Progress: United Kingdom #342 - ‘Reign of the Villain’

                   

Progress Tag Team Champions: YOUNG MONEY (MVP & KENNY KING)


LOCATION: Bethnal Green, London, England
ARENA: York Hall
ANNOUNCERS: Matt Striker & Pat McAfee





**** INTRODUCTION ****

- Wrestling returns to the U.K. with a recap of the events of the Great American Bash, where the stunning return of William Regal enabled ‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll to defeat AJ Styles for the Atlas title .... Aleister Black returned to team with Drew McIntyre against Bullet Club, but that was not enough as Jay Whites ‘insurance policy’, Killer Kross, debuted to help the UK Bullet Club win .... Jack Swagger also successfully retained the U.K. title in his match against Antonio Cesaro ....


**** PROMO ****

We get comments from Aleister Black, who calls out Jordan Devlin of Bullet Club for a match tonight ....


*** We go to ringside as Matt Striker and Pat McAfee kick off the show from the commentary booth .... They talk about how in Progress UK, we settles things in the ring .... The emphasis is more on the competition and the combatants fighting spirit than the characters .... ***


1. Donovan Dijak (CROATIA)
vs. Mark Andrews (WALES)
Andrews uses his quickness to fly around and hit some offensive moves, but Dijak stops all that with the tornado big boot .... Dijak dominates and finishes it with Feast Your Eyes for the 3 count ....


2. Tegan Nox (WALES)
vs.
Millie McKenzie (GREAT BRITAIN)
Striker & McAfee put over Nox’s performance in the Queen of the Ring, where she entered #1 and lasted all the way to the final 2 .... Both ladies are beloved by the fans, so the crowd is split .... they are having a good back and forth match, when the lights go out ....

POST MATCH: The ‘Maneater’ vignette plays on the big screen, and when the lights come back on Maria Manic is in the ring .... McKenzie gets choke slammed, then Manic goozles Tegan but she fights back with forearms .... off the ropes but Manic scoops Tegan up and hits a double-leg spinebuster!  She gets Tegan on her shoulders in the torture rack and won’t let go until a bunch of refs come out and finally get her to put her down ....


PROMO: Jay White and Bullet Club cut a promo .... White talks about how his ‘insurance policy’ Killer Kross paid off at the Bash .... Devlin accepts Aleister Blacks challenge for tonight and says he is all smoke and mirrors .... White says this is Bullet Clubs company and they are taking over the U.K. ....


IN-RING SEGMENT:  ‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll comes out And celebrates as the new Atlas champion .... He says, in this story, The Villain wins as he brought the title back to the U.K. .... Scurll addresses the interference of William Regal, but Johnny Saint comes out to interrupt .... He used to think Regal was a man of integrity and he demands an explanation .... Regal laughs and says ‘Integrity?  Silly man, people can’t change who they are.  I’m just a Villain.’  Regal smiles and walks out ....


3. Ilja Dragunov (RUSSIA)
vs.
Buddy Murphy (AUSTRALIA)
This is a more competitive match than their squash match at the Bash, as Murphy brings the fight to Dragunov .... However, Ilia’s striking and intensity is still too much as he is able to pin Murphy after 8 minutes of action with the Torpedo Moscow ....


Up next, we get an appearance by Rhea Ripley .... she cuts a promo on Shayna Baszler and says she’s coming for payback for losing the Internet title, and she’s coming for her Universal title .... But right now she’s just out here for a fight and she asks for anyone in the back to come out so she can rip them apart .... MANEATER VIGNETTE!  Maria Manic comes back out and she’s going to accept Ripleys challenge! ....


4. Rhea Ripley (AUSTRALIA)
vs.
Maria Manic (UNITED STATES)
This one doesn’t last too long before it’s thrown out due to all the brawling .... Manic pulls a table from under the ring, but Jordynne Grace runs out and confronts Manic .... Manic backs off, but Grace then turns and lays Ripley out with a clothesline!  The crowd is somewhat stunned as Grace and Manic hit a double-team powerbomb on Ripley and leave her laying ....


BACKSTAGE:  James Drake & Zack Gibson are talking to Sarah Schrieber and they say they did what they had to do to get their foot in the door here .... Gibson says they are ‘grizzled ... GRIZZLED young veterans and soon to be the best tag team in Progress.’  Mustache Mountain confront them and challenge them to a match next week ....


Antonio Cesaro is out and wants another U.K. title match after coming up short at the Bash .... Instead, WALTER comes out and says he took out Pete Dunne therefore he should be No. 1 contender .... WALTER says Progress UK may have been built on British Strong Style, but Ringkampf introduces a new imperium to U.K. wrestling and they will lead it into the future ....

Jack Swagger and American Alpha come out .... Swagger denies both of them because they are inferior to American athletes .... Swagger talks about taking the U.K. title and defending it throughout Europe .... Gable takes the mic and challenges WALTER and Cesaro to a rematch from their match a few shows back ....


5. Jordan Devlin (IRELAND)
vs.
Aleister Black (NETHERLANDS)
Devlin looks like an absolute star in this match .... back and forth we go, including attempted interference from Bullet Club .... Devlin hits the slingshot cutter but Black kicks out .... Black takes out White with a big boot, and Devlin walks into Black Mass for the 3 count ....

POST MATCH: Killer Kross attacks Black and locks on the Kross Jacket Choke .... McIntyre runs out and tries to make the save but Bullet Club lays him out too ....


6. WALTER (AUSTRIA) & Antonio Cesaro (SWITZERLAND)
vs.
American Alpha (Chad Gable & Jason Jordan) - (UNITED STATES)
This goes back and forth with lots of good tag team work by Gable & Jordan .... Jordan shows his power by Suplexing the big lad WALTER .... Cesaro cuts Gable off with the Swiss Death, but then when he is going to hit the Neutralizer, WALTER grabs Gable and powerbombs him instead and gets the pin ....


POST MATCH:  Cesaro and WALTER get nose to nose .... Jack Swagger is back out and says they were impressive, but he wants to see who the better man is .... he proposes they fight each other and he will defend the belt against the winner .... so we have a bonus match ....


6. WALTER (AUSTRIA)
vs.
Antonio Cesaro (SWITZERLAND)
This match ends in a double countout .... Cesaro goes for a super-plex but they end up fighting on the top rope and then both men tumble to the floor .... ref starts the count and Cesaro is up first but WALTER stops him from getting back in the ring .... Cesaro tries to get back in the ring but WALTER stops him as well then they just start fighting and are both counted out ....


POST MATCH x 2:  Cesaro and WALTER have to be separated as the Swagger watches on ....