NXT UK – December 12, 2018 (Second Episode): The Rocky Path To The Good Part
IMG Credit: WWE
NXT UK
Date: December 12, 2018
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness
We’re on the second day of the third taping cycle now and that means we should have a fresh crowd. You know, because these crowds have so many issues with getting and staying hyped. There are several stories going around at the moment, but something has to really stick to make the show get better. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Ashton Smith/Ligero vs. Mark Coffey/Wolfgang
Wolfgang and Ligero start things off with the fans being way behind Ligero. Probably because he’s not Wolfgang. Smith sneaks in for a dropkick and it’s right back to Ligero, whose tornado DDT is blocked. The villains take over and grab a waistlock on Ligero with Coffey slamming him down to the mat.
That’s followed by a bearhug as you can’t fault the basic psychology. Ligero breaks free and brings Smith back in for some speedier offense. With Wolfgang knocked to the floor, a jumping clothesline staggers Coffey. There’s a springboard back elbow to the jaw for two, followed by a superkick for the same with Wolfgang having to make a save. Ligero hits a dive onto Wolfgang but Coffey hits a kick to Smith’s face for the pin at 5:37.
Rating: C-. I know I harp on him a lot but Wolfgang continues to do a grand total of nothing for anyone. For the life of me I don’t get the appeal of him unless they really want to appeal to the Scottish audience. There’s no one better than him for those fans though? Not a terrible match but I’d really prefer the Coffey Brothers in the spot and Wolfgang…well anywhere else.
We look back at Isla Dawn challenging Rhea Ripley for the Women’s Title.
Johnny Saint is with the two women and makes the match official.
Gallus knows that was an impressive enough performance to impress Saint. They’re tired of hearing about the other teams around here and they want the titles. The only person they’re concerned with is Pete Dunne, because Joe wants the title. First up though is Travis Banks, who is going to be squashed like a bug.
Jack Starz vs. Joseph Conners
Conners wastes no time in beating him down with Starz’s ribs being wrapped around the post. A dropkick to the back makes things even worse but Starz fires off some uppercuts for a breather. That just earns him a double stomp out of the corner and a running sunset powerbomb into the corner. Don’t Look Down gives Conners the pin at 2:16. Total squash.
Xia Brookside is ready for Jinny, who comes in to sneer.
Tyson T-Bone has found someone as sinister as himself: Saxon Huxley. Keeping two uninteresting guys together is usually a good idea.
Xia Brookside vs. Jinny
Brookside grabs a headlock takeover to start and she headstands her way out of a headscissors to some rather appreciative applause. Jinny takes her down by the arm but Xia gets a boot up in the corner. A hurricanrana and middle rope crossbody give Xia two until the Fashion Disaster (a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle) cuts her off. Jinny puts a knee in the back and cranks on both arms until a jawbreaker gets Xia out of trouble. Running knees to the back give Xia two but Jinny sends her throat first into the middle rope. The Touch of Couture (a rolling kick to the head) finishes Xia at 5:14.
Rating: C. This was fine as Xia has potential but is nowhere near ready for the big push yet. Jinny isn’t quite ready yet either, but she’s further along than Xia. This fashionista thing isn’t helping Jinny though and she would be better off by being more like she is in Progress, where the fashion thing is more of an amplified detail than the focus of her character.
Video on Dave Mastiff.
Here are James Drake and Zack Gibson with something to say. Gibson says what happened last week was a little taste of what they can do together. They are soon to be recognized as the first ever NXT UK Tag Team Champions…and that’s it. That almost felt like it was cut as it was a very quick speech that didn’t say anything new.
Video on Eddie Dennis.
Rhea Ripley vs. Isla Dawn for the Women’s Title next week.
Eddie Dennis vs. Dave Mastiff
Mastiff takes him into the corner to start but they’re both tentative early on. Dennis’ shoulder has no effect and a second does even less. Instead it’s Mastiff hitting a heavy forearm to take over and some elbows to the head keep Dennis in trouble. The running dropkick looks to set up the backsplash but Dennis avoids the bad case of pain. A boot sends Mastiff outside and two more keep him in trouble.
Back in and Mastiff misses a charge in the corner, setting up….the cravate. Well it’s better than another armbar. Mastiff gets up and scores with a headbutt, followed by a big superplex to put them both down. A Regal Roll into a backsplash gives Mastiff two, followed by a bridging German suplex for the same.
Dennis is right back with a swinging sitout powerslam (and he held Mastiff up) for his own near fall. The Severn Bridge is blocked twice (even with Dennis holding him up in the Razor’s Edge position) so Dennis nails a clothesline for two instead. Mastiff has had it and throws him into the corner for the Cannonball and the pin at 11:47.
Rating: C. This was the hoss battle that it should have been and the more I think about it, the more I can go with Mastiff winning here. I’ve been saying for months that they have to do something around here to make more stars and Mastiff seems to be one of them at the moment. It’s a fun match, even if Dennis lost to my annoyance.
Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one with most of the show being the lower level guys, though they managed to come up with some stuff that worked well enough. They were trying to make some new names here and that’s been needed for a long time, though it’s not going to be something that goes over so smoothly. Not a bad show here, but you can feel the quality going down compared to the show earlier today.
Results
Mark Coffey/Wolfgang b. Ashton Smith/Ligero – Kick to Smith’s face
Joseph Conners b. Jack Starz – Don’t Look Down
Jinny b. Xia Brookside – Touch of Couture
Dave Mastiff b. Eddie Dennis – Cannonball
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