EXCLUSIVE: Big Damo Comments On PROGRESS World Title win

Big Damo arguably picked up the biggest win since his WWE release on August 13 when The Beast of Belfast defeated Chris Ridgeway to win the PROGRESS World Championship in Sheffield, England.

Reflecting on the moment with Cultaholic after PROGRESS Wrestling's show in Newcastle upon Tyne, Damo noted it had been an eight-year journey for him that started when he was developing on the British and Irish independent wrestling scene, a journey which restarted after he was let go by WWE in 2021. 

"PROGRESS got in touch with me literally maybe a week after I got released from WWE and it was really awesome to hear from them. We ended up talking on the phone for about three hours. It was interesting, they were telling me about PROGRESS and trying to aim for a month, what their goals were for the next year. And, you know, you're never sure when people give you these pitches, how truthful it is and things like that. I've been in wrestling for a while, embarrassed myself for 18 years, and when you're in wrestling, you've heard it all before. So, I'm like, okay, you know, I'll take it as it comes, see what happens. But coming back in and it's this incredibly professional set up like a full, full staff. They care about the mental health, they care about the physical health of the wrestlers. Everybody gets on, we're all pushing each other forward instead of getting in each other's way. We're all kind of lifting each other up," Damo began. 

"So to come back here and have that opportunity to first of all, right a few wrongs, this is the first time that the PROGRESS World Championship has changed hands outside of London, apparently. So, I stepped into Sheffield, I took that title and was more than happy to dethrone Chris Ridgeway, who's a hell of a talent. But he said, you know, he was very, very arrogant in his assertions. He thought he was going to hold this for the rest of his career. But, listen, everybody is a bridge too far for everybody and I've been there before myself, and I was definitely that person for Chris Ridgeway. So listen, all respect to him, but what happened was incredible for me. It was writing wrongs for eight years in the making," he added. 

"Now I want to be a fighting champion. I want to take it back over to America, I want to defend it in Japan. I want to go where I can make it what it should be, a world travelling championship. You know, so far so good." 

While Damo might be the PROGRESS World Champion, another of the promotion's top stars in Spike Trivet is able to challenge for the gold at any time and the man who defeated Cara Noir told Cultaholic he will be PROGRESS World Champion within the next year. 

"Given the right circumstances, I think I could take anyone. If I'm stood opposite him in a wrestling ring, does that have challenges? Absolutely that has challenges but I have the advantage of whenever, wherever. Can Big Damo defend the belt on the toilet? I don't think so. Can Big Damo defend the belt at a gas station when he's pumping his sh*tty car? I don't think so. I can get him wherever I want but I'll do it whenever I want. And who's to say it’ll be him?" Trivet stated. 

Check out Big Damo's full chat with Cultaholic's Fraser Porter here.