Today, on Facebook, Progress Wrestling co-owner Glen Joseph delivered some monumental news about their upcoming internet pay-per-view (iPPV) this Friday. Let’s take a look, and then I’ll transcribe the most important bit below—
PROGRESS: Orlando update...
Posted by PROGRESS Wrestling on Tuesday, March 28, 2017
From the desk of NXT General Manager William Regal:
Good morning. It's been brought to my attention that there were certain liberties taken by British Strong Style in the Progress Championship match between Mark Andrews and Pete Dunne last Sunday at the Progress fifth anniversary show. Now Trent Seven's conduct is an internal matter for Progress management to deal with, but as WWE UK Champion, Tyler Bate must realize that he represents the WWE UK brand wherever he performs.
Therefore, due to Tyler Bate's interference in Mark Andrews' Progress title match, I deem it only fair that Mark should get an opportunity at Tyler's WWE UK Championship. So, on Friday, March 31st at Progress: Orlando, for the first time in history, a WWE title will be defended on a Progress show, as I'm ruling that Tyler Bate vs. Mark Andrews is now a WWE UK Championship match, and the winner of that match will go on to represent the WWE UK brand as champion at Axxess and beyond.
Kind regards,
William Regal
Yes indeed, Mr. Regal has made us some history. Only the second WWE United Kingdom Championship title defense and it’s happening on independent wrestling soil, live on iPPV!
And, as Glen points out, it’s the first WWE title defense of any kind to happen in another promotion in over twenty years, the last being Bull Nakano defending her WWE Women’s Championship against Kyoko Inoue at AJW Queendom 1995. (At least, if you don’t count the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, which was defended by Shinjiro Ohtani in New Japan as late as 1997, however it was part of the J-Crown at the time and not actually recognized by WWE.)
For convenience and ease of working the time and date in, I also present to you the full card for the show.
Progress: Orlando (Friday, March 31, at 12PM Eastern)
- James Drake vs. Rockstar Spud
- Sami Callihan & Shane Strickland vs. South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks)
- Jinny vs. Toni Storm
- Jimmy Havoc vs. Zack Sabre, Jr.
- Mark Andrews vs. Tyler Bate (c) (WWE United Kingdom Championship)
- Matt Riddle (c) vs. Trent Seven (Progress Atlas Division Championship)
- Mark Haskins vs. Pete Dunne (c) (Progress Championship)
There you have it, folks
Progress is coming to the US for the first time on iPPV through WWNLive, and they’re bringing the WWE UK title with them. Excited?