Progress: United Kingdom #316

LOCATION: London, England
ARENA: York Hall @ Bethnal Green
ANNOUNCERS: Matt Striker & Rockstar Spud






LAST TIME ON PROGRESS ....

- The dysfunctional team of Santana & Alexa Bliss successfully made their first title defense against the former champions The Iconic Duo ....

- Sanity made their in-ring debut, stunning the Kings of the North thanks to the interference of the massive ODINSON .... chaos followed as all 4 tag teams involved in the Progress tag title tournament brawled afterwards ....

- Nigel McGuiness defeated Gran Metalik after a low blow, then continued to demand that Finn Balor show his face back in the U.K. and face him ....

- Pete Dunne defeated Aleister Black and ‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll to become the 1st ever Progress United Kingdom Champion ....




Show opens with Drew McIntyre coming out to the ring for a promo .... He says that he was supposed to be in the U.K. title tournament but he got hurt and never got his chance at the U.K. title .... he wants it now .... Pete Dunne may be considered the first champion, but he’s not Champion until he beats Drew McIntyre .... Last week, he looked Dunne in the eyes like a man and asked him for the title shot he deserves and Dunne turned him down, so he made a statement ....

This brings out William Regal .... Regal says he is the one that makes the matches and he’s tired of everyone taking matters into their own hands .... Regal says he’s going to give McIntyre an opportunity to earn his title shot tonight, but he’s also going to give it to a few other people .... He books a Four Corner Survival match with Drew McIntyre vs Low Ki vs Matt Riddle vs Nigel McGuiness and the winner will face Pete Dunne at Progress: UNIFIED!


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Progress tag team tournament Round 1:
Kings of the North (Sheamus & Killian Dain) —— IRELAND
- vs -
War Machine (Hanson & Raymond Rowe) —— USA

This is a hard-hitting brawl .... War Machine are able to take Dain out, allowing them to double team Sheamus and hit the Fallout for the win ....


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VIDEO PACKAGE-

We get a video showing the recent developments between Alexa Bliss and Santana .... these 2 feuded bitterly before Bliss left and went to DAW, only to have Bliss return 2 shows ago and help Santana defeat the Iconic Duo to win the Shimmer tag team titles .... The ‘strange bedfellows’ tag team also successfully defended their titles last show against the Iconic Duo ....


Progress tag team tournament Round 1:
British Strong Style (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) —— UK
- vs -
Sanity (Eric Young & Alexander Wolfe) —— USA

Odinson is again instrumental in helping Sanity, as he powerbombs Trent Seven onto the ring frame outside the ring to take him out of the match .... Bate battles against Sanity, but is overwhelmed and Young and Wolfe hit the sideslam/ elbow drop combo for the pin to advance ....


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Womens Match:
Becky Lynch (IRELAND)
- vs -
Bianca BelAir (USA)

BelAir continues to look really good, but Becky gets the pin when she turns the alley oop powerbomb into a sunset flip for the flash pin ....

BelAir attacks Becky after the match, but Ember Moon runs out and makes the save for Becky .... BelAir backs away, twirling her long pony tail ....


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IN THE LOCKER ROOM - Ember Moon confronts Bianca BelAir in the locker room .... Naomi gets between them and tries to play peacemaker again .... Ember wants to know how long Naomi is going to make excuses for BelAir????  Ember says they need to settle it in the ring on the next episode of Progress: UK and Naomi can’t save her ass this time!


Singles Match:
Aleister Black (NETHERLANDS)
- vs -
‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll

These two are putting on another classic, but Scurll resorts to a low blow on Black which results in a disqualification ....

POST MATCH: Scurll viciously attacks Black, bringing a chair into the ring and blasting Black with it.  He unfolds the chair in the ring and hits a brainbuster onto the chair!!!!  Scurll leaves the ring, but then comes back and attacks again!  He puts Blacks head inside the chair and then slams him into the ring post!!!!  Black has to be helped out holding his neck ....


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BACKSTAGE - Joanna Rose sits down with both Shimmer Champion Paige and challenger Toni Storm where they talk about their match at UNIFIED!  Toni Storm says she’s worked her ass off to finally get this shot and nothing is going to stop her from becoming champion .... Paige says while Storm has been working to get here, Paige has been busting her ass to be champion .... she’s been doing that since she was 13 years old!  Paige says Storm is going to have to kill her to take the title, and Storm says she is willing to do that .... they have an intense hand shake and each one says ‘may the best woman win’ ....


Finn Balor comes out to a HUGE pop .... at first he talks about his injury, but then he addresses Nigel McGuiness who has been calling him out over the last several shows .... this brings out McGuiness, who says the only thing he wants to hear from Balor is that he accepts his challenge .... Balor says he isn’t medically cleared, and McGuiness goes to walk away but then turns and gets a cheap shot in on Balor!  He hits an arm-wringer, slamming Balor shoulder-first to the mat on his injured arm!  McGuiness attacks the injured arm further, locking on the London Dungeon!!!!  Officials rush the ring and have to pull McGuiness off of Balor!  Nigel takes the mic and tells Balor that his career is over .... Nigel has no further use for him and he’s moving on to better things like winning the Fatal Fourway tonight and becoming the next U.K. Champion!  

Trainers have to attend to Balor and help him out, and he can’t move his arm ....


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Four Corner Survival Match: Winner gets a U.K. title shot at Progress: UNIFIED!
Drew McIntyre (SCOTLAND)
- vs -
Matt Riddle (USA)
- vs -
Low Ki (USA)
- vs -
Nigel McGuiness

The first elimination in the match comes with Riddle pinning Low Ki with the ‘Bro 2 Sleep’ .... we are down to 3 now .... there is a ref hump and McIntyre hits the Future Shock on Riddle, but Nigel takes him out with a jawbreaker lariat .... Nigel goes for the Tower of London on McIntyre but he gets attacked by Gran Metalik, who comes out during a red bump and takes Nigel out with a Metalik Driver .... McIntyre drags Nigel to his feet and drills him with the Future Shock and gets the 3 count for the 2nd elimination!!!! ....

We are down to Riddle vs McIntyre .... these 2 battle for another 10 minutes and go back and forth in an instant classic .... they battle on the floor, and Riddle hits a TOMBSTONE ON THE FLOOR!  Back in the ring, Riddle hits the BRO 2 SLEEP BUT MCINTYRE KICKS OUT!!!!  They take the fight to the apron, where McIntyre hits a powerslam off the steps onto the ring frame!!!!  McIntyre rolls Riddle back in and has to drag him to his feet .... FUTURE SHOCK!  1 ... 2 ... Riddle kicks out!!!!  McIntyre looks down on Riddle in shock, and he wonders what he has to do to put Riddle away .... Riddle stumbles to his feet and CHALLENGES McIntyre to hit him!  Claymore kick!!!!  1 ... 2 ... 3!!!!



McIntyre is going to UNIFIED to face Pete Dunne!  Dunne stands up at the announce table and holds up the U.K. title, while McIntyre climbs the ropes and points down at Dunne, making the belt sign around his waist ....