Former PROGRESS Wrestling owner Lee McAteer has elaborated on his decision to sell the promotion to former WWE stars Big Damo and Nikki Cross.
In late May, just over a month after Cross’ WWE release, news broke that Damo and Cross were now the new owners of PROGRESS. The couple acquired the company from Martyn Best and Lee McAteer, who were in charge of operations since late 2021.
Speaking with Tom Campbell of Cultaholic, McAteer stated that the time is right for the promotion to take that next step, adding that Cross and Damo will take PROGRESS to another level:
“I wanted to give it to the people that I feel as though can take it further than I could. If that ever happened or if it came about, I was willing to basically move it forward. For me, I had dinner with Damo and Rockstar Spud…had dinner with them in Vegas and we chatted about a few different things, and one thing led to another, and the opportunity kind of was there and I just felt as though it was the right time to move it forward because I legitimately, and hand on heart, I feel as though they will take it to a level that I wasn’t able to do,”
Lee McAteer Worked 20 Hour Days In PROGRESS
Continuing, McAteer added that professional burnout was a major factor in the decision. The former PROGRESS custodian also admitted that at times he was working 20-hour days to keep the company going:
“No, I don’t think it was because they’d seen how much I’d given. I couldn’t give any more, Tom. It was really, really difficult because you put your heart and soul into something. You then hit a point, or at least I did, and I’m like, ‘I’m not sure I can do this to the level it needs to be.’ You need huge amounts of energy and there was so many different things that went into PROGRESS externally to do things, to keep the cash flow going, and everything else that went alongside that, that it was a lot. In truth, I’d taken on far too much. I just got to the point where I was like, ‘Do you know what? I’m not sure I can take this to the next level of where it needs to be.’ But I genuinely believe Damo and Nikki definitely can,” he continued.
“It was I’m so glad I’ve done it. I’m so glad I’ve had that experience, but it was also kind of a sense of relief at the same time, and more so in the fact that I knew it was going to the right people. And that was my main thing about it all. I’ve got no doubt we could have probably sold it to other people for a hell of a lot more money is the honest answer. Hand on heart, it wasn’t about that. It was about making sure that it was in the right hands to grow the scene and to grow BritWres and to be able to showcase and be a bigger part in creating that next generation of stars.”
Prior to the announcement, Cross was announced for the Scorchio show in July 2026. This will be Cross’ first match since her WWE exit. Moving forward, Cross will be competing under her indie name of Nikki Storm.
