PROGRESS WRESTLING IN UK, DEFY WRESTLING IN U.S. TO MERGE

The following was announced:

DEFY Wrestling & PROGRESS Wrestling Join Forces

DEFY WRESTLING of Seattle, USA and PROGRESS Wrestling of the UK have today joined forces in a major merger in the world of professional wrestling.

Following hot on the heels of the $21bn merger between WWE and UFC, this is the latest transaction in the wrestling world, highlighting the growing popularity in the sector.

The merger will create a truly global presence for both organisations with mutual benefits for both parties and aid further expansion plans that will offer something really exciting for wrestling fans around the world.

PROGRESS was established in 2012 and acquired by British entrepreneurs Martyn Best and Lee McAteer in 2021. Since then, they have delivered over 50 shows across the UK, Canada and Dubai, and have restored the company’s fortunes following a 2-year pandemic hiatus.

DEFY Wrestling is celebrating its 7th anniversary show this weekend in Seattle and is highly regarded as one of the most cutting-edge promotions in the country and has been home to nurturing and showcasing outstanding globally known wrestlers such as Jon Moxley, Swerve Strickland and Nick Wayne.

Past stars of the PROGRESS roster have included champions Pete Dunne, Gunther, Toni Storm and Will Ospreay.

Jim Perry, the DEFY founder expressed his delight, “I’ve been an admirer of PROGRESS from the start, and in some ways, they helped inspire the creation of DEFY. We have known each other for a number of years, and been working on many collaborations, including our successful double-show in London last August. I’m very excited about the opportunities of our more formal coming together, and the fans can expect to see some really neat ideas emerging.”

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