Big Damo and Nikki Storm are officially stepping into a new role in professional wrestling, and this one could end up being more important than anything either of them did under the WWE banner. In a press release shared by Cory Hays of False Finish and reported by Fightful, Damian Mackle, known to WWE fans as Killian Dain and to the independent scene as Big Damo, and Nicola Glencross, best known globally as Nikki Cross and now returning to the Nikki Storm name, have acquired PROGRESS Wrestling and DEFY Wrestling, giving two former WWE stars control of one of the UK’s most important independent promotions and one of the strongest American independent brands in the Pacific Northwest.
This is not just a headline built around two recognizable names. This is two wrestlers with real roots in the UK and Irish scene coming back with credibility, experience, relationships and a clear understanding of what independent wrestling is supposed to be. Damo and Storm are not outsiders buying into wrestling because it is trendy. They are products of this world. They built their names before WWE, became globally recognized inside WWE, and now return to the independent scene at a time when PROGRESS needs direction, stability and a stronger identity for its next chapter.
The deal sees Damo and Storm take ownership of PROGRESS Wrestling while also becoming co-owners of DEFY Wrestling, which had already been connected to PROGRESS through a wider working relationship designed to give both promotions a stronger international footprint. That matters because this is not just a UK move. This is a UK-U.S. bridge. PROGRESS has history, legacy and a strong talent pipeline. DEFY has a loyal Seattle base and a reputation for loud, passionate crowds. Together, they give Damo and Storm a platform that can move talent both ways instead of simply watching the best UK names eventually leave for WWE, AEW, TNA, New Japan or elsewhere.
Damo said the goal is to guide PROGRESS through the coming years, identify new talent and integrate them with the promotion’s current roster. That is the right message because PROGRESS cannot simply live off nostalgia. The company has been a launchpad for names like Pete Dunne, Toni Storm, Gunther and Will Ospreay, but the next phase has to be about creating the next wave instead of constantly reminding fans who came through the door years ago.
Nikki Storm’s credibility speaks for itself. During her WWE run as Nikki Cross, she became a Money in the Bank winner, captured the RAW Women’s Championship and became a multi-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, winning the titles alongside Alexa Bliss and later Rhea Ripley. That résumé matters here because Storm is not entering ownership as just a familiar name. She is bringing the experience of someone who has worked the independents, succeeded on WWE’s biggest stages and now returns to help shape the future of two respected wrestling brands.
Big Damo’s history gives the move just as much weight. Known to WWE fans as Killian Dain, he was part of SAnitY alongside Nikki Cross, Eric Young and Alexander Wolfe, a group that became one of NXT’s most chaotic and memorable acts. Damo was also a key part of the faction during its NXT Tag Team Championship run, while also bringing deep PROGRESS history with him as a former PROGRESS Men’s World, Tag Team and Atlas Champion.
Storm’s WWE legacy also gives this deal a modern hook because she was not only part of SAnitY. She later became part of The Wyatt Sicks, representing the Abby the Witch side of Bray Wyatt’s Firefly Funhouse mythology. That gives her career a strange but powerful range: gritty independent standout, NXT chaos agent, superhero Money in the Bank winner, world champion, tag champion and finally a key piece of WWE’s post-Bray Wyatt tribute project. Now, she moves from performer to power broker.
The outgoing ownership group deserves credit here too. Martyn Best and Lee McAteer helped PROGRESS survive a difficult stretch after the pandemic, after the end of its previous WWE relationship and after the wider damage the British scene took during and after Speaking Out. Their tenure was not perfect, but the company did rebuild enough momentum to run shows across the UK, United States, Germany, Canada and Dubai while building relationships with DEFY, Pro Wrestling NOAH and Hooked On Wrestling TV.
That is why this sale feels less like a rescue mission and more like a handoff. Best and McAteer stabilized the promotion. Damo and Storm now have to grow it.
The most interesting part of the announcement is how much it leans into partnerships. Damo praised the relationships PROGRESS built with NOAH, DEFY and Hooked On Wrestling TV, and made it clear the goal is to bring international talent into PROGRESS while exporting PROGRESS talent abroad. That should be the blueprint. The UK independent scene does not need PROGRESS to become a WWE-lite brand or an AEW feeder system. It needs PROGRESS to become a place where homegrown wrestlers can develop stories, main-event shows, work internationally and still make the promotion feel like its own destination.
The women’s division should be one of the first major tests. Storm praised the first PROGRESS Women’s Super Strong Style 16 tournament and said the promotion plans to host a standalone female Super Strong Style 16 in 2027. That is a big statement. If PROGRESS follows through, it gives the company a clear women’s wrestling identity at a time when a lot of promotions say they care about women’s wrestling but do not always build real structures around it. A standalone tournament gives the division purpose, stakes and prestige — if it is booked like a centerpiece instead of a side project.
The current roster also gives Damo and Storm something real to work with. The press release name-dropped Cara Noir, Charlie Sterling, Luke Jacobs, Ethan Allen, Alexxis Falcon, Rhio, Kanji, Emersyn Jayne, Paul Walter Hauser, Gene Munny, Charles Crowley, Axel Tischer, Hollie Barlow, Simon Miller, Man Like DeReiss, Spike Trivet and Lykos Gym. That list shows the challenge and the opportunity. PROGRESS has recognizable names, strong workers and personalities. Now the promotion needs sharper storytelling, bigger match stakes and a clearer reason for fans outside the UK bubble to follow along.
The DEFY part of this deal should not be ignored either. DEFY gives Damo and Storm a direct American foothold, especially in Seattle, where the promotion has built a strong fan identity. If handled correctly, PROGRESS and DEFY could become a true two-way system: UK talent getting meaningful U.S. dates, U.S. talent getting meaningful UK dates, and both brands benefiting from shared streaming, shared storylines and special co-promoted events. If handled lazily, it becomes just another logo partnership with occasional crossover matches. The difference will be whether they create actual narratives between the brands.
The first major steps are already set. PROGRESS Chapter 195: Wonderbrawl II is scheduled for June 7 in Manchester, followed by Chapter 196: Scorchio! in London at the Electric Ballroom. The London show is especially important because it will feature Nikki Storm’s first UK wrestling appearance since leaving WWE in April, making it a symbolic homecoming and the first real statement of the new era.
What this means for the UK independent scene is simple: PROGRESS just got louder again. Not automatically better, not automatically restored to its peak, but louder. Damo and Storm bring credibility, visibility and a wrestler-first perspective. They also bring expectations. Fans will want stronger cards, better storytelling, more women’s wrestling, better international movement and proof that PROGRESS can once again feel like the heartbeat of British independent wrestling instead of just a brand with history.
The risk is that name value alone will not fix everything. PROGRESS has to regain trust with fans who drifted away. It has to balance nostalgia with the future. It has to make its partnerships matter. It has to make Hooked On Wrestling TV feel essential. It has to give fans reasons to follow every chapter, not just the big announcements.
But the upside is obvious. Damo and Storm understand what PROGRESS was, what it can be and what wrestlers need from a promotion trying to stand out in 2026. They know the UK scene. They know the WWE system. They know the value of presentation, character, international exposure and credibility. More importantly, they know what it feels like to be talent trying to break through.
That is what makes this deal feel different. This is not just PROGRESS getting new owners. This is PROGRESS being handed to two people who came from the same pipeline the company is supposed to protect, develop and elevate. If Damo and Storm can turn that experience into smart booking, stronger partnerships and a renewed platform for British and Irish wrestling, this could be the start of the most important PROGRESS chapter in years.
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