NXT UK – July 8, 2021: Maybe They Don’t Need Takeover

NXT UK
Date: July 8, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

I’m not entirely sure what to expect from this show and that is a nice feeling. Above all else, there are a lot of ways things could go, but first we have a grudge match between Trent Seven and Eddie Dennis. I like both guys a good bit so hopefully they can do something good here. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Nathan Frazer vs. Kenny Williams

Williams works on the arm to start but gets flipped into the corner for his efforts. Frazer takes him down without much effort and they run the ropes until Williams gets taken down into an armbar. The stomping is on in the corner and Williams is sent outside for the dive. Back in and Frazer hits a running shoulder to the knee to take over and the cranking begins. The knee is fine enough for a sunset flip but Williams kicks him in the face for the same. There’s a running kick to the knee in the corner and Frazer is in trouble.

That doesn’t last long a Frazer kicks him away and starts the comeback with some forearms to the head. A top rope kick to the face (which Frazer probably shouldn’t be able to do) gets two but the leg gives out again. Williams hits a belly to back faceplant for two but Frazer is back up with an enziguri. The Nightmare on Helm Street plants Williams but he rolls to the apron before the frog splash can launch. There’s another kick to the ribs and the referee gets distracted, allowing Williams to pull him into the steel turnbuckle. Bad Luck finishes Frazer at 9:04.

Rating: C+. The ending surprised me as I wouldn’t have bet on seeing Frazer lose here. He is someone who seems to have all kinds of potential and it is odd to see him losing under almost any circumstances. That being said, they need some fresh names higher up on the card so letting Williams get a win is worth a chance giving how far he has come as of late.

We look at Jordan Devlin injuring A-Kid’s knee last week.

Joe Coffey and Rampage Brown have a chat in Sid Scala’s office.

Video on Meiko Satomura vs. Amele.

Mark Andrews vs. Lewis Howley

Sam Stoker is here too and if Andrews wins, Subculture gets a Tag Team Title shot. Howley drives him into the corner to start and cranks on the arm. That’s reversed into an armbar on Howley, followed by a Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog for two. Andrews sends him outside for the suicide dive but Howley sends him shoulder first into the post. Some quick posing sets up a legdrop for two on Andrews, who is right back with a spinning crossbody for two. Howley is sent outside but the baseball slid is countered with a ram into the barricade.

Back in and we hit the chinlock, which is broken up in short order. Andrews goes up to try a middle rope moonsault but gets pulled out of the air, only to snap off a tornado DDT. Howley doesn’t seem to like getting kicked in the face and a sunset flip gives Andrews two. Stoker pops up on the apron for a distraction so here is Subculture to take care of him. Andrews’ rollup gets two more but Howley loads up a suplex. That’s reversed into the Stundog Millionaire though and Fall To Pieces ends Howley at 9:18.

Rating: C+. There is something so goofy about Pretty Deadly that it is hard not to like them at least a bit. It helps that they can wrestle a decent enough match like this one, so there is actually a little substance there. You could all but guarantee Subculture getting the shot, though I’m not sure I can believe they’re winning the belts in one of Pretty Deadly’s first major defenses.

Jack Starz is disappointed after last week and Dave Mastiff comes in to say he did a good job last week, even if he is kind of the gatekeeper around here. Mastiff doesn’t care for this being filmed.

Tyler Bate doesn’t like Gallus trying to one up each other but he’s down to defend the Heritage Cup. Just ask.

Blair Davenport vs. Laura di Matteo

Davenport (more famous as Bea Priestley) cranks on the arm to start but gets blasted with a clothesline for her efforts. That doesn’t last long though as Davenport runs her over and hits a top rope double stomp for two. A neckbreaker gives Davenport two but Matteo is back with a short DDT for the same. Davenport hits a double springboard dropkick though and a hard knee finishes Matteo at 3:13.

Rating: C-. Not much time for this one and Matteo got in a lot of offense of her own. The good thing is that Davenport dominated in the end, as she should. Davenport is going to have to do a bit to get to the title picture around here, especially when her name is perfect for the stuck up 24 year old playing a rich high school girl in a CW drama series.

Post match Davenport says she is here to face everyone and you have never seen anyone who wrestles like her.

Jinny doesn’t like Aoife Valkyrie hiding in the shadows and promises to expose Valkyrie as a little girl playing dress up.

Teoman sits down with Rohan Raja, who says that he is forever loyal before they are family. Next week, they are facing Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter.

In two weeks: Ilja Dragunov vs. Walter II.

Trent Seven vs. Eddie Dennis

Seven unloads with chops in the corner to start but gets headlocked over. That earns Dennis a slam into a legdrop for two and Seven sends him outside. The suicide dive sends Dennis into the barricade but he takes Seven down on the floor. Back in and a swinging sitout Rock Bottom gives Dennis two, meaning it’s time to stomp away. Seven spins him around into a DDT though and they’re both down. Dennis blocks a German suplex and hits….kind of a Rock Bottom turned into a slam for two.

We hit the cravate (which you would expect to be more common around here) but Seven slips out and strikes away. The layout slam gives Seven two but he misses a top rope flip dive. Splash Mountain sets up the Severn Bridge, only to have Seven pop up and hit the half and half. Dennis nails a clothesline though and they’re both down again.

They slug it out from their knees and then their feet with Seven trying the Birminghammer. That’s broken up as well so Dennis kicks him in the face as Primate and Tyson T-Bone come out. Dennis says he has this and tries a superplex, which is reversed into a super sitout slam for a bunch of near falls. With nothing else working, the Birminghammer finishes Dennis at 11:34.

Rating: C+. Both guys looked good here and it is nice to see Seven winning more on his own. Tyler Bate would seem to be the big star of the team (as he should be) but Seven winning on his own is nice to see too. The match got some time and they went back pretty well, making this a solid TV main event.

Post match Primate and T-Bone come in for the beatdown but Tyler Bate runs in for the save. Bate even busts out some nunchucks to make it go faster to end the show. Really? Nunchucks? For these two?

Overall Rating: B-. That might be a bit high but I liked this one a good bit. They didn’t have anything major going on (though Walter vs. Dragunov II will be rocking) but everything was at least watchable if not quite good, continuing a trend with this show. It’s weird in that this show doesn’t really need a Takeover or any kind of a special on the horizon most of the time, though seeing what they could do at a high level would be nice. For now though, they can settle for being one of, if not the, best weekly wrestling show.

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