Friday, August 25, 2017

Random Match Review: 8/25/17

PROGRESS Championship: El Ligero [c] vs. Ricochet – PROGRESS Chapter 6: We <3 Violence 3/31/13; The Garage


I’d like to thank everyone who voted, as this got the most total votes of any poll I’ve posted so far. 

There’s not much of a backstory to this one. This was the early days of PROGRESS and El Ligero was only the second champion in company history. We’re so far back that there wasn’t even a belt yet. The title was a staff. Ricochet was the first American to appear in PROGRESS since Chapter 1 and got a title shot in his debut.

It was weird seeing Ricochet here, as he looked considerably smaller and had a mohawk. It was pretty clear that he was very good, getting the upper hand on El Ligero at almost every turn. As if Ligero wasn’t ready for his level of skill. The champion finally got an opening with a dropkick. With him in control, we got to see more of a guy who was a top champion. For the early portions, he certainly didn’t feel like he was in Ricochet’s league. As he slowed the pace, things worked in his favor. Of course, Ricochet would find ways to regain some of the control, but the match moved into a more back and forth affair.

Though the match was more even in the later stages, it still felt like Ricochet was the star. His offense is always impressive, so the fans gobbled up everything he did. However, some of Ricochet’s aerial stuff came back to bit him in the ass. He missed a Phoenix Splash and Ligero got his knees up on a Shooting Star Press attempt. Ligero delivered a great looking reverse rana and springboard tornado DDT to remain champion after 18:09.

This was a fun main event, just not a great one. It worked as a great showcase for Ricochet, though I feel Ligero didn’t come off looking too great. It seemed like the outsider was way above the top PROGRESS guy in terms of skill. Ligero did manage to show some resourcefulness and resiliency, though. A good outing with a clean finish, just not dramatic enough to take it to the next level. [***¼]

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