Progress: United States #27

                   

Progress Tag Team Champions: RODERICK STRONG & KYLE O’REILLEY


LOCATION: Tampa, Florida
ARENA: Amalie Arena
TV: AXS Tv
ANNOUNCERS: Mauro Renallo & Renee Young








PREVIOUSLY IN PROGRESS -

We get highlights of Progress: Ring of Victory ....


* * * * OPENING SEGMENT * * * *


Show starts with MVP and Kenny King coming out to a BIG reaction and ‘YOUNG MONEY’ chants .... MVP books Young Money vs. The ONE% in a rematch for the Progress tag titles in the main event tonight .... they are interrupted by Matt Riddle .... Riddle says he isn’t done with AJ Styles after what happened at RING OF VICTORY, and he wants another chance .... MVP tells him Styles isn’t here (he’s in the UK) so that match can’t happen ....

Instead, out comes Bobby Lashley along with Bill Alphonso .... Alphonso says Lashley is a prize fighter and the only reason he’s here is because of the competition and the number of zeroes on the contract offer .... he tells MVP he isn’t doing a good job of keeping him interested and that Progress contract isn’t the only offer on the table .... he wants top level competition .... Riddle steps up and says he came here for a fight, so let’s fight!  

Lashley laughs it off and Alphonso says Riddle isn’t on the same level as Lashley .... He runs through Lashleys accomplishments but Riddle knocks the mic away from him and Lashley takes Riddle out with a spear!  Lashley and Alphonso walk away, but Riddle starts to get up and Lashley comes back in and drills him with the Dominator!  MVP calls Lashley off, and Lashley again acts like he’s leaving but then attacks Riddle again and locks on the Anaconda Vice!  Lashley chokes Riddle unconscious, even as MVP is trying to pull him off .... Lashley finally lets go and points at the unconscious Riddle, saying ‘that’s not competition!’


**** IN THE BACK: ****

Bianca BelAir promo .... she is returning from a shoulder injury and says while she was out she has been watching but all she sees is the same old tired ass women ....
She’s back and she’s going to change the game .... Candice LeRae interrupts, and says BelAir has been sitting at home what makes her think she should get the opportunity .... Belair says the only opportunities Candice gets us because she’s ‘Johnny Garganos wife’ .... Candice wants to settle it in the ring and we have a match ....


**** 1. Donovan Dijak def. Eric Bugenhagen in under 10 seconds .... Bugenhagen comes out doing his epic ‘air band’ entrance, but Dijak is all business .... as soon as the bell rings Dijak drills him with the discus big boot for the 3 count .... Dijak just gets his hand raised and then walks out .... ****


**** IN THE BACK: ****

Alicia Atout is standing by outside MVP’s office and she announces this years ‘Survival of the Fittest’ tournament which will begin on the next show .... This year it will involve only tag teams, with the winning tag team getting a Progress contract ....

The Briscoes cut her off and walk past into MVP’s office without knocking.  Jay says they didn’t come to Progress to sit in catering and do nothing .... Jay says they used to be world tag team champions, but MVP has been sitting behind a desk for over a year and yet gets a title shot whenever he wants?  Jay ain’t mad about it, you do you, but if Young Money win the belts then the Briscoes want the first shot .... MVP says he doesn’t have time to deal with this, but Kenny King agrees and says WHEN they win the belts, the Briscoes can get the first shot ....


Back in the ring, Charlotte Flair comes out and calls out Toni Storm .... Charlotte says at RING OF VICTORY Toni is the one that called HER out .... she chose her because she knows she can’t call herself a champion until she beats the Queen, and Toni didn’t beat her .... she wants a rematch next week ....

Instead, Shayna Baszler, Paige Van Zant and the Horsewomen arrive .... Paige Van Zant says she wants to finish the job she started on Charlotte and they surround the ring .... Toni Storm runs out and evens the odds and we’ve got a tag team match instead ....


**** 2. Charlotte Flair & Universal Women’s Champion Toni Storm def. Paige Van Zant & Shayna Baszler .... Shafir and Duke are sent to the back for interfering, and Rhea Ripley makes a surprise appearance and attacks Baszler .... Ripley puts her through the announce table with the Riptide powerbomb!  In the ring, Charlotte locks the Figure 8 on Van Zant and gets the tapout win to send Van Zant packing from Progress .... ****


POST MATCH: Storm And Charlotte meet in the middle and shake hands, and Charlotte makes the belt motion across her waist .... they both turn to stare down Ripley, who smirks and just walks away ....


**** IN THE BACK: ****

Johnny Gargano is shown backstage .... it is announced that he will be on MizTV next .... Austin Aries confronts Gargano and says the US title is his path back to the Atlas title and he wants to make the US title great again .... the man makes the title, not the other way around and MVP is protecting Gargano .... Gargano says he’s Johnny freakin Wrestling, but Aries asks if he is the champion or Candice is .... Gargano attacks and we get a pull-apart brawl backstage ....


**** Miz TV w/ United States Champion Johnny Gargano .... ****

Gargano is supposed to be the guest, but because of the altercation that just happened Johnny doesn’t come out .... Miz starts talking about how he deserves to be the US champion again when Dalton Castle and the Boys make a surprise appearance!  Castle comes out with his usual flamboyance and says this is supposed to be a ‘new’ Progress and the land of opportunity .... Miz says he is a 2 time US champion, and Miz being champion means the title being featured more because the Miz is ‘Must See’ .... Castle says if he thinks he deserves the shot then he should earn it ....


**** 3. Dalton Castle w/ The Boys def. The Miz w/ Maryse with a rollup .... The Boys harass Maryse at ringside, which distracts Miz allowing Castle to get the quick rollup for the win .... ****


**** IN THE BACK: ****

A fired up Johnny Gargano accepts Austin Aries’ challenge for a US title match next week ....


**** PROMO: ****

A promo for ‘The Machine’ Brian Cage airs .... very high production value as it makes Cage look like he is a terminator as the Terminator theme plays ....


**** 4. Bianca BelAir def. Candice LeRae in a back and forth match .... She rolls Candice up and uses her hair braid to wrap up the legs of Candice for extra leverage and get the pin .... ****


**** NEXT WEEK: ****

Next weeks show is hyped, including:

- Atlas Champion AJ Styles returns

- Toni Storm defending the Universal title against Charlotte Flair

- Johnny Gargano defending the United States title against Austin Aries

- MVP promises the in-ring debut of Bobby Lashley ....


**** 5. Main Event: Young Money def. The ONE% to win the tag titles .... Strong hits MVP with one of the title belts and pins him to win the match, but MVP orders the ref to restart the match .... The ONE% protest, but this allows King to KO Strong with the title belt this time right in front of the ref!  MVP takes out O’Reilley with the drive by and then covers Strong for the 3 count to win the titles!!!! .... ****

POST MATCH - The show ends with Young Money celebrating their controversial title win ....