NXT UK
Date: April 29, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s time for a cool but also odd match as Meiko Satomura will be facing Aoife Valkyrie. That could go in a few different directions but it is a great test for the so far impressive Valkyrie. Other than that, we could be a long way off from the next main event story around here, but you never know with NXT UK. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Rohan Raja vs. Teoman

This is Raja’s, who previously wrestled as Gursinder Singh in Impact Wrestling, debut. Raja takes him down to the mat to start so Teoman is straight over to the rope. Back up and Teoman starts cranking on the arm but a neckbreaker gets Raja out of trouble. There’s a slap to Teoman’s face so he elbows Raja down and kicks him in the face.

The neck crank doesn’t last long and Raja is back up with more shots to the face. Teoman dropkicks the leg out though and a quick DDT sets up the Crossface. They roll back into the middle and Teoman cranks on it even harder, eventually snapping Raja’s arm. That’s enough for the referee to stop it at 6:03.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have the time to go very far but it did a good job of making Teoman look like a bigger danger. Raja was built up a bit to make him seem like someone worth beating, which is better than having Teoman in there beating up a jobber. I’m curious to see more of Teoman, who has a long way to go but this helped him a bit.

Post match we see the replay and you can hear the snap when Teoman cranks back on the Crossface.

Video on Flash Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews and Dani Luna, all of whom enjoy skateboarding and being around graffiti. Their new name seems to be Subculture, though I’m not sure they need their own name.

Dave Mastiff interrupts an Ilja Dragunov promo and a match seems to have been made.

Sid Scala brings out Kay Lee Ray for a chat. Ray wants a better introduction than that, because she has beaten everyone Scala and Johnny Saint has thrown at her. Scala agrees, so it is time to have a gauntlet match for the #1 contendership. That will include Jinny, Isla Dawn, Xia Brookside, Dani Luna and Emilia McKenzie. Ray says it doesn’t matter because none of them are beating her. This was less than three minutes. If it had been on Raw, it would be pushing fifteen.

Video on Pretty Deadly making media appearances as champions.

A-Kid is ready to defend the Heritage Cup against Tyler Bate in their rubber match in three weeks.

Levi Muir vs. Sha Samuels

Muir actually shoves him away to start and a crossbody cuts Samuels off again. Samuels isn’t having this and runs him over, setting up some arm cranking. The Butcher’s Hook is broken up and Muir makes the clothesline comeback. A torture rack is loaded up so Samuels rakes the eyes to escape, setting up a spinebuster to finish Muir at 3:58.

Rating: C. Muir got in a lot more than I was expecting here and that was nice to see for a change. Samuels winning is a good way to get he and Dar back on track but it was a surprising change to have him actually break a sweat her for a change. It wasn’t competitive, but it was entertaining in the short form.

Trent Seven says he is a founding father around here but Sam Gradwell pops up to say they signed on the same day. So why is Gradwell not as revered around here? Seven isn’t on Gradwell’s level.

Meiko Satomura vs. Aoife Valkyrie

Valkyrie is undefeated and bows to Satomura to start. The lockup sees Satomura driven into the ropes so she grabs a headlock and they roll around on the mat a bit. Satomura works on the arm but Valkyrie pulls her into a rollup for two. This time it’s Valkyrie working on the arm but getting sent into the corner for a running elbow. Valkyrie is back up with an enziguri to the floor, setting up a quick dive. Back in and Valkyrie slaps on a full nelson with her legs but Satomura slips out and starts kicking at the leg.

A reverse Figure Four sends Valkyrie very slowly to the ropes so Satomura kicks her in the head. Back up and Valkyrie nails another enziguri, followed by a sunset bomb for two. Satomura suplexes the heck out of her for another two but the Scorpion Kick is countered into a kick to the face. The moonsault gives Valkyrie two but Satomura is back up with a DDT. A running moonsault knee to the back rocks Valkyrie again and Scorpion Rising finishes Valkyrie at 10:37.

Rating: B. I’m not sure if Valkyrie should have been losing here but it was a heck of a match as Satomura continues to get the best out of people. Valkyrie is someone who has been built up well and if she isn’t going to win or even for the title, feeding her to Satomura for the first big win is not a bad idea. It isn’t like losing to someone built up as the best ever is going to hurt her, so this was more a delay than anything else, assuming there are plans for Valkyrie.

Video on Kenny Williams vs. Amir Jordan before their Loser Leaves Town match last week.

Symbiosis vs. Gallus

Symbiosis would be Eddie Dennis/Primate/Tyson T-Bone. Dennis bails away from the idea of having to fight Joe Coffey so it’s off to Primate. Joe is taken into the corner and the alternating beatdown is on, including a few shots from Dennis. An elbow to the face cuts him off though and Wolfgang comes in to work on the arm a bit. T-Bone tags himself in though and drives shoulders into Joe’s ribs in the corner and Primate adds a springboard ax handle.

The rapid fire stomping is on and it’s back to Dennis for a boot to the face. Joe manages to kick Primate and T-Bone down but Dennis is back in to cut him off. The Severn Bridge is escaped and Joe grabs a neckbreaker for a double knockdown. Wolfgang comes in off the hot tag and it’s time to clean house.

T-Bone manages a fall away slam so it’s Mark Coffey coming in to wreck a lot of people. Primate escapes a chokeslam and clotheslines Mark in the back of the head, allowing Dennis to grab a lifting Downward Spiral and spin him into a slam. Everything breaks down and Wolfgang spears T-Bone to the floor, leaving Joe to hit All The Best For The Bells to pin Primate at 9:27.

Rating: C+. Nice job of getting Gallus back here, though having Symbiosis being called Symbiosis and then losing was a little weird. Either way, I’m not sure I can imagine them being as big of a deal as Gallus so putting them over to build them back up makes more sense. It helps that Gallus is a good trio, with Joe becoming one of the most reliable people around here.

Overall Rating: B-. Good grief this show is fun and easy to watch. When you consider what Raw puts us through every week, this is absolutely awesome by comparison and I had an easy time sitting through the hour plus show. The women’s match was very good and then the main event gives Gallus a nice boost back up. Another nearly great show, which is taking place more and more around here.

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NXT
Date: April 27, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

The Tuesday escapades continues with the return of Adam Cole for the first time since his loss at Takeover. That could be interesting, though if nothing else it is kind of a relief that he is not heading up to the main roster. Other than that, we have a pretty big six man tag to fill out the wrestling side of things. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dakota Kai vs. Mercedes Martinez

Raquel Gonzalez is here with Kai. Martinez gets taken to the mat to start but bounces out of a headscissors and slaps her in the face. Back up and Martinez hits a spinning spinebuster (it seems like we get three of those per show these days) for two but Kai grabs a Rock Bottom backbreaker for the same. The running boot in the corner misses though and Martinez hammers away.

Something like a Razor’s Edge Dominator out of the corner gets two but Martinez gets drop toeholded into the corner. The running boot sends Martinez outside and we take a break. Back with Kai sending her outside again and hitting a kick to the ribs on the way back in. A Codebreaker through the ropes drops Martinez again but she is back up with a running shot in the corner.

Martinez takes her down with a delayed butterfly suplex and cranks Kai down by the arm. Kai rolls outside so Martinez throws her back in, where Kai grabs the referee’s leg. That lets Gonzalez take a swing but Martinez knocks her down instead. Back in and Martinez puts Kai in a fireman’s carry but Gonzalez comes in for the DQ at 12:28.

Rating: C+. This was a fine way to set up Gonzalez vs. Martinez down the line as Martinez beat up Gonzalez’s friend. That should make for a fine big time TV match as Martinez can have a good enough match with anyone. She certainly did here too as the power was a good way to keep Kai from running around with all of her kicks. The wrestling was fine but the storytelling was more important, and better.

Post match the beatdown is on with Martinez being laid out.

Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon have to worry about the Robert Stone Brand tonight and then they can deal with the Way. Hold on though as here is a delivery woman with some flowers for both of them. Frankie Monet comes up and introduces herself before reading the card, which says they’re from Dexter Lumis. Moon and Blackheart try to give each other the flowers.

Earlier today, Cameron Grimes went to look at a ring (as in jewelry) for a special someone (Grimes: “ME!”). The jeweler says he has something special for him….and we’ll see it later.

Here are the Grizzled Young Veterans for a chat. They accuse MSK of ducking them in a regular tag match because the Veterans need the titles. Cue Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa to interrupt, with Ciampa says they’re grizzled and veterans. After dubbing himself Toothless Timmy, Thatcher mocks the IF YOU HATE GIBSON SHOES OFF chant and the fight is on, with the Veterans being cleared out.

Drake Maverick and Killian Dain are ready for their match tonight against Imperium, but Maverick is convinced that Dain is turning on him to join Imperium. Dain says you gotta have faith, and Maverick is stunned at the George Michael reference.

Quick Tian Sha vignette.

Shane Strickland says if Leon Ruff wants to play this game, they can play it for his life.

Toni Storm vs. Zayda Ramier

Before the match, Toni talks about how Zoey Stark is going to be a footnote in her legendary career. Tonight, every time she slaps this rookie, she is going to imagine that it’s Stark. Storm throws her around by the hair to start and Ramier is in early trouble. There’s a backbreaker with Ramier being bent over the knee, followed by a German suplex to make it even worse.

Cue Stark for a distraction though, allowing Ramier to get in a quick knockdown. A shooting star press (which lands perfectly despite Storm being in the middle of the ring, to the point where I though Ramier was going to leave it two feet short) finishes Storm for the huge upset at 3:27.

Rating: C-. This was a squash until Storm slipped on a banana peel at the end. Storm isn’t going to be hurt by a dirty loss and the angry promos on Stark should be good. It isn’t likely to lead to Ramier becoming a bigger star, though stranger things have happened in NXT. I’m not sure if she should try the shooting star from that distance again, but it worked out in the end.

Bronson Reed runs into Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae on the way to the ring. Austin Theory pops up and asks why they’re standing in the dark.

LA Knight saw a twinkle in the eye of Indi Hartwell and knows that means she had a twinkle in her loins. He has references and after Dexter Lumis lets her down, come talk to him, because that is just a fact of life. Knight leaves and Ever-Rise comes up to ask if the interviewer has a question about their social media event. She doesn’t.

Austin Theory vs. Bronson Reed

If Reed wins, he gets another North American Title shot. The rest of the Way is here and Indi Hartwell is completely not in this. Barrett: “Don’t go around breaking young girls’ hearts.” As commentary is astounded at the Billie Jean reference, Theory gets knocked to the floor with straight power. Back in and Theory’s jumping shoulder is swatted out of the air, followed by another shoulder to leave Theory hanging from the bottom rope by his feet.

Theory crashes to the floor as Reed goes after Johnny Gargano, allowing Theory to come back with a dropkick inside. Reed is knocked outside this time so Theory fakes an injury, leaving Gargano to add a superkick. One heck of a dive takes Reed down and a missed charge sends him into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Reed caught in a chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry and Reed tosses him around again, setting up the splash in the corner. Theory is back with a neckbreaker for two as commentary points out Hartwell not being interested in the match. For some reason Theory tries a Samoan drop, which goes as well as you would expect. Reed’s version gets two but Theory manages a TKO for two of his own.

They’re both down so here is Dexter Lumis, with Hartwell walking away (because of the flowers to Blackheart and Moon). Lumis ges on the apron with Hartwell saying he talks too much. Lumis shoves Hartwell out of the way of a charge and takes the shot himself. Reed knocks Theory over and hits the Tsunami for the pin and the title shot at 12:24.

Rating: C. There was a lot going on here but what matters the most is Reed getting another shot. I was surprised when he lost the first time so giving him the title in the rematch could make up for things. That Tsunami looks great (and Barrett’s call makes it even better) and it should be enough to carry him to the title as it isn’t like Gargano needs the thing anymore. As much as I’d love to see Theory get a push of his own, he works well as the clueless moron who happens to be crazy athletic.

Johnny Gargano is nervous.

MSK thanks Kushida for his help and tonight they’re taking out Legado del Fantasma.

The Way blames Dexter Lumis, Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon for the loss. Indi Hartwell gets rather annoyed and storms off, with the team thinking she is going to deal with this.

Finn Balor is back next week after recharging in Mexico.

Imperium vs. Killian Dain/Drake Maverick

Alexander Wolfe is here with the team. Drake refuses to walk in front of Dain out of the possibility of pain and agony. Dain starts fast with a clothesline to send Barthel outside. Back in and Maverick hits some dropkicks to Barthel’s leg but Maverick gets sent into the wrong corner. With Dain being held out of the corner, some double teaming puts Maverick down and we take a break.

Back with Maverick still in trouble as Barthel sneers down at him. Maverick kicks him in the leg but Aichner comes in to swing him around by the jeans. A shot into the corner gives Maverick a chance but Barthel pulls Dain off the apron, meaning there is no one for the tag. Maverick looks crushed and a kick to the back of the head makes it even worse. Dain comes in and starts wrecking things but gets knocked outside….where Wolfe won’t hit him with a chair.

Barthel doesn’t like the indecision but here’s Maverick to hit a dive. Dain throws Maverick at Aichner but Wolfe won’t let Dain send Barthel into the post. Instead Dain gets sent into the steps as Maverick hits a high crossbody on Aichner….who rolls through, setting up the European Bomb for the pin at 12:16.

Rating: C. Imperium as a whole is a great concept and something that works well. Imperium without Walter is a team that is good at everything they do but the interest and spark aren’t there. It has shown badly every time they are out there without him, including here as it just wasn’t that engaging of a match. They are more than fine with everything else, but it was hard to care at all about what they were doing.

Pete Dunne says no one is talking about him because he has everyone shaken. Kushida stepped to him and got taken out. If he wanted to be Cruiserweight Champion, it wouldn’t take long. Or maybe he gets on a plane and goes back to the UK to take his title back from Walter. The North American Title could be interesting too, and then there is Karrion Kross. Dunne isn’t scared of Kross because he doesn’t need smoke and mirrors to get the job done. Everyone should fear him. Rather awesome promo here, as Dunne can bring the intensity.

Back at the jewelry store, Cameron Grimes buys a watch, but it isn’t ticking (Grimes: “Karrion Kross would hate this!”). He’ll take it anyway, but here is someone with the same watch. That would be…..TED DIBIASE, who laughs at Grimes and leaves, causing Grimes to scream a lot. Yep that was great.

Jessi Kamea/Aliyah vs. Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon

Non-title and non-match as we get some more flowers and Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT UK
Date: April 22, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s time for a special reunion around here as we have the first ever Moustache Mountain in this building. We have not seen the two of them together in a very long time now and it should be good to see how good they can be after such a layoff. There are some high expectations but if anyone can pull it off, it would be those two. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Joey Coffey vs. Eddie Dennis

Fallout from a brawl on Supernova Sessions last week. They fight to the floor in a hurry before Coffey takes him back inside for some knees to the face. Dennis judo throws him down and grabs a cravate (seems like something he would use) but Coffey powers him off without much effort. Coffey’s spear is blocked though and Dennis elbows him in the face, setting up some hard shots to the face on the mat. Back up and Dennis hits a swinging sitout Rock Bottom for two and frustration is setting in.

Dennis wins a slugout so Coffey is right back with an overhead belly to belly. Coffey goes up but Dennis is right there to catch him with the Severn Bridge. The Neck Stomp Driver is loaded up but Coffey reverses that into the Boston crab. Cue the Hunt for a distraction so Dennis grabs a rollup for two. Gallus comes out to deal with the Hunt and it’s the running headbutt to put Dennis into the corner. All The Best For The Bells finishes Dennis at 8:27.

Rating: C. The ending was the right way to go as Gallus has lost quite a few of their recent matches so it makes sense to give them a win. Dennis is someone who is going to be fine even after a loss like this, so it isn’t like this hurt much. The big six man, whenever we get there, should be fine.

Post match the beatdown is on for Coffey but Gallus makes the save to clear the ring.

Ilja Dragunov is having flashbacks to his violent matches.

Gallus is in the back when Joe Coffey runs into Rampage Brown. Coffey wants a rematch and Brown doesn’t seem to disagree.

Dave Mastiff vs. Sam Gradwell

Mastiff knocks him into the ropes to start and grabs a surprising hammerlock. Gradwell gets knocked down for some splashes to the back and we hit a rather large chinlock. Back up and Mastiff drops him again but another backsplash hits raised knees, including one with a brace. Gradwell starts in on the back with some hard forearms, followed by the chinlock to keep him in trouble. Mastiff fights up with some headbutts and a running clothesline but Gradwell snaps off a Samoan driver for the pin at 4:56.

Rating: C-. It’s becoming more and more clear that Mastiff is mostly done as anything important every time he is out there. Once you beat a monster, they lose almost all of their aura at once and that was the case with Mastiff. Gradwell has been one of the best surprises in a long time around here and I could go with seeing him getting to do something a little bigger.

Aoife Valkyrie says it is time, and next week she gets Meiko Satomura. So wouldn’t next week be time?

Video on Emilia McKenzie, who is back to be part of UK wrestling again.

Dani Luna vs. Jinny

Joseph Conners is here with Jinny. The stronger Luna takes her down without much effort but Jinny gets in a takedown and hammers away without much effort. The Octopus doesn’t last long so Jinny forearms her down and grabs the same hold again. Luna powers out again and rolls some gutwrench suplexes for two. Back up and they slug it out until Luna blasts her with a running clothesline. Conners offers a distraction though and Jinny hits a Liger kick to set a rolling cradle for the pin at 4:09.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match and it worked well enough to keep Jinny looking strong. I’m just not sure where she can go though, as Kay Lee Ray isn’t likely to drop the title to her, which doesn’t leave very many options. I’m also not sure how far she is going with Conners as her big associate, but maybe we get a mixed tag with Luna and someone else.

Post match Conners and Jinny go after Luna but Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews (Luna’s trainers) make the save. Odds are there is your someone else.

Amir Jordan wants a rematch with Kenny Williams and Sid Scala agrees, as Williams has said the same. However, it is going to be No DQ and the loser leaves NXT UK. Jordan thinks about it and signs the contract.

Video on Rohan Raja, who is British born, Australian raised and Canadian trained. He debuts next week and isn’t tapping out to Teoman.

Teoman isn’t worried about Rohan Raja.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Moustache Mountain vs. Noam Dar/Sha Samuels

During the entrances, we find out that Nigel is a Star Wars fan. Bate armdrags Dar down to start and then slaps on an armbar to make it worse. That’s broken up so Samuels comes in to run Seven over with a shoulder. Seven is right back up with his fireman’s carry slam so Bate can bounce off of Seven’s shoulders for a flip dive.

Everything breaks down in a hurry and the airplane spin is broken up, meaning it’s back to Seven. A bunch of right hands put Seven down on the mat and it’s time for Samuels to rip at his face. Dar comes in for some shots to the back of his own and Samuels kicks Seven between the shoulders. Samuels hammers away again and we hit the chinlock. A bunch of stomping has Seven down again and Dar puts on a chinlock of his own.

Seven fights up and hits a DDT, allowing the hot tag off to Bate. House is cleaned with Bate grabbing a bridging northern lights for two on Dar. It’s already back to Seven, who is taken down in a hurry. This beatdown doesn’t last as long as Seven fights up and knocks Dar outside again. Bate tags himself in and hits the dive, allowing Seven to load up the Birminghammer, complete with Bate’s top rope knee for the pin at 12:51.

Rating: B-. It was nice to see Moustache Mountain back and since they never won the Tag Team Titles around here, it would make sense to think about giving them a chase. I’m not sure how much interest there would be in giving them a run against Pretty Deadly but it would be a story worth trying. Moustache Mountain still has it in the ring so pushing them is not the worst idea.

Overall Rating: C. Not too bad of a show here with the main event being the best thing. As usual though, NXT UK doesn’t seem capable of having a bad show. They know how to keep things moving and have enough going with all of the wrestlers that they have. Next week feels like a big show too and that is always a good thing. Now just make it work and things should be fine. Pretty good show this week, but above all else, a very easy watch.

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NXT
Date: April 20, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph

They are going to have a hard time topping what they did last week but NXT can figure it out as well as anyone else. The big story tonight is the return of Kyle O’Reilly for the first time in a long thirteen days, though it isn’t clear what he’ll be doing. You could easily put him into the title picture with Karrion Kross but he might be dealing with Adam Cole for a bit longer. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Kyle O’Reilly……in a jean jacket, a hat and sunglasses. Kyle talks about what a great time he is having and asks if we can turn the lights up. Oh never mind as it’s just the sunglasses making things seem dark. Anyway, he is so happy because Adam Cole isn’t here and that makes things better. Now it is time to move on, but what is next for him? At Takeover, he learned that you need that killer instinct to succeed. He needs to go after a title, but which one? Should he try for the workhorse title with the North American Title? Or should he go after Karrion Kross and the biggest evil NXT has ever seen?

Cue Cameron Grimes to interrupt, because he knows that O’Reilly can deliver. Grimes likes Cool Kyle and thinks they could have some merchandising options. O’Reilly joins him in TO THE MOON and of course he loves the idea. After thanking Grimey for the Dogecoin tip, O’Reilly starts wondering about his first opponent tonight. He can’t get the sunglasses to work but realizes that it’s Grimes, who he drops with a right hand. I think I really like this O’Reilly, as goofy as it is.

Sarray arrived earlier today but Zoey Stark, her opponent for later, interrupted. Starks would like to face her, and Sarray agrees to the match. This was announced in advance but at least there is a quick explanation. I’m not sure it needed one, but it was there.

LA Knight is ready to take out Dexter Lumis, because tonight they’re going eye to eye.

LA Knight vs. Dexter Lumis

Knight takes him into the corner as commentary tries to figure out Lumis’ psyche. Lumis knocks him down and the threat of the Silence sends Knight outside in the hurry. Back in and Lumis scares him into the corner and knocks him outside again. They head back inside and Knight grabs a jumping neckbreaker, meaning it’s another trip to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Lumis grabbing a spinebuster, followed by the belly to back suplex for two. Lumis knocks him outside again but Drake gets in a drop toehold into the steps. Hold on though as here is Indi Hartwell on the others side of the barricade to distract Lumis. Knight gets in a cheap shot and yells at Hartwell, allowing Lumis to hit a slingshot dive. Lumis looks at Hartwell again though and it’s a bulldog driver (ignore Lumis’ head not hitting the mat) for the pin at 9:51.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one but the right person won. Knight still has a long way to go but getting a win here while the other two get to do the angle should serve him well. Lumis and Hartwell is the first mildly interesting thing Lumis has done so far in NXT so maybe they have a bit of an idea for him for a change.

Post match Hartwell gets on the apron and seems ready for a kiss but here is the Way to take her to the back.

Leon Ruff asks Isaiah Scott if he liked getting sent into a locker last week.

Beth Phoenix sits down with Io Shirai and asks about the beginning and ending of her title reign. Shirai is ready for the title rematch but for now, her body needs some rest. Cue Franky Monet (with dog of course) to introduce herself to Shirai and be a bit in awe of Phoenix. Since Shirai is taking some time off, she is willing to fill Shirai’s spot. That earns her some yelling in Japanese, which Monet does not understand. Shirai: “I LIKE CATS!” Monet kisses her dog as Shirai leaves.

Breezango vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Breezango are in British palace guard gear this week (yes this includes the large hats). The Veterans don’t like it but get knocked to the floor in a hurry anyway. We settle down to Gibson hammering on Breeze but getting pulled into an armbar. Drake dives into the corner to prevent Gibson from crashing, meaning Fandango can be taken down into a chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry with the Veterans being sent outside for the stereo dives.

We take a break and come back with Drake being sent into the ropes and seeming to hurt his knee. The referee checks on him and Gibson uses the distraction to poke Fandango in the eye in some quality cheating. Gibson rips at Fandango’s face but it gets broken up in a hurry, allowing the hot tag off to Breeze. Everything breaks down and Breeze hits a Russian legsweep for two. Drake’s rollup gets a close two and it’s a blind tag back to Gibson. Ticket to Mayhem finishes Breeze at 9:01.

Rating: C. Pretty to the point match here as Breezango continues to be that team who doesn’t do much but are former champions so they are in a nice enough place. The Veterans should be the next challengers to MSK and I’m assuming they are going to have the match sooner rather than later. If nothing else, it means we might be seeing more of the creative cheating.

The Way cuts off an Indi Hartwell interview but here’s Bronson Reed to say let love love. Reed talks about the North American Title but Austin Theory gets between them and says Johnny is Papa John. The only way Reed is getting another title shot is by beating Theory, which sounds good to Reed. Gargano points out that Reed beat Theory last week, which seems to be a surprise. Theory is great in this role.

Cameron Grimes is happy to have bought a Ja Morant (NBA) NFT….but it seems that there was a huge bid after the auction so someone else has bought it instead. That someone: TED DIBIASE! Grimes: “TED DIBIASE!!!!!” The cameo will be excellent.

Sarray vs. Zoey Stark

They fight over a test of strength to start but Stark can’t break the bridge. Sarray is back up with a dropkick to the knee and a lot of screaming before tying up the leg. Stark’s legs are tied up for a Muta Lock but she makes the rope in a hurry. A basement clothesline gets two on Sarray and some elbows to the neck get the same. Sarray fights up and drives Stark into the corner. Stark is knocked to the apron and a dropkick to the knee puts her on the floor.

Back in and they strike it out with Sarray getting the better of things. A running basement dropkick against the ropes rocks Stark and a fisherman’s suplex gives Sarray two. Stark is right back with a suplex into a sliding knee for two of her own. A 450 (which was a Swanton and would have missed by two feet anyway) misses Sarray so Starks kicks her in the head for two instead. Sarray hits her own kick and a high collar suplex finishes at 7:13.

Rating: C+. Sarray was energetic but she didn’t exactly blow the doors off here. I’m not wild on Stark losing just after she got her big win over Toni Storm but odds are she’ll be back. They had a good enough match though, despite being a bit sloppy at times. Sarray seems to be the next big thing in the division and I’ve heard worse ideas.

Respect is shown post match but here is Toni Storm to jump Stark. Sarray clears her off.

Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez are asked about Io Shirai wanting the Women’s Title shot. Kai says you can’t always get what you want, including her not getting to study witchcraft at Hogwarts. She also DOES NOT like the suggestion that she wants the Women’s Title though.

Candice LeRae wants Indi Hartwell to talk to William Regal but Dexter Lumis pops up again and Hartwell leaves with him. LeRae doesn’t notice and goes to Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon to challenge them for the titles. Now LeRae gets it and is dragged into a locker room for the beating.

Video on Kushida becoming the new Cruiserweight Champion last week.

Here is Kushida, who is giving out a title shot of his own.

Cruiserweight Title: Oney Lorcan vs. Kushida

Kushida is defending. They go to the mat to start with Kushida working on a headscissors but Lorcan reverses into something like an STF. A missed kick to the head lets Lorcan grab a pretty aggressive headlock. That is broken up as well and Kushida kicks him to the floor as we take a break. Back with an exchange of strikes in th middle until a running uppercut gives Lorcan two.

Lorcan grabs an abdominal stretch before planting him for two. They strike it out again but this time the chops just fire the champ up. Some running shots in the corner have Lorcan in trouble and there’s the top rope knee to the arm. Lorcan blocks the Hoverboard Lock though and a running Blockbuster gives Lorcan a pretty late two. Back up and Kushida goes after the arm again, setting up the cartwheel into the basement dropkick. More kicks to the arm set up the Hoverboard Lock to retain the title at 9:24.

Rating: B-. I was liking this one and it is nice to see Kushida getting to showcase himself again. This has been more of the old Kushida, who was awesome in his New Japan days and is now getting to show a bit more of that. He isn’t going to be his entire old self, but at least we got a good one here. Lorcan can hang with almost anyone and he got to show off again here.

Post match here is Legado del Fantasma to jump Kushida. MSK comes in for the save to clean house.

Mercedes Martinez thinks Raquel Gonzalez is ducking her. That’s cool, because Martinez can take out Dakota Kai and it can be one on one for the title.

Candice LeRae is rather banged up but comes up to see the Way. Indi Hartwell pops in to say she and Dexter Lumis made eye contact! Oh and she talked to William Regal, who has given the Way a Women’s Tag Team Title shot. Johnny Gargano is happy but Candice can’t even put her hands in for the celebration.

Imperium vs. Ever-Rise

Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel for Imperium, with Alexander Wolfe in their corner. Barthel beats on Chase Parker to start and it’s quickly off to Aichner for more of the same. Cue Killian Dain and Drake Maverick for a distraction though, allowing Matt Martel to grab a rollup for two on Aichner. That’s enough for Imperium, who finishes Martel with the European Bomb at 1:53.

Kyle O’Reilly comes to the ring for the main event but runs into Karrion Kross and Scarlett in the back. Sneering ensues.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Cameron Grimes

O’Reilly goes right for him to start and grabs an armbar. That’s reversed into one from Grimes but O’Reilly is out in a hurry. It’s time to start the strikes, including the running knee against the ropes. Some kicks to the ribs and leg have Grimes in trouble but he chops his way to freedom. O’Reilly counters a sunset flip into another armbar so Grimes rolls into the ropes to escape. A suplex drops O’Reilly on his head and we take a break. Back with Grimes whipping him hard into the corner and grabbing the chinlock.

O’Reilly breaks that up and knees Grimes in the ribs to put him down. The series of strikes drops Grimes again but it’s too early for a heel hook. Instead O’Reilly grabs a guillotine to knock Grimes mostly out, followed by a running knee to the chest. Grimes is right back up with a swinging Side Effect for two of his own. They’re both down for a bit before getting to their feet again for the strike off. Grimes hits his flipping powerslam for two but O’Reilly flips him inside out with a clothesline. A brainbuster plants Grimes and the top rope knee finishes for O’Reilly at 13:29.

Rating: B. This was feeling like a standard not quite squash for O’Reilly and then turned into a much better than expected back and forth match. Grimes can hang with anyone and it is nice to see him being the steady hand who can be put into this spot. They were trading bombs there at the end and while I didn’t exactly believe that the upset was coming, it wasn’t as cut and dry as I would have expected. Well done on a good main event.

Overall Rating: B-. Two matches carried this show and that is not exactly surprising. The main focus was on the Way this week and a lot of the major stars were nowhere to be seen, or at least not doing anything important. What we got worked out well though and it was a very quick two hours, as NXT tends to be. Another good show here, which probably shouldn’t be a surprise.

Results

LA Knight b. Dexter Lumis – Bulldog driver

Grizzled Young Veterans b. Breezango – Ticket to Mayhem to Breeze

Sarray b. Zoey Stark – High collar suplex

Kushida b. Oney Lorcan – Hoverboard Lock

Imperium b. Ever-Rise – European Bomb to Martel

Kyle O’Reilly b. Cameron Grimes – Top rope knee to the back

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NXT UK
Date: April 15, 2021
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

We are past Prelude, which is probably the biggest NXT UK show in over a year. That is quite the nice feeling, as NXT UK knew how to put together some big cards and they pulled it off again last week. Now it is time to see how they follow up on things, which tends to be a lot more difficult than it seems. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with a look at NXT UK’s involvement during Wrestlemania week, including at Prelude, Takeover and Wrestlemania.

Nathan Frazier vs. Saxon Huxley

Huxley doesn’t get his own entrance so he throws Frazier around to burn off some anger. A chop into a headlock doesn’t get Frazier very far but thankfully we have commentary explaining what both of them need to do to win. Huxley launches him into the corner again and hits a stomp out of the Tree of Woe.

Some more tosses have Frazier in trouble but he is back with a dropkick to the knee. Huxley doesn’t seem to mind and runs Frazier down again, setting up a chinlock with a knee in the back. Frazier fights out of the corner though and hits a crossbody. That’s enough to send Huxley outside and there’s a big suicide dive. Back in and a missile dropkick into the frog splash finishes Huxley at 6:05.

Rating: C. Frazier continues to get a little more momentum as NXT UK understands the idea of keeping wrestlers on television just to keep them warm. No it isn’t going to be some game changer to beat Huxley, but it keeps Frazier out there in front of the fans and that is a good idea. I’m curious to see where Frazier goes too, as they seem to have some hopes for him.

Sha Samuels gets annoyed at Noam Dar being asked how he is feeling after his #1 contenders match for the Heritage Cup. Dar says it’s cool, because the two of them are facing Moustache Mountain next week.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions with Noam Dar bringing out Gallus as his guests. Dar wants to talk about vacations but Mark Coffey talks about the training they have been undergoing to get back to the top because they are held to a higher standard. Cue Eddie Dennis, who doesn’t seem to think much of that idea. The brawl is on with the Hunt joining in until referees break it up.

Dave Mastiff won’t let Sam Gradwell come into the building. Knocking and yelling ensues.

Moustache Mountain is ready for Noam Dar and Sha Samuels next week.

Emilia McKenzie vs. Isla Dawn

They fight over a lockup to start with McKenzie grabbing a headlock. With that broken up, McKenzie goes with a fisherman’s neckbreaker for an early two instead. That earns her a backdrop driver to give Dawn her own two and a knee to the ribs drops McKenzie again. A standing double arm crank has McKenzie yelling a lot but she’s back out with a dropkick to the knee. McKenzie gets two off a spear so Dawn grabs a fisherman’s suplex for the same. A boot to the face out of the corner rocks McKenzie again and a half nelson suplex finishes her off at 5:33.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure where she is going but good for NXT UK for actually doing something with Dawn. She is finally starting to do something after being around here for years without much of note. The division needs some fresh blood and maybe Dawn can be just that. McKenzie could be one day, but they have a long way to go to get that far.

Jinny, with Joseph Conners, is ready to turn Dani Luna into a fashion victim next week.

We look at Aoife Valkyrie staring down Meiko Satomura for a challenge.

Satomura accepts.

Jack Starz vs. Ashton Smith

This is Starz’s first match under the tutelage of Piper Niven, who is here in his corner. Starz charges at him to start and gets thrown down without much trouble. A gutwrench has Smith in more control and a running shoulder sends Starz into the corner. Smith’s armbar puts Starz in trouble and a running knee to the ribs cuts him off again. Starz slips out of a suplex though and hammers away, only to get knocked outside in a hurry. Niven has to help him back inside where Starz wins a battle of an uppercut and hits a flying shoulder. What looks to be Deep Six from Smith is countered into a rollup to give Starz the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here with Starz getting to look aggressive enough to pull this one off. It wasn’t a great match and didn’t need to be, as this was much more about giving Starz something to set him apart a bit. It doesn’t seem to be something with the longest term prospect, but at least he has something fresh to do.

Video on Kenny Williams turning on Amir Jordan to split up the team and set up this week’s main event.

Kenny Williams vs. Amir Jordan

Jordan charges in and starts hammering away in a hurry. They’re on the floor in a hurry with Jordan avoiding a running knee, which goes into the steps instead of him. Back in and Williams cuts him off for a change and kicks away at Jordan’s head. A crash down onto Jordan’s back lets Williams crank on his arm and a quick suplex gets two. There’s a back rake into another armbar to make Jordan scream a lot.

Jordan breaks up a superplex though and hits a missile dropkick to take over. The Swanton is good for two but Williams slips out of an electric chair. An enziguri sends Williams into the ropes but he bounds back with the rebound lariat for a double knockdown. Back up and Williams wins a slugout and goes to remove the turnbuckle pad, allowing Jordan to come back with a superkick. Williams knocked into the corner where he pulls off the middle pad, allowing the bulldog driver to finish Jordan at 11:34.

Rating: C. They did this the right way as there is no reason for Jordan to beat someone that much better than him. Williams has always felt like the bigger and better star on the team so why bother trying to do anything other than the obvious. Hopefully this is it as Williams can move on to something else while Jordan can stay in the midcard at best.

Overall Rating: C. Not their best show but it worked out well enough. Above all else, this was a show with almost no star power as the main event was the only thing that felt like it mattered. It isn’t a particularly good show, though it advanced some stories and had watchable enough action. Given how big the rest of the week’s shows have gone, that is kind of a nice change of pace, even for a fairly meh show.

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NXT
Date: April 13, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

We’re officially on a new night now and that means things should be getting all the more interesting. This is also coming off of Takeover: Stand & Deliver and we have quite a few changes to deal with tonight. The good thing is Raw left a pretty low bar for this show to clear. Let’s get to it.

Here are both nights of Takeover if you need a recap.

Here are Karrion Kross and Scarlett to interrupt. Kross says time comes for everyone and promised to get the title back. Finn Balor went on a tear as NXT Champion but he couldn’t control Kross and Kross controls everything. He is going to hold this title until he says otherwise because no one is going to out train or out wrestle him. It doesn’t matter what you have done before or how many zeroes are on the end of your check, because everyone pays the toll. They went with the straightforward push here and it worked pretty well.

We get a video on Takeover (which starts with Michael Cole sounding like he is talking about Wrestlemania so we might have seen a bit of a production botch there).

Tag Team Titles: MSK vs. Killian Dain/Drake Maverick

MSK is defending. Dain takes Wes Lee down to start and it’s quickly off to Maverick for a missile dropkick. Lee gets Maverick into the corner without too much trouble though and it’s Carter coming in with a Bronco Buster. Carter is sent outside though and we take a break. Back with Carter German suplexing Maverick but it’s quickly back to Dain, meaning the double teaming begins.

The champs manage to knock Dain down and the Final Flash gives Lee two. Carter comes back in and tries a sunset flip, but Dain picks up Lee and Falcon Arrows him while also sitting on Carter’s chest. Dain tries to powerbomb Maverick onto Nash but only hits the mat, allowing Carter to come back with a springboard twisting cutter. Dain is sent outside, leaving Maverick to take a Hart Attack with a Blockbuster. Carter dives onto Dain (while almost leaving it short and barely clearing the apron) as Lee pins Maverick to retain at 10:25.

Rating: C. Completely fine match here and a good way to check off MSK’s first title defense. It played to the formula of Dain being the (mostly) unstoppable monster so MSK went after Maverick in a smart move. They could hold the titles for a nice reign and have the exciting matches they are capable of, which will work out rather well for a lot of teams.

Post match MSK leaves and here is Imperium (minus Walter) to lay out Dain.

Robert Stone (in his bedazzled gloves) is trying to get a Women’s Tag Team Title shot for Aaliyah and Jessi Kamea but Mercedes Martinez comes in, demanding her money. She grabs Aaliyah by the throat but Kamea comes in to issue the challenge for tonight.

Long video on the ridiculously long Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole Takeover main event.

We get some post match footage of the two of them being taken away on stretchers, with Cole shouting at O’Reilly as they were wheeled away. William Regal shakes his head as they are taken towards the ambulance.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Jessi Kamea

The rest of the Robert Stone Brand is here with Kamea, who jumps Martinez to start. The forearms to the back and choking on the ropes don’t do much to Martinez, who is right back with a jumping knee to the face. The Air Raid Crash finishes Kamea at 1:52.

Post match Martinez grabs Stone and chokes him against the barricade, where he finally pays her off from a few weeks back. Martinez goes to the announcers’ table and says she’s coming for Raquel Gonzalez. That’s good enough to make my eyebrows go up.

The Way still thinks William Regal have it out for him but they are ready for their eight person tag. Indi Hartwell wants to take care of some, ahem, business with Dexter Lumis. Everyone puts their hands in for THE WAY….and then Austin Theory walks the wrong way.

Isaiah Scott is in his studio and doesn’t think much of Leon Ruff. It is time for him to move on but he can’t do that. Tonight, they are done.

Here is Legado del Fantasma for a chat. Santos Escobar talks about how the team came together a year ago and the cruiserweights have become must see as a result. His father was a champion, he is a champion and his son will be a champion, so tonight it is an open challenge for a title shot.

Cruiserweight Title: Kushida vs. Santos Escobar

Escobar, with Legado del Fantasma, is defending. Kushida, now in trunks instead of jeans, dropkicks Escobar to the floor before the bell. Back in and Kushida knocks him to the floor again but the threat of a dive has Escobar backing up. Instead, Kushida poses as we take a break. Back with Kushida in trouble on the floor and being sent into the steps for his efforts. Escobar gets creative by putting on a Liontamer on the steps, with Kushida almost grabbing the post to hang on.

They get back in with some Kawada kicks giving Escobar two and the armbar goes on. Escobar switches to a double arm crank but Kushida fights up and strikes his way to freedom. The hiptoss into the basement dropkick gets two and Kushida kicks him in the arm. Escobar is sat on top for a running kick to the arm and a butterfly superplex brings him back down.

Another suplex gives Kushida two but Escobar blocks the Hoverboard Lock. They trade kicks to the head and they’re both down again. Back up and Escobar grabs a Backstabber but they go into a pinfall reversal sequence with Kushida getting a rollup for the pin and the title at 11:04.

Rating: B-. They surprised the heck out of me here and it was quite the good match to get us there. I’ve been a big Kushida fan for a good while now but I haven’t been thrilled with how he has done in NXT. At some point he needed to win something and that is what he did here. I’m not sure how much of a future he has as champion, but winning and losing it fast is better than nothing.

Tommaso Ciampa says he and Timothy Thatcher didn’t win every fight in the Dusty Classic but they won every battle. Thatcher likes the new challenges and says they’re coming. Ciampa throws down his chair and leaves.

William Regal congratulates Kushida on his win but here is Jordan Devlin to say that was a nice win over Escobar….but all Escobar did was climb a ladder. Devlin is still the best wrestler around here and would take the title if he wasn’t heading back to the UK. He’ll be back though, and Kushida says anytime.

Here is Dakota Kai to introduce new Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez. Raquel talks about how she has been working harder and training more than ever before. Kai noticed that and gave her chance, which is why she debuted in Portland and went on to win the title. Io Shirai was a great champion, but the Raquel Gonzalez has begun.

The lights go out and here is the debuting Franky Monet, complete with dog, to interrupt. She introduces herself as La Reina Loca and says this place is now shinier, bougier and a whole lot better. Gonzalez says if Monet ever interrupts her again, she’s shove the dog up Monet’s something in Spanish (I think you can figure it out). Monet calls her something in Spanish and promises to see Gonzalez every Tuesday.

That’s enough for Monet….and here’s Rhea Ripley for a surprise. She comes to the ring, stares at Gonzalez, and clinks the titles together. We get the big congratulatory hug but now it’s Bianca Belair coming in as well as I feel like I’m writing some fan fiction. They pose together and we see a photo of the three of them in NXT as they all pose with their new titles. This was really, really cool and a special moment.

Pete Dunne says he had a classic at Takeover and if anyone wants to come at him, bring it on. For now though, it is time for him to go get a title.

Video on Sarray, who is coming to the women’s division. She debuts next week.

William Regal is happy Sarray is coming but has to go into his office to talk to Roderick Strong and Strong’s wife Marina Shafir. Strong hands him an envelope, which seems to be his resignation. Strong says he’s done and Regal says he is welcome back anytime.

Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah Scott

Ruff starts fast and sends him to the floor where he snaps Scott’s arm to make it worse. Back in and Scott’s arm is fine enough for a slam and a middle rope elbow to a seated Ruff’s back gets two. Ruff is back up with some running shots to the face and a stomp….mostly misses but it was close enough to be passed off as a running knee.

Scott catches him with a middle rope Russian legsweep though and Ruff heads outside. A kick to the face from the apron drops Ruff and we take a break. Back with Scott chopping away but Ruff fights up and gets to the top for the cutter. Scott bails to the floor but Ruff is right there with the big flip dive (and sticks the landing). They go back to the apron and then up top with Ruff snapping off a heck of a super hurricanrana.

Scott is back up with a fireman’s carry but Ruff turns it into a headscissors into the corner. Another hurricanrana gets a VERY close two on Scott but another super hurricanrana is countered into a face first drop onto the top turnbuckle. A flipping slam (kind of a half nelson flipped forward, kind of like a smaller One Winged Angel) finishes Ruff at 11:07.

Rating: C+. I had a lot of fun with this one and it was really just some of the botches that held it back. The thing that keeps catching my attention here is how much Leon Ruff has gotten out of this run. He basically stumbled into the whole thing and while he is not going to be some big star or a main eventer, he is getting every single thing he can out of this chance. Good for him for going from nothing to something, as not everyone gets to do that. Scott winning is a good sign for his future, and I’m curious to see where he goes next.

Zoey Stark is proud of her win over Toni Storm but Mercedes Martinez comes in and asks why we’re talking about a rookie. Tensions are teased.

Walter narrates a video about Imperium, promising that the group will expand and continue to dominate, because the mat is sacred.

Isaiah Scott implies that it is over with Leon Ruff….who jumps him from behind and sends Scott head first into the lockers. Ruff rolls an anvil case at Scott’s head and says that it isn’t over until he decides it is. Well that was out of nowhere.

Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon/Dexter Lumis/Bronson Reed vs. The Way

The Way has some issues figuring out their posing before the bell. Theory drives Lumis into the corner to start but Lumis hits a Thesz press into some right hands. That’s enough for Theory to bring in LeRae so Blackheart joins her. LeRae gets taken down and it’s off to Moon so Gargano comes in….and gets knocked down by the women. Lumis comes in and stares at Hartwell but LeRae breaks that up as we take a break.

Back with Reed running Theory and Gargano over, setting up a double splash in the corner. The double Samoan drop gets two and all four women come in for the brawl. Hartwell spinebusters Moon and LeRae superkicks Blackheart. For some reason, LeRae dives at Reed, who literally brushes her off after she crashes to the mat. Theory dropkicks Reed and the women start hitting some dives onto the men. Blackheart has Reed throw her onto the pile at ringside for the big crash.

Back in and Lumis Silences Gargano, with Hartwell not breaking it up. Instead she drops down next to Lumis, who checks on her, allowing Theory to hit Lumis in the head. Hartwell throws Theory outside and drops down in front of Lumis again, so Lumis carries her off, with Hartwell smiling at the camera and giving a thumbs up.

Reed punches Theory in the face and Moon climbs onto Reed’s shoulders for the Eclipse on Theory. LeRae sends Moon to the floor though and Gargano crotches Reed on top. Reed drops Gargano onto Theory so LeRae goes up and loads up a superplex on Reed. After LeRae winds up hanging out of the air, Blackheart breaks it up, leaving the Tsunami to finish Theory at 11:04.

Rating: C+. This was one of the most against the grain matches in recent memory and I think I liked it. They kept things moving, they did about half a dozen different things throughout, and the action never got that ridiculous. It really wasn’t like most NXT matches but it kept me interested and the Hartwell thing was so over the top that it worked in the end. Certainly not a great match, but it was fun and that is what they were trying for here.

Reed poses with the women while the Way is in shambles to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I don’t know if it was Raw being so bad or this show being that much better, but I had a blast with this one. It felt like stuff happened and they hit the ground running, but above all else, this show came off like someone (or likely a few people) had a plan and executed it. You do not get that on Raw most of the time and they could absolutely learn a few lessons from NXT. This show was all kinds of fun, and the trio of new champions posing with their titles was a genuine feel good moment. This is how you follow up a big show and it made me want to watch more going forward.

Results

MSK b. Killian Dain/Drake Maverick – Spinebuster/Blockbuster combination to Maverick

Mercedes Martinez b. Jessi Kamea – Air Raid Crash

Kushida b. Santos Escobar – Rollup

Isaiah Scott b. Leon Ruff – Flipping slam

Bronson Reed/Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon/Dexter Lumis b. The Way – Tsunami to Theory

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Takeover: Stand & Deliver Night Two
Date: April 8, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

We’re back here after a heck of a first night and the card here might look even better. The main event is the showdown over the NXT Title as Finn Balor defends against Karrion Kross, who never lost the title in the first place. Other than that, we have multiple title matches and an unsanctioned match between Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole. Let’s get to it.

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

Kickoff Show: Breezango vs. Killian Dain/Drake Maverick

The winners get a future Tag Team Title shot against MSK. Breeze grabs Dain’s wrist to start and brings in Fandango, who is knocked away without much effort. Dain isn’t having any of this and runs Fandango over before handing it off to Maverick for…we’ll call it dancing I guess. Fandango manages a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two on Maverick and it’s back to Breeze for the same off a suplex.

Maverick is driven into the corner and Breeze knocks him down with a right hand. A legdrop gets two on Maverick and we hit the chinlock. Maverick fights up and slips over for the tag to Dain, meaning house can be cleaned. A fall away slam/Samoan drop plants Breezango for two as everything starts to break down. Dain is finally sent outside but Maverick catches Fandango up top for a super hurricanrana. That lets Dain come back in and powerbomb Maverick onto Fandango for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C. Pretty standard match here and while Maverick and Dain aren’t likely to win the titles, I’ll take them over the rather middle of the road Breezango. There is no reason to give them another shot at the moment, as the team hasn’t done much of anything since losing the titles. Maverick and Dain are at least fresh, and MSK surviving the monster is a good way to get their reign started.

Poppy sings a song to open things up.

Cruiserweight Title: Jordan Devlin vs. Santos Escobar

Ladder match to unify the two titles. They go straight to the slugout at the bell but Devlin can’t hit the early Devlin Slide attempt. Devlin sticks the landing on a tilt-a-whirl attempt so Escobar elbows him in the back. That’s fine with Devlin, who knocks him down to set up a standing moonsault. Escobar is knocked outside and that sets up an Asai moonsault to drop him again. It’s time for the first ladder and thankfully Devlin is ready for the attempted baseball slide.

Devlin knocks Escobar down with the ladder instead and goes for the belts but Escobar is back in for a hard ram into the ladder instead. A whip into the corner into the ladder has Devlin crashing out to the floor. Escobar hits some running knees against the barricade and the cockiness is ramping up. It’s time for another ladder, with Escobar leaning it up against the barricade. Back in and Devlin tries to stop Escobar from getting the titles but Escobar is ready for him with a ladder shot.

A running dropkick sends the ladder into Devlin’s ribs in the corner and let’s get another ladder. This one is sat on the top rope but Escobar spends too much time talking trash and slapping Devlin in the face, meaning it’s Escobar being sent into the ladder instead. A dropkick to the banged up ribs puts Devlin down again though as the fans are behind Escobar. For some reason Escobar catapults Devlin at the ladder and he manages to get his hand on the titles, allowing him to dive down with a DDT to lay Escobar out again.

Devlin is sent outside though and Escobar’s suicide dive sends him into the standing ladder. Back in and Escobar’s double underhook is countered into a backdrop onto the ladder and they’re both down again. The Devlin Slide is countered into a jumping knee to the face but Devlin is right back with the Spanish Fly. The slingshot cutter drops Escobar again and a ladder is set up in the corner. For some reason Devlin climbs there and, after knocking Escobar down, hits a great looking moonsault from the very top of the ladder.

That’s enough for Devlin to go up but here is Legado del Fantasma to turn the ladder over (with Devlin falling to the floor in a hurry, which looked rather scary). After the beatdown, Escobar sends Legado to the back and goes up, but Devlin throws a ladder at him for the save. The super Spanish Fly off the ladder leaves them both laying again. They both go up and slug it out on top of the ladder until Escobar knocks him off and through the ladder in the corner. That’s enough for Escobar to pull down the titles and win at 18:07.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and that’s what you want out of a ladder match. You could feel the energy here and they were going with the classic formula of a lot of flips and dives off of the ladder. Sure a lot of it didn’t make sense (such as where Devlin put the ladder in the first place) but egads it was a fun spectacle, which is what you’re going for in a match like this. The ladder exploding at the end was a great visual too and it capped off a heck of a fun match.

Post match Escobar celebrates with Legado and his son in a nice moment.

MSK is proud to win the Tag Team Titles but don’t agree on who wins between Finn Balor and Karrion Kross.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: The Way vs. Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon

Blackheart and Moon are defending and come out in their tank because that’s what they do. It’s a brawl to start until LeRae starts hammering on Blackheart. Some pulling of the hair lets LeRae take her down and we hit the armbar. Hartwell comes in for some shots of her own but it’s quickly back to LeRae for a few more stomps. Shotzi manages to kick her down though and the hot tag brings in Moon to clean house. She throws in a SUCK IT (for Road Dogg) and nails a running splash in the corner to LeRae.

Hartwell’s distraction breaks up the Eclipse though but Blackheart comes in to turn it into a Tower of Doom. We settle back down to Hartwell spinebustering Moon for two but Shotzi comes back in for a suicide dive onto the Way, which does not exactly land very well. Moon dives onto LeRae and it’s a Dominator/sliding cutter combination to give Blackheart two back inside. LeRae knocks Moon off the apron and it’s a flapjack/Downward Spiral combination for two on Blackheart. Moon tags herself back in though and it’s a double Eclipse to set up Trip to the Ball Pit to retain the titles at 10:23.

Rating: C. These titles still don’t feel important, but it was absolutely the right call to have the champs retain. You need to establish the titles a bit before you have another title change and Moon/Blackheart are fine enough for the current champs. This was fine for a pretty big TV match, but it’s not like the titles have any kind of history or importance so far. That can come later, but it makes for some pretty uninteresting early title matches.

We recap Bronson Reed winning the Gauntlet Eliminator to become #1 contender to the North American Title.

Gable Stevenson (with Stephanie McMahon), an NCAA Heavyweight Champion in wrestling and an Olympian, is here.

North American Title: Bronson Reed vs. Johnny Gargano

Gargano is defending and has Austin Theory with him. Reed cartwheels away from him to start and Gargano seems a bit stunned. A fall away slam sends Gargano flying but he manages to get in a shot to the head. The slingshot spear….bounces off of Reed, who chops Gargano down with ease. Back up and Gargano gets smart by going for the knee to knock Reed outside.

The baseball slide takes Reed down but he pulls the slingshot dive out of the air. Gargano sends him ribs first into the announcers’ table (which is moved by the impact) and it’s time to head back inside for the left hands in the corner. A middle rope splash crushes Reed again and Gargano grabs a cobra clutch. Gargano goes up again but dives into a powerslam to give Reed a breather. A chokeslam plants Gargano and Reed muscles him up for a suplex into a Death Valley Driver.

Reed takes him to the corner for a superplex but Gargano reverses into a Backstabber for two. A missed backsplash lets Gargano grab a crucifix for two more but Reed gets him into an electric chair. That’s countered into a poisonrana, sending Reed out to the apron. One Final Beat onto the ramp is countered into a Razor’s Edge over the top and back inside for the big crash. The Tsunami only hits mat though and Gargano nails a low superkick for a close two. Reed blasts him with a clothesline so Theory gets up to block another Tsunami attempt.

Gargano tries a super hurricanrana but Reed jumps down instead (that seemed like a botch but Reed saved it in time) and plants Gargano with a powerbomb. Theory puts Gargano’s foot on the ropes and Gargano heads to the floor, allowing Reed to CRUSH Theory with a suicide dive. Back in and an Air Raid Crash gets two on Gargano so Reed goes up again. Reed debuts and misses a moonsault though, allowing Gargano to hit One Final Beat….and one more Final Beat to retain at 16:12.

Rating: B. Who knew Reed had this in him? This was a cool idea where the face was the monster and trying everything he could to overcome the odds. The problem is that Gargano is awesome at Takeover and that makes it rather hard to actually beat him. Gargano is in a weird place where there is little for him left to do in NXT but it would seem to be a career crushing promotion. Hopefully he drops the title in a big moment, as he probably will, but I’m not sure how it goes after that.

We recap Karrion Kross vs. Finn Balor for the NXT Title. Kross was forced to vacate the title due to an injury and Balor won it, meaning it’s time for a showdown.

Oney Lorcan, Pete Dunne and Danny Burch are here.

NXT Title: Karrion Kross vs. Finn Balor

Kross is challenging and has Scarlett with him. They stare each other down to start and Kross shoves him around with ease. Balor goes after the arm and gets kneed in the ribs for his efforts. A headlock works a bit better for Balor but Kross shoves him around with straight power….so Balor slaps him in the face. Balor gets driven into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs but Kross misses a charge. That lets Balor pull the arm around the top rope and the armbar goes on.

Kross powers up again and ties Balor in the Tree of Woe for a running knee to the ribs. Balor is back with another armbar but the powerbomb counter is countered into a DDT to the arm. A hammerlock has Kross’ arm in more trouble and Balor takes him into the corner. Balor hits a spinning kick to the ribs and Kross crumples to the mat. That’s fine with Balor, who hammers away at the ribs until Kross kicks him in the ribs. Kross loads up an Oklahoma Stampede but Balor reverses into a Nightmare on Helm Street to put both guys down.

Kross is back up to hit a powerbomb for two more and can’t believe the kickout. Balor is right back on the ribs and shoulder with the abdominal stretch, followed by the Sling Blade to drop Kross again. Back up and Kross runs him over again but charges into the Pele kick. The shotgun dropkick sends Kross into the corner and the Coup de Grace connects….but the cover is reversed into a choke.

Balor rolls out and hits the jumping double stomp, setting up something like an abdominal stretch on the mat. Kross reverses that and unloads with forearms to the back of the head. A German suplex drops Balor again, followed by the Doomsday Saito. The running forearm to the back of the head gives Kross the pin and the title back at 17:09.

Rating: B+. This took some time to get going but by the end they had the right idea with Kross just being able to be violent enough to put Balor away. It was a clean win as it should have been with Balor giving it everything he had but not being able to put Kross away. I’m glad to see Kross win the title back because he never lost it, and hopefully this is enough to send Balor back up to the main roster, assuming he wants to go.

Franky Monet’s dog finds her again.

Santos Escobar is proud of his win and is ready to expand his legacy.

We recap Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly. Cole turned on the Undisputed Era and broke up the team by attacking O’Reilly. This did not exactly sit well and O’Reilly is ready to beat him up as revenge for everything that Cole has caused him to do since the team began. The match is unsanctioned, meaning anything goes.

Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Anything goes and they both have new music. They stare each other down to start and O’Reilly slugs away to start as we’re off in a hurry. A running big boot in the corner hits Cole and they’re on the floor in a hurry. O’Reilly sends him into various things on the floor and they head back inside, only to have Cole knock him off the top and back to the floor in a crash. Cole gets in a whip to the barricade and loads up a bunch of chairs.

Some of the chairs are sent inside and another one, with the Undisputed Era logo on the back, is cracked down onto O’Reilly’s back. They head inside again with Cole hitting a neckbreaker onto a chair and glaring down at O’Reilly. The neck crank goes on before Cole plants him again and tells O’Reilly to get up. That’s fine with O’Reilly, who hits a jumping knee.

Cole pump kicks him in the face but O’Reilly is right back with the Muay Thai knees. O’Reilly knocks him to the floor and sits him in a chair for the running knees from the apron. Back in and O’Reilly busts out a chain but gets caught in a hanging neckbreaker onto said chain. They grab the chain and slug it out with O’Reilly getting the better of things and loading the chain around his leg. The Figure Four, with the chain around the leg, has Cole in even more trouble until he turns it over. O’Reilly turns it right back over and the chain is tied to the top rope.

Back up and O’Reilly gets a running start but Cole uses the chain to clothesline him down. A German suplex drops O’Reilly and he lands in a chair, allowing Cole to hit a Shining Wizard for two more. They head outside again with Cole trying the brainbuster onto the steps but O’Reilly reverses into a guillotine. With Cole out on his feet, O’Reilly knees him in the chest but takes too long loading up his own brainbuster. Cole drives him into the barricade, only to get knocked down again.

O’Reilly loads up the announcers’ table and they slug it out on top until O’Reilly hits a brainbuster (THUD) onto the table. Cole staggers beyond the barricade and grabs a TV monitor to blast O’Reilly in the face. It’s back inside with Cole busting out a toolbox, including a wrench. That’s blocked as well so O’Reilly hits a rebound lariat. O’Reilly ties the chain around Cole’s arm and tries a cross armbreaker, followed by a triangle choke.

Cole breaks that up and they sit in some chairs and slug it out, including trash talk for a bonus. A low blow cuts O’Reilly down and Cole superkicks him for two. With nothing else working, Cole wraps the chair around O’Reilly’s neck and shoves there referee down for daring to break it up. The Panama Sunrise connects but there is no referee. They go up the ramp with Cole throwing a chair at O’Reilly’s head for a nasty crash. Cole drives him into the barricade but O’Reilly is back with a guillotine choke….and they go crashing through the ramp.

Cole is up first and kicks a hole in the side of the ramp to pull O’Reilly back out. O’Reilly gets in the ring and falls right back out, allowing Cole to hit the brainbuster onto the steps. That gets two back inside as this is full on ridiculous Cole Takeover match. The Last Shot misses though and O’Reilly pulls him into a heel hook. Cole is in trouble but wraps the chain around his hand to knock O’Reilly cold.

Another Panama Sunrise is countered and O’Reilly hits his own fireman’s carry neckbreaker. The knee pad comes down and a Last Shot to Cole….gets two. Oh come on already. O’Reilly loads up a Pillmanization on the ankle but Cole gets up and catches him with a chair on top. A chair is turned upside down but O’Reilly gets in his own low blow. O’Reilly wraps the chain around his leg and drops a knee to Cole’s neck to drive it into the chair for the pin at 40:18.

Rating: B. Yeah it was a good brawl and they beat each other up but GOOD GRIEF STOP LETTING COLE GO ON FOREVER LIKE THIS. There is a place for a long match but you could have probably cut out nearly twenty minutes of this thing and had just about the same match. This just kept going and I was getting annoyed at it for going on so long. It felt like they had a long checklist of things that they had come up with and needed to get through instead of doing what made sense for the match. I really didn’t have fun with this one and it was ALL because of the length.

Cole gets taken away on the stretcher and O’Reilly just stares at him to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. That main event sucked the life out of this show for me and that is not a feeling I’m used to around here. This show probably should have been done fifteen minutes earlier and that is a much bigger problem when you are on your second two plus hour show in a row. It’s still very good and I liked it a lot, but enough with the long main events. Everything else made sense and went the right way with some awesome matches though, and it’s another awesome Takeover to go with what we had last night. I don’t need another two night Takeover, but for a one off, it went very well.

Results

Santos Escobar b. Jordan Devlin – Escobar pulled down the titles

Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon b. The Way – Trip to the Ball Pit to Hartwell

Johnny Gargano b. Bronson Reed – One Final Beat

Karrion Kross b. Finn Balor – Running forearm to the back of the head

Kyle O’Reilly b. Adam Cole – Middle rope knee with a chain

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

I’m not sure what the deal is with this one as the show has a fancy title but it seems to just be a beefed up episode of the show. What matters most here is that Walter is defending the United Kingdom Title against Rampage Brown, which should be a heck of a hoss fight. This show does have some potential so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video talks about how this is Wrestlemania weekend but you need a big way to start. That is where this show comes in, including a pretty big United Kingdom Title match.

Opening sequence.

Noam Dar vs. Tyler Bate

Heritage Cup rules and the winner gets a shot at A-Kid. Trent Seven is here with Bate while Sha Samuels is with Dar. Before the match, A-Kid pops up on screen to say he’ll be watching. Round One starts with an exchange of missed strikes so Bate tries a backslide, only to be driven into the corner. The second attempt at a backslide works a bit better for a near fall, only to have Bate grab a rollup for the first fall at 1:15.

Round Two begins with Bate taking him down by the arm but Dar reverses into a leglock. A takedown by the leg hate Bate in a bit of trouble but he pops back up to grab a cravate. Dar takes him down again and an elbow to the head gets two but Bate is back up with a dropkick. They fight over a test of strength and the round ends.

Round Three begins with Dar hitting a shot to the face for a surprise knockdown. Bate has to shake his head on his way back up and then it’s an even harder shot to put him down again. That’s good for two and Dar seems to get a bit cocky but comes back to reality to kick Bate in the knee. Seven is seeming a bit nervous as Dar grabs a belly to back suplex for two. Bate gets in a shot in the corner though and a middle rope elbow connects, only to damage the knee a bit more. The airplane spin goes on, with Bate turning him around and around for nearly thirty seconds until the round ends.

Round Four begins with Dar rather dizzy so Bate picks him up with the airplane spin all over again. Bate finally drops him but can barely stand himself. He’s fine enough to hit the rebound lariat but Dar is right back with a sliding lariat for his own two. Bate manages to use his legs to tie up the arm though, setting up a hard shot to Dar’s face. Back up and they trade the big strikes, including Dar kicking the knee out. Bate smacks him in the face and the round ends with both of them in pain.

Round Five begins with Dar going straight to the knee. Bate misses a shot and gets taken down, setting up a kneebar for the tap at 40 seconds (13:18 overall) of the round to tie it up at a fall apiece. Round Six (the final round) begins with Dar going after the knee again but this time Bate manages to try the Tyler Driver 97. That is broken up but the seconds get in a fight on the floor. Somehow Bate manages a dive onto all of them for a huge knockdown. Back in and the Nova Roller misses, allowing Bate to hit the Tyler Driver 97 for the pin at 1:34 of the fall (15:33 overall).

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but that is kind of the point of a match like this one. Bate winning is the right call as he is a far bigger star, along with being a much stronger challenger to A-Kid. Throw in the stories of him trying to find himself and not being in the tournament for the inaugural championship and it makes a lot more sense. These two beat each other up here and it was nice to see a match that felt like it could go either way while being put together well. Nice job here, as the Heritage Cup tends to go.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews are training in the Performance Center with I believe Dani Luna.

Video on Ilja Dragunov going a bit nuts after his loss to Walter, including him snapping on Sam Gradwell.

Piper Niven continues to train Jack Starz to be more aggressive. Niven: “ARE YOU READY???” Starz: “I’M READY!!!”

Jordan Devlin is on his way back after he’s done in Orlando.

Meiko Satomura/Emelia McKenzie vs. Isla Dawn/Kay Lee Ray

Dawn headlocks McKenzie to the mat to start but McKenzie reverses into a cradle for two. That’s too much for Dawn so it’s off to Satomura vs. Kay instead. Ray manages to get her down in the corner and unloads with kicks, allowing Dawn to come in for the same. Satomura gets back up and drives over to the corner, allowing McKenzie to come in for a double kick to Dawn.

McKenzie grabs a suplex and then spears Ray down for two but Dawn pulls Satomura off the apron, meaning no tag. Instead, Dawn snaps off a Saito suplex for two. McKenzie gets in a few forearms of her own though and the hot tag brings in Satomura to start striking away. Ray gets kicked down in a hurry, setting up Satomura’s own Saito suplex for two.

Back up and Ray grabs a Gory Bomb for two, with McKenzie making the save. Ray superkicks McKenzie outside but Satomura pulls her into the STF. The rope breaks gets Ray out of trouble so she suplexes Satomura down. The two of them fight to the floor, leaving McKenzie to small package Dawn for the pin at 9:03, with the threat of Satomura preventing Ray from making a save.

Rating: B. They got rolling with this one and I wanted to see how it was going to end. You don’t get that feeling very often in a regular TV match but they made it work here. Ray has turned into a heck of a champion and I never would have bet on that at most points in her title reign. For someone who has held the title for over a year, she still has a lot of challengers waiting on her and that is pretty impressive.

Post match Aoife Valkyrie comes out, stares at Satomura and McKenzie, and pulls out a feather to leave for Satomura. It’s about time.

A-Kid is looking forward to defending against Tyler Bate so he can prove that he is the best technical wrestler around.

Amir Jordan storms into the building, screaming for Kenny Williams. Sid Scala says Kenny isn’t here but they can face each other next week. That seems good enough for Jordan.

Kenny Williams is sick of Jordan and is ready to prove that he carried him for two years.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Video on Walter vs. Rampage Brown.

United Kingdom Title: Walter vs. Rampage Brown

Walter is defending and drives him into the corner to start. Brown blasts him with a shot to knock him down though and a big shoulder puts Walter on the floor for a change. The fight heads outside where Walter drops him onto the apron and takes it back inside to tie Brown in the ropes. That means the big forearms to knock Brown free, setting up the big boot to rock him again. The chops put Brown down and a kick to the back makes it even worse.

Walter slaps on the Boston crab but Brown powers his way out for a breather. They strike it out until Walter knocks him down with a chop for two. We hit the chinlock for a bit but Brown is back up again, this time managing to knock Walter down for a change. They trade clotheslines but Walter gets the sleeper on to put him in trouble again. Brown breaks it up again and slips out of a powerbomb, setting up a heck of a clothesline. The Doctor Bomb is blocked and Walter gets the sleeper but Brown slips out again.

Walter blasts him down though and now the powerbomb can connect for two. With nothing else working, Walter goes up top but Brown powerslams him right back down. Brown gets a very delayed cover and nails a clothesline, setting up the Doctor Bomb. Walter is smart enough to roll to the ropes though and the delay means no cover. Instead Brown clubs him in the face but can’t hit another Doctor Bomb.

The chop takes Brown to his knees and a knee to the chest takes him down again. The big clothesline barely keeps Brown down and a second only gets two. Brown breaks up the sleeper so Walter suplexes him into the powerbomb for two more. Walter is done with this and the top rope splash retains at 13:44.

Rating: B+. Walter is almost becoming a victim of his own success as it is almost impossible to imagine him ever losing the title. It was hard to believe that Brown was going to take it from him here, but they beat the fire out of each other in a heavyweight slugfest. That’s what is so great about Walter’s matches: every single time he is in there it feels like an absolute war. We got it here again and this was a heck of a fight, as you knew it would be. I’m not sure who takes the title from him, but dang it is going to be a moment when they do.

Overall Rating: A. This was a heck of a show with all three matches working and the main event being even better than the other two. NXT UK is pretty easily the best weekly show going today and my goodness it is fun to watch Walter hit people really hard. Awesome stuff here and absolutely worth going out of your way to see, as nothing is less than very good.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Takeover: Stand & Deliver Night One
Date: April 7, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix

Things are changing a bit here as we have the first ever two night Takeover. It’s going to be interesting to see if they can make a two night event work, but I have learned never to bet against NXT. Hopefully they can make that work here, with Io Shirai defending the Women’s Title against Raquel Gonzalez in the main event. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Zoey Stark vs. Toni Storm

The fans are split on this one to start. They trade headlocks to start with Toni getting the better of things early on. Stark drives her down with a knee into the arm but Storm is back up with a shoulder. Stark gets away and hits a quick missile dropkick to rock Storm. That’s enough for Stark to go up but Storm pulls her off of the middle rope for a crash. Storm knocks her into the corner and stomps away a bit, followed by a slap out of the corner.

This time it’s Storm going up but Stark catches her with an enziguri, setting up a superplex for the double knockdown. A kick to the face rocks Storm and a half nelson suplex makes it even worse. Stark’s running knee to the face gets two but Storm is right back with an electric chair faceplant for two of her own. Storm Zero is blocked and Stark hits a heck of a superkick for another near fall. A pair of quick German suplexes drop Stark but she counters Storm Zero into a small package to pin Storm at 9:49.

Rating: C+. I’m surprised that it happened but Stark had to win something at some point. You can only be the one who comes close so many times while still losing for so long so the win is a good sign for her future. I’m not sure how much doubt there was that NXT wanted to push her, but now they are actually giving her a little something. Somehow Storm now needs a win to stop her downward slide, but I’m not sure when that is actually going to come.

Nita Strauss plays America the Beautiful to open things up.

A bunch of lightning goes off and the voiceover says welcome to the show. There are a lot more fans here here than there have been in recent weeks and you can feel more energy than NXT has had in a very long time.

There is even a ramp to the ring to make things feel even more unique this time around.

Pete Dunne vs. Kushida

Kushida takes him straight to the mat for a failed cross armbreaker attempt. A kneebar doesn’t work either but Kushida ties up the legs and grabs the arms. They get back up to fight over arm control with Dunne not being able to keep a hammerlock. Kushida tries a Tajiri handspring but Dunne cuts him down and starts in on the fingers. Dunne snaps the arm across the bottom rope for a nasty visual, followed by a painful looking stomp to the head.

Back up and Kushida kicks him in the arm, setting up the cartwheel dropkick to put Dunne on the ramp. Kushida misses a dive but manages the handspring elbow on the ramp instead. Back in and Dunne jumps onto Kushida for a Hoverboard Lock of his own but Kushida reverses into a quickly broken real thing. Kushida hits a fisherman’s buster for two and we take a break.

We come back with Kushida grabbing a Falcon Arrow into the cross armbreaker but Dunne is out in a hurry. Dunne’s armbreaker is broken up as well and they trade headbutts on the mat. Kushida hits a running dropkick to the arm and there’s a running flip kick to send Dunne to the apron.

The Hoverboard Lock goes on on top and Kushida flips him down into the full version on the mat. Kushida reverses into another arm crank, forcing Dunne to have to reach the ropes with his foot. A hard knee to the arm sets up another Hoverboard Lock but Dunne makes the rope. That’s fine with Kushida, who grabs the Hoverboard Lock on the other arm instead. Dunne escapes again and stomps on the hand, setting up the Bitter End for the pin at 10:41.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one near the end and then it just wrapped up all of a sudden. They were getting somewhere with all of the arm work and building to a big submission battle but it felt like the match needed another five to six minutes to really hit that other gear. It’s good and Kushida was doing better than he usually does, but it just didn’t have the time to reach that next level.

Gauntlet Eliminator

There are six people involved here and a new entrant comes in every three minutes. Pinfall and submission only for eliminations and the winner gets a North American Title shot against Johnny Gargano for tomorrow night. We come back from a break with Leon Ruff in at #1 and Isaiah Scott in at #2, with both guys already fighting in the ring (possibly because the Peacock feed is continuing during the commercials). Thankfully we get the opening bell here and they fight to the floor in a hurry.

Ruff is dropped onto the barricade but comes back with the twisting cutter off the announcers’ table. Back in and Scott sends him into the corner but a superbomb is countered into a good looking hurricanrana to put them both down again. Bronson Reed is in at #3 so Ruff dives at him on the ramp, only to get thrown back in over a ducking Scott. Reed sits on Scott’s back to put him down and then German suplexes both of them at the same time.

Cameron Grimes is in at #4 and a quick triple team knocks Reed to the floor. Scott and Grimes start double teaming Ruff but he bounces off the ropes in the corner (that was cool) and slides between Grimes’ legs. That doesn’t work to get rid of Scott though and a faceplant puts Ruff down again. Scott goes outside to kick Reed in the face and keep him down.

Back in and a hard clothesline puts Ruff down and it’s Dexter Lumis is in at #5. During the entrance, Scott pins Ruff for the first elimination at 9:46. Lumis gets in and fires off the suplexes to everyone but Reed, meaning it’s time for a staredown. Back up and Lumis manages to lift him up in a fireman’s carry but that doesn’t quite last. Instead Reed is thrown outside with Lumis and Grimes being knocked down as well. LA Knight completes the field at #6 and it’s time to talk a lot of trash on the mic. Reed scares him down though and we take a break.

We come back with Lumis grabbing the Silence on Grimes but Knight grabs a rollup to pin Lumis at 14:50. Grimes plants Knight though and Reed adds a backsplash to get rid of Knight at 15:25, much to Barrett’s annoyance. Lumis Silences Knight after the elimination and it’s a three way slugout inside. Grimes puts Scott down but a staggered Reed falls onto both of them to leave everyone on the mat for a breather. Back up and Grimes manages to counter Reed’s crossbody with the flipping powerslam (that was impressive) but Scott rolls Grimes up with trunks for the pin at 18:29.

Reed knocks Scott down and goes up but Scott catches him with a running kick to the head. Scott manages something like a Death Valley Driver onto the apron for a big knockdown, followed by a 450 for two back inside. The House Call rocks Reed again but another attempt is countered with a grab to the throat. Scott isn’t having that and hits another House Call for another two. Reed is back up with a powerbomb into something like White Noise. The Tsunami sends Reed to tomorrow at 22:25.

Rating: B. This was another good one but it never came close to that top level. That being said, Reed is a very fresh name to push in this spot and that is something interesting. There is something to be said about a monster who can hit a heck of a splash like that and I could go for Gargano seeing what he can do with Reed. If nothing else, it isn’t Lumis and I’ll take that pretty much every time.

Post match Gargano comes out for the staredown.

United Kingdom Title: Walter vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Walter is defending and Ciampa is in trunks for the first time in a long time. Ciampa’s headlock doesn’t last long as the much bigger Walter drives him into the corner. You don’t do that to Ciampa, who goes into Blackheart mode and stomps Walter down into another corner. A running boot is cut off by a big chop though and they head outside, where a missed chop sends Walter’s hand through the announcers’ table.

The arms are fine enough to drop Ciampa onto the apron though and they head back inside. A big chop is cut off with a raised elbow and Ciampa kicks away at the bad hand. Walter kicks him down for a breather and a half crab has Ciampa in more trouble. That’s broken up so Walter kicks him in the face again. Walter slowly knocks him around but Ciampa gets in a few shots of his own and we take a break.

Back with Ciampa managing to hit the Fairy Tale Ending and not being able to believe the kickout. Walter can’t get the sleeper but he can hit a release German suplex into the huge clothesline….for two. Back up and Ciampa pulls another clothesline into a Fujiwara armbar with the hand being bent back as well. The rope is grabbed so Ciampa unloads on Walter, who can only cover up until he makes the rope again.

Walter gets up on the apron and headbutts Ciampa down but he is right back to catch Walter on the top. That means a super Air Raid Crash gets two and they’re both down. Walter is back up to chop him down again and the powerbomb plants Ciampa one more time. Then it’s another powerbomb with Walter stacking up the cover for two. A sleeper suplex drops Ciampa again and the big chop is finally enough to put him away at 16:05.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and that’s what you want from Walter. I don’t think there was any drama over who was leaving with the title here, due to a combination of Rampage Brown already having a title match tomorrow at Prelude and, you know, Walter doesn’t lose. The hand injury being kind of forgotten near the end hurt things a bit, but these two beat each other senseless and that’s all this was for a good while. Pretty awesome stuff.

The dog from last week runs into an elevator, comes out of an elevator, and then runs into the ring where a woman (or at least her legs) are waiting. The name is confirmed as Franky Monet.

Tag Team Titles: MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma

The titles are vacant coming in. Legado elbows Lee down to start and drop Gibson as well. There’s a double basement dropkick to Lee but the Veterans get together to dropkick Wilde in the knee and the head to send him outside. Caster comes back in with a high crossbody to Gibson but Drake hits a clothesline to take him down. Drake stomps Carter down in the corner and we hit the chinlock.

That’s broken up as well so Lee comes back in to double team Gibson to the floor. Carter hits a step up dive to take the Veterans down again but Mendoza kicks Lee outside. Legado hits stereo dives (one of which included a flipping springboard) to take everyone down at once and we take a break. Back with Carter in trouble in the corner as Legado keeps up the double teaming.

Some running charges in the corner set up a double a suplex, followed by a moonsault to give Wilde two. Carter manages to get in a shot of his own though and the hot tag brings in Lee to clean house. The big flip dive takes out Legado on the floor and there’s the moonsault kick to Drake’s head. The push moonsault gets two more on Drake but Gibson is right there to pull Lee off the apron. Carter knees Drake but Legado is back into drop Carter again.

Lee hits a springboard moonsault into a double reverse DDT to put Legado back on the floor. Gibson is right back up to tie Lee’s hand in the turnbuckle, with Drake adding a running dropkick to crush the hand. The Shankly Gates has Lee in trouble but Carter grabs his hand to break up the tap. Gibson chokes Carter out but Mendoza breaks it up. A Death Valley Driver plants Drake and Wilde hits a top rope splash on Gibson.

The Russian legsweep/clothesline combination gets two on Lee and Legado can’t believe it. The Veterans load up the running Doomsday Device to Wilde and Carter Racks Mendoza for a running knee from Lee. That leaves us with MSK vs. the Veterans in the big showdown into a slugout. Carter hits a double cutter to put the Veterans down again and the flipping neckbreaker Hart Attack finishes Gibson for the titles at 15:29.

Rating: B. Yeah this was exactly what it needed to be here and that is all you can ask for. They had three teams going nuts for fifteen minutes and the young team won. I would assume that they were going to win the titles here anyway, so maybe we can see them face Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch when they get back. If nothing else, NXT just did what Impact Wrestling didn’t do in the years the team was there as the Rascalz: win something important. This was the high energy match that you would expect it to be and I’ll certainly take that.

We run down the night two card, which does look a lot better.

Stephanie McMahon and Sarray are here.

Women’s Title: Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez

Shirai is defending and Dakota Kai is here with Gonzalez. We get the Big Match Intros and Shirai charges straight at her, only to get sent into the corner. A hurricanrana doesn’t work for Shirai so she slaps her legs around Gonzalez’s head instead. That sets up a good looking top rope hurricanrana but the slingshot knees are blocked with straight power. Shirai sends her outside and hits the suicide dive against the barricade to keep the pace up.

Kai goes after Shirai though and that means the big over the top ejection. A kick to the chest sets up a Lionsault to drop Gonzalez again but she blocks another one. Gonzalez lawn darts her shoulder first into the post for two, followed by a powerbomb flipped forward into a kind of spinebuster for the same. Another powerbomb is dropped backwards to send Shirai throat first onto the top rope for two more.

Gonzalez drops some elbows for three but Shirai kicks out at four (that was a REALLY bad mess up as the referee clearly knew something went wrong) so we can keep going. Back up and Gonzalez puts on something like a Gory Stretch but Shirai reverses for a hurricanrana. A double stomp has Gonzalez in more trouble and the 619 makes it even worse. The springboard missile dropkick into a Code Red gets two on Gonzalez so Shirai goes up top.

Gonzalez catches her in the lifting powerbomb but Shirai slips out into a Crossface to have Gonzalez in trouble again. The rope is finally reached and the moonsault onto the ramp drops Gonzalez again. Shirai hits some running knees to leave Gonzalez mostly done. Naturally Shirai has found a way to climb onto the skull set and hit a HUGE high crossbody to crush Gonzalez for about the ninth time.

Back in and Shirai hits the moonsault for two. Gonzalez is down on the floor so Shirai goes after her, only to get caught in the lifting powerbomb. Back in and Gonzalez blasts her with a clothesline to turn Shirai inside out. One heck of a lifting powerbomb gives Gonzalez the pin and the title at 12:54.

Rating: B. Gonzalez winning was the best way to go here as Shirai is all but out of challengers after holding the title for over ten months. I’m not sure if Shirai is on her way to the main roster, but she didn’t need to have the title any longer. You also needed a big moment to end the night here and Shirai was doing everything she could here. They told a nice story of having Shirai try everything she could, only to come up short in the end. This felt like a main event and that’s a nice way to wrap up the show.

The long celebration ends the show.

Overall Rating: A-. It says a lot when the worst match on the show would be one of the best matches of the month on Raw. I’m not sure if it felt like a Takeover (the commercials on the TV version took a lot out of it) but they kept things going here and it was a very entertaining show. Above all else, it was an awesome start to Wrestlemania weekend and I had a great time. Tomorrow night awaits us though and that’s when the big stuff goes down. For now though, more Takeover awesomeness, which really shouldn’t surprise you.

Results

Pete Dunne b. Kushida – Bitter End

Bronson Reed won a Gauntlet Eliminator last eliminating Isaiah Scott

Walter b. Tommaso Ciampa – Chop

MSK b. Grizzled Young Veterans and Legado del Fantasma – Flipping neckbreaker/spinebuster combination to Gibson

Raquel Gonzalez b. Io Shirai – Lifting powerbomb

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT UK
Date: April 1, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for NXT UK: Prelude, which does look like a pretty solid card. I’m not sure what else we can expect here other than the hard sell for the show, but Pretty Deadly are having their first Tag Team Title defense. Other than that, hopefully we are in for another nice week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Aoife Valkyrie vs. Stevie Turner

Turner is described as futuristic and says she has a bad habit of taking things to the next level. Valkyrie grabs a headlock and then does it again for a bonus. Turner takes her down into a headlock on the mat of her own before winning a battle over a top wristlock. An armbar keeps Valkyrie down and Turner picks up the leg for some kicks to the thigh.

Turner pulls her out of the corner for a crash and a near fall but Valkyrie is fine enough to get to the middle rope for a jumping kick to the ribs. An enziguri gets two on Turner but she grabs a Backstabber out of the corner for two. Back up and Valkyrie blocks a kick to the ribs and hammers away at Turner’s face. The top rope ax kick finishes Turner at 4:47.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and Turner got to showcase herself rather well in her debut. The women’s division has been needing some fresh blood for awhile now so maybe Turner is someone who could make a bit of an impact. Granted that might be a long time off, but you have to start somewhere. Or maybe they could have Valkyrie do anything other than beat up one woman after another.

Video on A-Kid, who has wanted to be a wrestler since he was fifteen. Now he has become a star and he wants to be a role model for the next A-Kid. Now he is ready to defend the Heritage Cup against either Noam Dar or Tyler Bate and he wants to find out who it is.

Piper Niven comes in to see Jack Starz, who is ready for a workout, but Piper says there is more to training than exercise. She gives him a training session in intensity, which could go somewhere interesting.

Teoman vs. Josh Morrell

Teoman goes for the arm to start and gets Morrell to the mat in a hurry. Back up and Morrell flips his way to freedom but Teoman slaps him in the face. It’s time to start stomping on the ankle, followed by a running shot to the face to knock Morrell silly. The neck crank goes on, followed by a running elbow to the face.

Back up and Morrell wins a slugout, followed by a twisting backflip over Teoman out of the corner. A hiptoss takes Teoman down but a standing moonsault hits raised knees. Teoman hits a missile dropkick to the back of the head and it’s a running double stomp to crush Morrell again. The Crossface finishes Morrell at 5:22.

Rating: C. Teoman is someone who seems to have a lot of potential but there is something missing from his big offense. A missile dropkick into a Crossface looks good but it isn’t the most impactful sequence. That being said, there is a certain aura to him and hopefully that can go somewhere in the near future. Morrell is kind of generic, but he is starting to develop a bit of a reputation.

We get a sitdown interview between Walter and Rampage Brown. Walter talks about how he is the most dominant champion in NXT UK history but he does not respect Brown. That’s fine with Brown, who says he beat Walter the first time he came from England. Walter asks what he has done since then. Brown talks about being the one who did this before Walter, which sends Walter into a rant about how Brown will never understand what it means to be a champion. This should be a heck of a hoss fight.

Gallus is training, including Joe Coffey having to box right handed due to an arm injury. They leave the gym and go beat up a guy in the street.

Here’s Kay Lee Ray for a chat. She talks about wanting and getting competition, including beating the legendary Meiko Satomura. Get used to the sight of her as champion….but here is Amelia McKenzie, who has not been here for two years. Amelia wants to beat the best and their paths will cross one day. Ray says they can cross right now but here is Isla Dawn to jump McKenzie from behind. The beatdown is on but Meiko Satomura makes the save.

Video on Noam Dar vs. Tyler Bate, who are in a #1 contenders match for a shot at the Heritage Cup next week. Bate says he is a tidal wave so Dar better bring his lifeboat. Dar on the other hand is feeling dangerous.

Kay Lee Ray and Isla Dawn aren’t happy but here is Sid Scala to put them in a tag match against Amelia McKenzie and Meiko Satomura next week. Dawn stares at Scala.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan vs. Pretty Deadly

Williams/Jordan are challenging and after the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Howley works on Jordan’s arm to start and it’s off to Stoker in a hurry. A shoulder puts Jordan down but he is right back up with some dropkicks into a backslide for two. Howley and Williams come in with Howley working on the arms to keep control. Williams is back up with a leg crank and a foot on Howley’s face to make him scream.

That’s broken up and it’s back to Stoker for two off a double hiptoss. Williams armdrags him into an armbar though, setting up a tag back to Jordan. The alternating arm cranking has Stoker in trouble and a double dropkick from Jordan takes down both champs at once. Stoker and Howley are sent outside, with McGuinness being happy with the stall to cut off the momentum. Back in and Stoker makes a blind tag, allowing him to blast Jordan with a clothesline to take over.

We hit the chinlock until Jordan fights up with a neckbreaker but the hot tag attempt is cut off in a hurry. Another shot to Howley lets Jordan dive over but a tackle cuts if off again. The third attempt allows the hot tag to Williams though and the pace picks up in a hurry. A springboard double back elbow drops both champs as everything breaks down. Stoker drops to his back and kicks both of them in the face for a pretty sweet counter.

Jordan is back up with a wheelbarrow faceplant into a Swanton from Williams but Stoker makes another save. Williams hits a tornado DDT for two on Howley but he’s back up with a jawbreaker. Jordan springboards in, only to get caught by Stoker’s DDT. The referee gets bumped though and Williams grabs a title belt. Jordan insists that they don’t need to cheat….so Williams hits him with the belt instead. Spilled Milk retains the titles at 15:29.

Rating: B-. They took their time to get into a groove here but then it wound up working out well in the end. This was a formula tag match with an angle in the end, though I’m not sure how much interest there is in Williams turning on Jordan. Williams has been the bigger star since the team formed, but they still had a chance to win here before the screwy finish. Good match, but Pretty Deadly is a lot better with their vignettes than in the ring.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m running out of ways to say that NXT UK is a nice show with a bunch of good things every week. It might not be the show filled with star power or big angles, but it is a perfectly watchable wrestling show and that is all it needs to be. They are building up to a big show next week and they have set it up well enough. Another rather nice show this week and that’s a nice thing to look forward to every time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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