Proteus: What’s Next For PROGRESS’ Newest Championship?

Championships are an essential and fascinating element in professional wrestling, being of tremendous importance to the motivations of wrestlers. One of the big issues in relation to Championships, however, is being able to make them feel unique and important in their own right. It used to be you had simplistic terms such as the WWF Intercontinental Championship or the WCW United States Championship, both meant to be representative of the workhorse of the company, a step-up to the main event level (look at wrestlers from the 1980’s such as ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, Sting, Lex Luger or Ultimate Warrior).

As the years went on, you began to feature lower level Championships that would appear every week, such as the WCW Television Championship (specifically meant to be defended on every episode of Television) or the WWF European Championship. Then the inclusion of weight classes were introduced, with the WCW Cruiserweight Championship meant to be for any wrestlers weighing 225lbs or less, before trying gimmicks when introducing the WWF Hardcore Championship, meant to be defended in hardcore matches only. These were all attempts that would go on to be fairly successful in their own ways, but would also go on to have impact in terms of needing more unique prospects for other companies.

Ring Of Honor had a fantastic idea with a Pure Wrestling Championship, specifically focusing on technical based matches that predominantly would only allow three rope breaks for submissions or pinfalls, meaning that the wrestler had to be more thoughtful in terms of their gameplan. You also had TNA Wrestling’s X-Division Championship, an absolute game changer in terms of focusing on high-flying action without weight limits, allowing examples such as A.J. Styles and Samoa Joe to define the division.

There have been Deathmatches, Iron Man, High-Flying, Continent-based, a huge variety of Championships all trying to grab attention in a world short on opportunity, and as soon as you choose one type of Championship, you seem to be questioned on why not introducing another (look at the WWE introducing the 24/7 Championship and instantly being attacked for not bringing back the Hardcore Championship, rightly or wrongly). People are desperate to see Hardcore matches, Intergender matches, Cruiserweight matches, Submission Matches, etc, and it’s with this need for variety, that possibly the most genius of ideas has been introduced.

On July 21st 2019, Progress Wrestling co-founder Jim Smallman announced the unveiling of a new Championship, replacing the recently retired Atlas Title, and christened it the Proteus Championship. Proteus was in reference to a Greek God who was renowned for their ability to shapeshift, and it was that variety that would define this new Championship. Smallman announced that whoever was Champion would be able to pick the stipulation for their matches, opening the world of possibilities in terms of who could be Champion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc_klLt8cRQ

The inaugural Champion would be crowned at Chapter 95: Still Chasing in a 30-person Rumble, being won by Paul Robinson, a mainstay of Progress Wrestling. Robinson would announce his rules in a later video, determining that there were only two rules: Only way of being disqualified is to put your hands on the Championship, which is be respected at all times.
Win by Knockout, or Tap-out.

These two rules are perfect for Robinson, as he prides himself as a tough-as-nails individual who will outfight and outbattle any individual he faces, with regular inclusions in hardcore matches (having even defeated Jimmy Havoc in a Deathmatch). By regularly appearing in hardcore matches, the rule of only one way to be disqualified allows no limits to the violence in his matches, and that even ties in with the two forms of victories. As Robinson prides himself on being so tough, it makes sense for him to choose Knockout or Tap-out, as it means you have to truly beat him into defeat, or break him, neither of which he believes possible.

The stipulations tell a story of the wrestler themselves, a unique prospect for a division and Championship, and is set up for a long reign for Robinson to create legitimacy. However, my interest was in the idea of what other stipulations could occur in future title reigns, and I will admit, some of the examples below are never going to happen, but this is more about the imagination that the Championship enflames in your mind.

Zack Sabre Jr

Daniel Bryan was the man once renowned as “Mr Small Package”, who had Wrestling Observer’s Best Technical Wrestler named after him after NINE consecutive victories, Bryan having cemented his reputation as one of the best wrestlers in the world. But since then, he has been eclipsed by one of the finest technicians, a man who prides himself on being the best wrestler, Zack Sabre Jr.

ZSJ even won the New Japan Cup 2018 to face then-IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, with the story based on Sabre’s ability to win with any submission he chooses. Tapping into that history, he would most likely have one simple rule for his reign:
Victory can only be achieved by submission.

This would mean every match would have to a chess battle, focused on damaging a specific body part and making their opponent tap out. This would help Sabre confirm himself as the best Technical Wrestler in the world.

 

Do Not Resuscitate (Danny Duggan, Lewis Howley, Sam Stoker, Spike Trivet, William Eaver, Drew Parker, Chuck Mambo)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd4GIzqQbcY

With a history of multiple Trio teams utilising the Freebirds rule (allowing any two of the three members defend the Tag Team Titles), I feel that there would be one of two possible rules that would occur, dependent on storylines. Either you would have the group mentality, which would mean:
The Proteus Championship transitions into a Six-Man Tag Team Championship, where three of the seven members will face another team of three.

In order to win, you must eliminate all three of your opponents, either by pinfall, submission, disqualification or count-out.

If all three members of the trio are eliminated, whoever gets the winning fall or tap-out will be crowned the new Champion.

Or, if the Championship has to kept as a singular Championship, then Do Not Resuscitate would determine the following rules:

Victory can be achieved by either pinfall, submission, count-out or disqualification.

The Championship can be defended as Freebirds rule, meaning any of the team can defend the Championship. This could allow multiple title defences per week or even per show, depending on storylines.

The fascinating part of this example is that you could actually use it for any close Trio, such as The New Day in WWE, The Rascalz in Impact Wrestling, or many of the stables within All Elite Wrestling, such as Jurassic Express, The Elite or even The Inner Circle.

It allows a good variety of opponents, stories to develop as different members have unique strengths and weaknesses, and whoever loses the Championship could have an inspirational redemption arc in order to reconfirm themselves within the stable. This storyline may be best suited for either Spike Trivet, using his money and arrogance to have successful title defences done by his team mates, or William Eaver, using his Jesus persona to inspire members of his team to wrestle on his behalf.

 

David Starr

“The Cream In Your Coffee”, “The Best Of The Best”, “The Main Event”, are just three of Starr’s extensive list of nicknames in describing himself, coupled with his confident assertion in not only his own ability, but also his beliefs. Starr has proved himself an excellent wrestler with a wonderful variety, having appeared in technical masterpieces, gutsy underdog roles, ultraviolent death matches, matches of all kinds, and he prides himself on this ability.

But he also prides himself on his crusade for creating a unionized wrestling objective, so I can imagine he would have two rules for his Proteus Championship, one of them slightly ironic in his choice: The opponent may name the style of match, one that they would consider the match that best defines them.

If the opponent loses, they must sign up in support of David Starr’s We The Independent movement.

By allowing his opponent to choose the match style (for instance, a Jimmy Havoc, Paul Robinson or Sami Callihan would likely choose a Death Match of some style, whilst an Eddie Dennis might say a TLC match after his recent victory over Mark Andrews), Starr is able to back up his claim of being one of the best, by beating his opponent at their own game. And the forfeit for his opponent allows Starr to continue to put over the importance of unionization in Wrestling, allowing him to put over his Movement, his beliefs. Two rules that represent the two most important things to Starr, unionisation in wrestling, and proving he’s the best in the business, the true “Cream In Your Coffee”.

 

Trent Seven

Trent Seven, along with fellow compatriots Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate, has become a beacon of British Wrestling and a figurehead for Progress Wrestling, having successfully won the Tag Team Championships alongside both Dunne and Bate three times (a record) with the longest combined days as Champion (312). However, he also had a successful singles title reign as the Progress Atlas Championship, a now defunct title that was exclusively for wrestlers over 205 pounds and ended when Walter defeated Seven in a Progress/Atlas Championship Unification match.

At the time, Seven had not only successfully defended the Championship six times, the most successful amount since Matt Riddle with nine the previous year, but he had also successfully retired British wrestling legend Doug Williams for the Championship in the first place. The Atlas Championship had featured wrestling favourites such as Matt Riddle and Walter as regular mainstays in the division, and Seven had featured in good matches against Kyle Fletcher and Timothy Thatcher along the way, with the Atlas Championship offering something different and unique in comparison to the usual Cruiserweight Divisions. Because of this, if Seven was to win the Proteus Championship, I think he would want a return to the Atlas Championship, a Championship he will feel was cut down in its prime by the Progress Wrestling office, and would set his rules as:
All competitors must weigh over 205 pounds at the time of the match.

An example of wrestlers this could mean Seven defending against would include Pete Dunne (just reaching 205 pounds), The Revival, Pentagon Jr, Adam “Hangman” Page, Cody Rhodes, Luchasaurus, Jon Moxley, Nick Aldis, Michael Elgin, Jeff Cobb, Rampage Brown, Joe Coffey, Mikey Whiplash, Rob Lynch, David Starr, Timothy Thatcher, Wolfgang, Dave Mastiff, and even more. These type of matches, commonly referred to as ‘hoss matches’, would definitely stand out in comparison to the more technical and high flying matches predominant on Progress cards. This would also allow Seven to tap into his more arrogant heelish side previously displayed during his time in previous years for Progress Wrestling.

 

Cara Noir

As one of the most unique acts on the independent scene, “The Black Swan” of Professional Wrestling is a graceful and majestic artist, combining his love of ballet and performance arts to create an act that has resonated with the Progress Family. As the current Progress Champion, Cara is on the top of the mountain, but it isn’t out of the norm for Progress Champions to also challenge for midcard titles, such as the original Atlas Championship, and if Cara was to lose the Proteus Championship, he could create another legacy as Proteus Champion.

But whereas the Progress Championship is a very strict and regimented style of Championship in comparison, the Proteus Championship would allow Cara to bring his own form of creativity to the Championship, to the point it may be almost impossible for me to correctly guess his rules! But I think there’s one or two rules he may definitely include, which are the following: In order for somebody to get a title shot, they have to perform something creative for Cara, something that represents the opponent and opens them up as an individual. This could be a dance, a music video, a song, any sort of creative performance that best represents the individual.

This could actually be a fascinating rule, as it might force certain wrestlers out of their comfort zone and also demonstrate some of their unknown personalities to an audience that may not have had the chance to see them previously. So, any opponent that Noir faces, their creative piece is shown on a screen or demonstrated by the talent in the ring. This could also double up as a psychological advantage by Noir.

Inspired by his successful Trilogy with rival/bromance Ilja Dragunov, Noir will defend the Championship in a Two Out Of Three Falls match, reminiscent of Doug Williams as FWA (Frontier Wrestling Alliance) Champion. This would have a distinct British feel akin to the original World Of Sport, and also feels appropriate considering Noir’s creative background, as three falls can be constructed in the manner of a movie’s three acts.

Noir has probably the most potential for what his rules could be, but he also has a tremendous future as a Proteus Champion, having earned his position through pure graft, hard work, and drive, a decision that even had him congratulated by former Champions such as Jimmy Havoc. Noir is definitely one I am extremely curious to see what happens from here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VX_oPA-vQ8&t=3s

What about those of you in the comments section, what rules would you choose for yourself? I admit that for myself, I would have three rules:

First Come, First Serve – I would have it that there couldn’t be any pre-booked defences, every defence would be an Open Challenge style ala John Cena’s US Title reign, allowing a sense of excitement in terms of who could appear and surprise the audience?

All The Marbles – anybody who would challenge for the Championship would have to sign a Contract before the bell can ring, agreeing that if they lose, they can never challenge me for the Championship again. This would help in heightening the stakes and also means I could get away with title defences in other companies as a one-off, making the Proteus Championship more prestigious.

Choose Your Finish – possibly the most interesting rule, and one that may remind people of having to choose your pocket in pool, this is where both competitors prior to the match has to name how they will win the match. What this means is that the wrestlers cannot win in any other manner, meaning the wrestlers have to admit their intentions and plan ahead. If you’re facing The Big Show and he says he will win by Chokeslam, you may have to focus your attacks on his hand and arm, making it more difficult for him to win, whilst you may suggest your finish be Count-Out, meaning you have to lull Big Show out of the ring and try to utilise his strength against him. Imagine if you’re facing someone like Nick Jackson, who chooses the 450 Splash for a finisher, but he’s instinctively hit you with a Superkick and you’re unconscious, but he can’t go for the pin because of his choice, meaning he has to take the risk of pulling you into position near the corner, allowing you time to recover?