It's only 15 months since Eddie Dennis gave up being a head teacher to concentrate on being a wrestler full time. Now he heads to PROGRESS chapter 76 Hello Wembley for one of the hottest feuds in wrestling in the last year.
Last July 'Mr Dennis' became Eddie Dennis as wrestling became the 'Pride of Wales' full time job instead of being a headmaster. That September he strolled into PROGRESS Wrestling's biggest show to date at Alexandra Palace.
There Dennis was part of an eight man multi man match to determine the number one contender for the PROGRESS World Championship. At the culmination of the match Eddie 'turned' on his friend, and the winner, Mark Andrews.
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The moment was a huge shock to the fans and started the most heated feud in British wrestling of the last year. That year has included brilliant promos, Eddie having a long injury lay off and the tall Welshman signing for NXT UK.
Eddie smirked at the idea that the injury, which saw him unable to compete for a few months, might have done the feud a favour, "I can see how it would appear the injury really helped elongate the feud but honestly, I was asked after Alexandra Palace last year, where do you see this ending and I said Wembley Arena way back then! This being the culmination has always been in my mind."
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Getting to be part of the biggest British wrestling show in England in a hell of a long time will be special for all of the wrestlers but both Eddie and Mark have a long history in PROGRESS, "I think it's wonderful. We first tagged at chapter 6, and became the inaugural tag team champions at Chapter 12 so we're so deeply woven into the history of PROGRESS I think only Jimmy Havoc and Paul Robinson really rivals the match with regards PROGRESS specific history. "
The feud has been in a highlight in the promotion in the past year and a big part of that has been the promos by Eddie. Whether it's been on YouTube or live in the arena the Pride of Wales has nailed his mic work.
Those promos have had to be good, in order to tell the story and change Dennis' character but also to keep things going when injury hit. A lifetime in the classroom and in front of the school clearly helped, "I'm certainly comfortable with a microphone in hand. It's something I've always been pretty good at but a decade in the classroom certainly helped. Also, my last two years in education were spent as a head so I would lead numerous assemblies on a weekly basis. Ultimately talking in public is the same skill, whatever the context."
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Eddie and Mark's story will end at Wembley how it began a year ago, with a match to give the winner a title shot, but this time it'll be in a TLC match.
The feud has stolen everyone's attention and the match could steal the show. One of the reasons that everyone has been so engrossed in the pair is the fact that, whilst Dennis might be the de facto bad guy, all his points can be seen as valid and that has split the crowd, "I think you have empathy for all great villains. I had empathy towards Darth Vader and Hannibal Lecter. Even recently, Thanos was a character that had likeable traits. Getting the audience to feel conflicted is great and adds so many more layers to the narrative."
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And Eddie expects some big things from Wembley, "From Progress. Check all of our expectations of what a British Independent Wrestling show would look like at the door because I've a feeling they're going to blow your expectations away!
"From me and Mark. Expect a year of frustrations and build to come to a head in front of you in the most spectacular of ways! Also expect Mark Andrews to fall from some pretty incredible heights!"
It's only been 15 months, Dennis has NXT UK and hell of a future in PROGRESS to look forward to, but for now the end of this chapter promises to end on a hell of a high.
You can buy tickets for PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 76, Hello Wembley, here.
Topics: NXT UK, Wrestling News, WWE News