PROGRESS Wrestling To Return Under New Ownership

When PROGRESS Wrestling holds their next show in early 2022, it will be both a live event and their first show under new management. In both a press release and a video announcement, the promotion revealed that their January 2022 show "And The Word Was PROGRESS" will be a live event, and that the promotion is now under the ownership of Lee McAteer and Martyn Best.

McAteer and Best are purchasing PROGRESS from longtime co-owner John Briley. Briley initially founded the UK based promotion with Jim Smallman in 2012, and co-owned the promotion with Smallman and Glen Josephn in the years since before assuming sole ownership in 2020.

PROGRESS Chapter 127: And The Word Was PROGRESS will be the first  show to take place without Briley being involved with the promoion in any capacity. It will also be their first live event since the February 2020 event Beer City Snake; the promotion has continued to run with empty arena taped shows throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

McAteer and Best inherit a PROGRESS promotion that was rocked by both the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread allegations of sexual abuse following the Speaking Out movement. The resulting accusations led to the departure of several talents and former co-owner Joseph stepping down.

PROGRESS Wrestling's most recent show, Behold the Turtle, took place on November 27, 2021. The promotion's champion, Cara Noir, successfully defended the World Championship in the main event against Gene Munny.