Progress #365 - ‘Draft Day’

STRONG STYLE /strôNG/ /stīl/ 1. ‘... A style of wrestling evolved from Japanese Puroresu (プロレス) and traditional British Catch wrestling that incorporates full contact martial arts kicks and strikes with a strong emphasis placed on submission wrestling ...’ In Progress, the emphasis is more on the competition and the combatants fighting spirit rather than characters, and we settle things in the ring ....

Atlas Champion: Finn Balor Hometown: Bray, County Wicklow Ireland Finisher: Coup De Grace Bloody Sunday Reign: 12/17/19

Women’s Champion: Charlotte Flair Hometown: The Queen Cities, North Carolina Finisher: Figure 8 Natural Selection Reign: 03/24/20

LOCATION: Birmingham, West Midlands, England ARENA: O2 Academy Birmingham ANNOUNCERS: Mauro Renallo, Wade Barrett & Renee Young TV: Fox in United States; Sky Sports in United Kingdom

1. ‘SUBMISSION MATCH’
‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll (GREAT BRITAIN) vs. Edge (CANADA)

Tonight’s show starts us out with the blowoff to this feud, which Barrett says Progress management deemed ‘must end’ last week ....

Edge is the aggressor and attacks early, almost obsessed with punishing Scurll because of their ongoing issues .... Edge hits Scurll with everything, including a shot with the TV monitor and the Edgecution DDT on the floor!  Scurll rallies with a low blow, then puts a chair around Edge’s head and throws him into the ring post, jamming his shoulder in the chair .... Scurll brings out a set of handcuffs but Edge gets them and uses them to bloody Marty with right hands .... Edge grabs 2 chairs and then gives Scurll the one man con chair to!!!!  Marty is out cold and Edge tells the ref to call for the bell but he says Scurll can’t submit if he’s knocked out!  Edge pulls Marty up and he’s going to try a chickenwing, but Scurll counters with a low blow!  Scurll grabs his umbrella and KO’s Edge with it!  Marty goes outside and pulls the protective mats up outside the ring and exposes the concrete floor!  Edge attacks, but avoids the Chickenwing and hits the Edge-o-matic on the concrete floor!  Scurll goes into his tights for some powder, but Edge spears him into the ring steps, hurting Scurlls back!  Edge locks on the Edgecator (modified sharpshooter) but Scurll refuses to tap!  Marty breaks the hold, and Edge tries to use the powder that Marty dropped but Scurll superkicks the powder back into Edges face!!!!  BLACK PLAGUE ON THE CONCRETE FLOOR!  Marty locks on the chickenwing, then takes the handcuffs and cuffs both his hands together while trapping Edge in the move!!!!  Edge fights it, but because Marty’s hands are cuffed together Edge cannot break his grip!  Marty takes him down with the bodyscissors and Edge is trapped in the middle of the ring!  He holds on for several excruciating minutes, but finally has to tap out!!!!    

POST MATCH: what a violent match we have started our show with tonight .... Both guys are tended to by the trainers, but it is Scurll that has his hand raised as the feud ends ....



2. Imperium ~ Marcel Barthel (GERMANY) & Fabian Aichner (ITALY) vs. Roderick Strong (UNITED STATES) & Kyle O’Reilley (CANADA)

Great back and forth match .... The new Progress tag team champions Grizzled Young Veterans come out and taunt the teams, and O’Reilley takes out Drake & Gibson with a flying knee off the apron!  This allows Aichner and Barthel to hit the Enigma Code (Powerbomb + European Uppercut) on Strong for the pin ....




Mauro & Renee plug the return of Progress’ YOUTUBE show .... beginning next week ....





3. The Briscoes Jay & Mark (UNITED STATES) vs. War Machine ~ Rowe & Hanson (UNITED STATES)

Both of these teams clearly have respect for the other, despite their recent tensions .... They start out nose to nose in the center of the ring and they are arguing about who is going to be the team to face the champs next week!  It quickly breaks down into lots of brawling early on as tempers start to flare, and the match dissolves into all 4 men going at it .... Mark runs wild with a little 'Redneck Kung fu', but Hanson cartwheels out of trouble and takes him out with a lariat .... Thor’s Hammer to Mark!  1 ... 2 ... Jay makes the save!  The Briscoes hit the 'redneck boogie' on Rowe, but he kicks out at 2!!!!  Mark up top for the 'Froggy-bow', but Hanson shoves him off to the floor and then climbs!  War Machine looks for the Fallout on Jay but Mark grabs Hanson’s foot from the apron, allowing Jay to toss Rowe into the corner and crotch his own partner on the top rope!  Mark pulls Rowe to the floor and Jay hits the Jay Driller on Hanson to get the 1 ... 2 ... 3!!!!




Up next, Bayley comes out to the ring and she’s in a very somber mood .... it’s not because she lost to Rhea Ripley last week, it’s this past week she had to visit one of her best friends in the hospital because of what Rousey did .... Bayley and Rousey are no strangers to one another, Rousey nearly ended her career when they were in APW .... and now she’s done the same  to Charlotte .... she says Rousey isn’t a good person, she’s trash, and not only do wrestling fans hate her but so do MMA fans .... Well, Bayley’s not going to stand by and let stuff like that happen ....

Ronda Rousey comes out to the ring and is drowned out by boos .... Rousey says Bayley talks tough, but so did Charlotte .... and now the Queens crown has been broken .... she says Charlotte was a coward and wouldn’t fight her because she knows that there is no woman in this company that can touch her .... but Rousey knows that Bayley isn’t a coward.  She knows Bayley will fight her even though she knows that she will lose .... so that’s why she’s giving Bayley a chance to leave her ring and walk to the back .... otherwise she will be carried back ....

Bayley shows no fear and charges Rousey, taking her to the ground .... Bayley starts punching wildly but Rousey immediately uses her judo background and transitions to an armbar attempt but Bayley quickly escapes outside the ring .... Referees and other officials immediately hit the ring to keep the 2 women separated ....


4. (Champion) Bianca BelAir (UNITED STATES) vs. Meiko Satomura (JAPAN) ~ Internet title match

Satomura counters Bianca’s power early in the match and controls with strikes .... BelAir misses the 450 Splash, and Satomura catches her on the way down into a triangle choke!  Belair fights, and powers Satomura up into a buckle Bomb!  Both women down!  Satomura unleashes more strikes, but Belair retaliates with the hair whip!  Satomura no sells it and let’s out a scream and KILLS Belair with the roundhouse kick!  She picks her up .... Death Valley driver!  1 ... 2 ... Belair kicks out!!!!  Satomura sets up for Scorpion Rising but Belair catches her in mid-air .... KOD!  Belair gathers herself, then picks Satomura up .... A 2ND KOD!  This time she covers and gets the pin to retain the title ....




Bayley vs. Ronda Rousey is announced for Ring of Victory and will be Rousey’s in-ring Progress debut


5. Drew McIntyre (SCOTLAND) vs. WALTER (AUSTRIA) ~ Genesis title match

These two are beating the hell out of each other from the beginning .... WALTER destroys the chest of McIntyre with chops, but Drew fights back with the Glasgow kiss .... McIntyre runs into a big boot and the action quickly spills outside .... McIntyre avoids a charge by WALTER and he smacks his head on the ring post and rings his bell .... Back in the ring, Drew sets for the Claymore when all of a sudden Jacob Fatu hits the ring and attacks McIntyre!!!!  The ref calls for the bell ....

POST MATCH:  Fatu hits the pop-up Samoan Drop and then the Best Moonsault Ever on McIntyre!  WALTER is up and gets nose to nose with Fatu, but MVP steps in and backs Fatu away ....