After a terrific re-debut show at the Electric Ballroom in London, PROGRESS Wrestling made their return to Manchester with Chapter 128: TECHNIQUE.
The card featured a No Disqualification match between Luke Jacobs and Spike Trivet, an epic tag team bout between Lykos Gym and Smokin’ Aces, and a technical masterclass between Jonathan Gresham and Chris Ridgeway.
💥 SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL!
THE NXT UK CHAMPION IS BACK…@UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR #ThisIsPROGRESS pic.twitter.com/eNDyOW8XEk
— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) February 6, 2022
However, the highlight of the night came after the PROGRESS World Championship match. Cara Noir successfully retained his title against Dean Allmark. However, the lights cut out and out came the current NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov. The two stared daggers at each other before Dragunov cut a promo on Cara. He referred back to their other clashes within the promotion, and seemingly hinted towards another encounter in the near future.
Ilja Dragunov Versus Cara Noir in 2022?
There are a few ways to look at this return. Firstly, it could simply be Ilja Dragunov returning to pop the PROGRESS faithful. This is the second live show that PROGRESS has done in over 700 days and perhaps they needed a surprise. However, the more likely option is that Dragunov/Noir will take place inside a PROGRESS Wrestling ring.
The alternative option is maybe…Cara makes the jump to WWE. It seems unlikely given the amount of cuts to indie talent we have seen in the last year and a half, but NXT UK has remained untouched. Instead, the promotion still brings in indie talent like Bea Priestley, Ben Carter, and Meiko Satomura.
Maybe the incredible title reign of Cara Noir has caught the eye of WWE and they are thinking of bringing him in to the promotion. Noir is one of the most captivating performers in the UK, in any medium. His attention to detail and overall package transcend wrestling, making him a mix of performance artist and professional wrestler.
When this clash happens, it will be a match for the ages. Ilja Dragunov is an incredibly popular performer and has a lot of history within PROGRESS, with Cara Noir specifically. Fans were thrilled to see him back and the pop he got at the event only highlights that. PROGRESS are running on all cylinders now, and it’s a very exciting time to be a wrestling fan in the UK.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. WWE fan? You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE and independent wrestling content on the WWE Network.
