At PROGRESS Wrestling: 100 Volts, Gene Munny finally stood tall with championship gold around his waist, or, as he jokingly put it, “something highly impractical to hold my trousers up with.” The moment was more than just a title win.
For Munny, it was the culmination of six years of persistence, reinvention, and a refusal to let his name be forgotten in the annals of PROGRESS history.
Six Years in the Making
Munny debuted for PROGRESS in 2019 as part of the Natural Progression Series, crashing through a custom-built doghouse to make his entrance.
In an exclusive interview with PWMania.com, he said, “I may have gone out in the first round,” he recalled, “but the fact that I’m still here is a testament to what I did in that tournament.”
You can check out the complete interview below:
That debut weekend saw him appear at both the Electric Ballroom and the iconic Alexandra Palace, two venues cemented in PROGRESS folklore. While the early outings were short-lived, they established him as a character impossible to ignore.
But for years, the belt eluded him. “Until this moment, I’ve had nothing to show for my time in the company,” he admitted. “I’ve had some fantastic matches, but this is the first time I can hold something tangible in my hands.”
The Pandemic Years
Like many wrestlers, the pandemic disrupted Munny’s momentum. Known for his connection with the crowd, he suddenly found himself performing in empty rooms. “Without the fans, I had to reinvent who I was,” he said. That reinvention brought one of his most memorable promos — a fiery build to a PROGRESS World Championship match against Cara Noir.
Munny laughs when remembering it now: “I actually watched that promo back recently. It wasn’t just me being a massive mark for myself — it was everything I was feeling at that time.” The match itself became notorious for a hidden challenge: Munny wrestled through severe food poisoning, taking a brutal mid-kick just 28 seconds in before battling on for twenty grueling minutes.
A Career of Passion and Emotion
Post-pandemic, Munny’s connection with the crowd reignited. His feud with Warren Banks brought out a more emotional side. “We had people genuinely crying during that promo,” he recalled. To Munny, Banks was “an uncut gem” the industry never fully embraced. “He could have gone all the way. He was the best.”
Later came his association with Session Moth Martina, Will Cruse, and Taishi Ozawa — a makeshift wrestling family that was as bizarre as it was entertaining. But as Munny explained, wrestling demanded more than being “funny old Gene.” He needed a purpose. And that purpose became the Atlas Championship.
The Defining Victory
At 100 Volts, Munny overcame Mike D Vecchio and Will Cruse to capture the Atlas title — a belt with a storied lineage featuring names like Rampage Brown, Matt Riddle, GUNTHER, Luke Jacobs, and Ricky Knight Jr. For Munny, adding his name to that list is both validation and motivation.
“I like to make people laugh, but I don’t think people understand how good I can be at this,” he declared. “This is an active call-out to every tall boy, fat lad, big kid, and muscle daddy. If you’re over the weight limitx, come and try for my championship — and I’ll help you count every light on the ceiling of the Ballroom.”
Family Feud: Munny vs. Cruse
The next challenge comes at Camden Lock Up on September 28, where Munny defends against former ally Will Cruse. Their fractured “family” storyline has become intensely personal.
“If he wants to apologize and admit he’s been a very silly nephew, maybe I’ll take it easy on him,” Munny smirked. “Otherwise, I’m going into this match to give that ungrateful piece of trash the comeuppance he deserves.”
The Champion’s Mission
For Munny, the Atlas Championship isn’t just a prop — it’s the platform he has waited years to earn. “This is mine until I choose to let it go,” he vowed. “I’d rather not be able to walk out of the ring than let someone else walk out with it.”
From bursting out of a doghouse in 2019, to enduring the silence of pandemic wrestling, to standing atop PROGRESS with the Atlas title, Gene Munny has proven he’s more than a punchline. He’s a champion who has finally found his purpose — and he’s not about to let anyone take it from him.
Tickets from PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 184: Camden Lock Up are available here.
