sold it like it was death and really helped establish Scurll as the villain of the match.
Marty Scurll managed to retain the Progress World Title after 30 excellent minutes of action. You’ll struggle to find any better Progress match than this that doesn’t include a certain Austrian who now goes by the name of Gunther.
3. Timothy Thatcher vs WALTER (Progress Chapter 62)
WALTER continues his absolute domination on this list, comprising three of the best matches in the history of Progress Wrestling, with each one being incredibly different.
The first is his fantastic brawl with Timothy Thatcher at Chapter 62, putting the Atlas title on the line against his Ringkampf teammate.
It is one o the bloodiest non-deathmatches you’ll see. Its hard to see how Thatcher walked out alive after the punishment he suffered at the hands of WALTER.
However, it wasn’t violent for violence sake and the match was structured beautifully. 21 minutes of pure action awaits you in watching this match, although it will make you wonder how WWE managed to fumble Timothy Thatcher so much in NXT.
2. Tyler Bate vs WALTER (Progress Chapter 76: Hello Wembley!)
The ultimate David vs Goliath partnership in wrestling history has to be Tyler Bate and WALTER.
Every time they set foot in the ring they created absolute magic. Progress’ debut at Wembley Arena was no different.
Tyler Bate played the ultimate underdog. He lost size and reach to WALTER, but more than made up for it with freakish strength and his incredible will to carry on. While he didn’t manage to win this time, he put on a performance that will live long in the memory of fans in London that night.
The only thing that takes away from this match is the fact that they wrestled in the second-greatest match I’ve ever seen live at NXT UK Takeover Cardiff.
While this match may be good (or better) in your eyes, I’ll have to rank it slightly below just because of my own bias. It is still incredible though and a very close second place for the greatest Progress match of all time.
1. WALTER vs Zack Sabre Jr (Progress Chapter 77)
WALTER had already beaten Zack Sabre Jr at Progress Chapter 67 to earn a shot at the Progress World Championship. He now held the title and the Englishman was intent on getting the ultimate revenge.
The two men had unique styles in this match that meshed perfectly. There was some excellent technical wrestling with the occasional massive hit or giant suplex by value to send ZSJ crashing back down to earth.
It was a bloody war and an incredibly physical match. Having somebody that size being able to match Zack Sabre Jr hold-for-hold is an incredibly rare thing, and that is what made this match so great.
It is Progress Wrestling’s best match ever and it will take something really, really special to beat it. I doubt they ever will, but let us know who you think could dethrone WALTER vs Zack Sabre Jr!
