No matter what the outcome, everyone was guaranteed to leave Super Strong Style 16 talking about David Starr.
For many, it was Starr or bust. Following a predictable route to the quarter finals for many of the name wrestlers in the tournament, a no-contest with Travis Banks had people wondering in what direction PROGRESS might go. With the company’s name rarely far removed from that of the WWE, the concern was that some edict from on high necessitated the victory of a contracted employee. Could Starr, a man who has been vocal in the past about the way WWE treats its workers, be successful in a promotion whose links to the American monolith were there for all to see with the involvement of Kyle O’Reilly? If not, what did that say for the relationship between PROGRESS and WWE, which had arguably ended the chances of the crowd favourite bar none?
Either Starr was going to win the tournament and create news, or be defeated and create news. There was liable to be no middle ground.
For many, Monday evening was a time of celebration. As confusing as the political landscape with regards to wrestling can be at times, the victory of Starr over Jordan Devlin should rise above all that finger pointing and name calling. Whilst his current popularity has been bolstered by some notable professional decisions and an outspoken belief in the importance of being independent, to boil his success and the fan’s desire for him to win to just this runs the risk of presenting it in a facile manner that underplays Starr’s rise to being one of the best wrestlers in the world at this point in time.
It also risks dismissing Starr’s current popularity as one borne purely of chancing his arm at taking a swing at the big fellows; a stance made even more complex by his ‘independent’ presentation on a PROGRESS show that saw fans cheer the aforementioned O’Reilly. As many fans were there to support Starr because of his wrestling exploits in recent years as his stance on the wrestling world at large, myself included.
However, the well-timed (in terms of exposure) promo after his losing effort against Lucky Kid on a WWN-affiliated wXw show (both promotions with links to WWE) that called out the treatment of the workers by corporations like WWE did indeed get more eyes on the product, so to speak. During his time wrestling for CZW, Adam Cole told Starr to figure out how to stand out on every card he was on, especially when compared specifically to other wrestlers on the show. Starr not only seems to have taken that mantra to heart, putting on some of the best matches in the world in the past year and a half, but he has built upon it and taken it into his everyday interactions.
Having spoken to the press at the start of the weekend and after his triumphant victory, Starr was never less than clear on his own views on the wrestling world around him. The three days may have seen a company finally put stock in him enough to have him win one of the big tournaments (he had competed once in BOLA, three times in 16 Carat Gold and twice before in SSS16), but the message remained the same – wrestlers needed to realise their own value.
‘I want labour in general to realise the power we have,’ said Starr pre-tournament, believing that his ultimate goal was to make other wrestlers realise that it was cool to say no and not mortgage their livelihoods on the potential for greater exposure. Even after his tournament victory, he continued to champion the rights of his fellow wrestlers, or as he dubbed it ‘the many versus the few’. Rather than looking to knock those who had contracts, most of his vitriol was aimed at the bigger companies making money off of the blood, sweat and tears of the workers around him. As he stated, ‘Why would we want someone to go through the same ridiculous thing that we had to?’ as he mentioned unrealistic expectations, poor pay-offs and the hazing of rookies in particular as things that he resented existing.
That isn’t to say that Starr hasn’t had contact with the WWE in the past. Following his WWN Live promo, some booked a route through which Starrr might have ended up involved in the WALTER/Pete Dunne match at Takeover that weekend. Naturally, that never came to be, but the company has reached out to him in the past. Above all, there was one clear sticking point. ‘A thing that doesn’t hit home with European fans is the healthcare,’ an issue that has also seen Starr recently immigrate to the United Kingdom. When you put your body on the line every time you step in the ring, the knowledge that one bad bump won’t bankrupt you must be a load off of your mind and allow you to focus on the task at hand.
The more cynical might see Starr’s ‘independent’ positioning as self-serving, a way to promote himself whilst denigrating others. Alongside positioning it as ‘the many versus the few’, Starr sang the praises of many wrestlers, whether in the ring or the press room. Names such as Kurtis Chapman, Chuck Mambo, Spike Trivet, Connor Mills, and Session Moth Martina were UK talents that earned a kind word or more; Jurn Simmons was celebrated for his work in Germany; Jordan Oliver, Darius Lockhart and Jimmy Rave were mentioned for their work over in North America.
Even Trent Seven, a contracted talent, was celebrated for his desire to consistently give back thought his work with Fight Club Pro and others. A discussion about British wrestling spoke of a darker time in the past that saw the scene have to look within to rebuild; Starr was clear that there were more than enough talents already working shows up and down the country who could fill those spots.
Perhaps more knowledgeable than letting on, Starr suggested a route to the final that saw him defeat Travis Banks, Ilja Dragunov and Jordan Devlin for what he considered vengeance. Aside from this, a desire was also posited for a semi-final including Kyle Fletcher, Chris Brookes and Chris Ridgeway, wrestlers who embody the ethos that Starr wants to celebrate. Whether there was a knowingness about his predictions for his path to victory, Starr was understandably tight-lipped about the machinations behind the scenes throughout the weekend.
‘No-one’s going to really understand how wild this whole weekends actually kinda been’ was one of the few concessions to how decisions may have fluctuated from moment to moment, whilst also encapsulating the genuine wide-eyed awe that Starr presented with in the immediate moments after victory. Perhaps jokingly, a shoot interview or podcast three years down the line to discuss the events that led to his win was mooted, implying a story worth telling.
Outside of the often smoke and mirrors world of wrestling booking and the intrigued inherent within, what stood out most was twofold. Twice, Starr was effusively clear: ‘Wrestling’s not my ultimate goal’. Admittedly, this was spoken before the events took a turn in his favour, but it hinted at a reason why Starr could be more outspoken than some. When you feel like you have something to fall back on, you can be willing to take more risks in the here and now. Perhaps this realisation bred an environment that allowed Starr to go above and beyond, challenging a system that is just accepted by many. Saying things that not everyone likes, but everyone probably needs to hear.
Secondly, for a man that was open and honest about ‘waiting for somebody to invest’ in terms of making him the focus of a promotion, his plans for celebration were the definition of low-key.
‘Go home. Watch two, maybe three episodes of Game of Thrones. I’m gonna hang out with my cats. I’m gonna hang out with my girl…and just relax. That’s it – back to reality.’
It is debatable whether reality, as it once was understood to exist by Starr, will ever be the same again.
As part of getting access to wrestlers across the weekend, we agreed to include a pre-sale link to the next PROGRESS Alexandra Palace show.
http://bit.ly/chapter95 – this link becomes live on 12pm Friday. Any would-be ticket buyers can get presale access by joining the PROGRESS mailing list at
progresswrestling.com.
