PROGRESS Chapter 24: Hit The North!

‘Expansion’ has arguably been the word of the year in pro wrestling in 2015. The WWE Network was expanded into the UK (as well as a number of other foreign markets) at the beginning of the year- prior to that point the Network had not been performing at the levels WWE were hoping for but the increase in subscriptions following the official UK launch in January saw them attain the kind of figures that have at least gone a little way in appeasing shareholders. New Japan, not to be outdone, launched their own on-demand service just a month prior to that and combined it with the announcement that Wrestle Kingdom 9, their biggest show of the year, would for the first time be available on pay-per-view in the US and with English commentary (promoted by Global Force Wrestling). Then, as discussed in my review of NXT Takeover: London, the WWE’s development brand broadened their horizons with a few dates outside of their home base of Florida, before taking in a mini-tour of Texas and then a full on 7-date circuit of the UK earlier this month. It is no surprise then that the UK wrestling industry has followed suit.