NXT UK
Date: May 6, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s time to get rid of someone as the main event of this week’s show will feature Amir Jordan vs. Kenny Williams in a loser leaves NXT UK showdown. This presents an interesting challenge as the result should not be surprising, but neither of them are really major stars in the first place. NXT UK can probably find a way to make it work though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Dave Mastiff

Dragunov slugs away to start but Mastiff gets in a shot of his own. A headlock doesn’t last for Dragunov, who is sent into the ropes in a hurry but comes off with a heck of a forearm. Dragunov jumps on his back for a choke as something seems to be wrong with Mastiff. A drop back breaks the hold but the referee checks on Mastiff and stops the match at 1:37.

The replay shows that the forearm busted Mastiff open and he did look shaken up.

Video on Xia Brookside (the first of five, one for each of the entries in the gauntlet match). She’ll fight for us.

Kenny Williams is ready for the main event.

Stevie Turner wants the best in NXT UK and seems to like the future. Must be an Asuka fan.

Ilja Dragunov doesn’t want to talk about what happened out there.

Gallus plays with a ball because whenever they drop it, they pick it back up. Rampage Brown comes up and isn’t happy that Joe Coffey isn’t here.

Video on Isla Dawn, who will sacrifice her soul to be Women’s Champion.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions, with Noam Dar talking about how people see him as underrated. That doesn’t make sense to him, but he doesn’t need validation from the fans anyway. With that out of the way, we’ll get to our guest with Nathan Frazer coming out. Frazer changed his name from Ben Carter because Carter was the name he used to hide his wrestling career from his family and coach. Now he is with WWE though so how much hiding can he do? Sha Samuels says Frazer isn’t a real British wrestler and after some yelling, a challenge is set.

Video on Jinny, who has studied for next week.

Amir Jordan is ready for the main event.

Subculture video. They want you to join them.

We look at Tyler Bate beating A-Kid in their first match last year, with both guys watching. Then they wrestled again, with the more confident and experienced A-Kid beating Bate, his mentor. Now it’s time for the rubber match for the Heritage Cup.

Video on Dani Luna, who is strong.

Saxton Huxley vs. Trent Seven

Huxley backs him into the corner to start and uppercuts away at the ribs. Some knees to the ribs put him down Seven down again but he’s right back with a slam into a legdrop. Back up and Huxley hits a running knee into a Thesz press to take over again. Some facewashes in the corner set up a running hip attack into a big boot as this is almost one sided so far.

Seven gets knocked down to the floor for an elbow off the apron for

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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 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.

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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.

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NXT UK
Date: March 11, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s time for a first ever match as we’re getting a mixed tag this week. I’m not sure how much of a deal that is but they have hyped it up well enough. On top of that we are getting a Heritage Cup rules match as Tyler Bate continues to try and get back on track. That could make for an interesting story so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tyler Bate vs. Dave Mastiff

Heritage Cup rules. Feeling out process to start with Bate’s headlock being countered with a wristlock. The much bigger Mastiff powers him down but Bate nips up into a standoff. Mastiff takes him down with some tests of strength for two each and Bate pops up before Mastiff can sit on his chest. Mastiff flips him down by the wrist to end the first round.

The second round begins with Bate having to dodge the big man and getting in a few shots to the face. Bate ducks underneath him and goes to the middle rope where a sunset flip gives him the first fall at 1:35 of the round. Bate slowly strikes away to start the third round, with Mastiff taking over off a shot to the face. For some reason Bate tries a fireman’s carry….and manages to get him up, only to have Mastiff reverse into a crucifix for the tying pin at 1:27 of the round.

Bate is all freaked out as round four begins and Mastiff sends him flying with a toss. Some slams have Bate in trouble as Mastiff channels his inner Ezekiel Jackson. Mastiff hits a powerbomb and then drops down onto his ribs, which is enough to send Bate bailing to the floor for a labored breather. Bate gets rammed into the barricade to make it worse but he dives back in to beat the count at nine. Mastiff gets some near falls as the round ends.

We start the fifth round with Mastiff elbowing away at the back and chest until Bate has to escape a fireman’s carry. Bate can’t hit a German suplex but he can collapse before Mastiff can hit a corner splash. A German suplex sends Mastiff flying but Into The Void misses. Somehow Bate manages the airplane spin and the Spiral Tap finishes Mastiff at 1:34 of the round (13:58 total).

Rating: B-. This was the David vs. Goliath formula with some crazy strength displays from Bate. The good thing about Bate is he has both the reputation and the skills to be moved into any spot so heating him up again is always a good idea. Mastiff continues to be impressive when he is given the chance, but these wins over him aren’t meaning as much as they start to pile up.

Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan are ready for Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster on their way to the Tag Team Titles.

Video on Aoife Valkyrie.

Teoman vs. Eddie Jones

That would be Lucky Kid from WXW. Teoman slaps him on the head out of the corner and then takes Jones down for a basement dropkick. Back up and Jones’ comeback is cut off by a shot to the ribs and Teoman stands on his head. The double arm crank doesn’t last long and Jones grabs a Backstabber. Teoman kicks him in the back and hits a missile dropkick to the back for a bonus. A double stomp to the back into a Crossface makes Jones tap at 3:30.

Rating: C. The wrestling was ok but there is a charisma from Teoman that got my attention. He feels like someone you are going to want to pay attention to and that is always a nice thing to see. NXT UK needs some new stars and if he can be part of that next generation, we could be in for a treat.

Xia Brookside has Nina Samuels clean her kitchen without telling her there is a dishwasher.

Eddie Dennis is not happy with Wild Boar causing Dennis to take a beating in the street fight.

Video on Amale.

Gallus is in an otherwise empty pool and promise to get back on top after losing the Tag Team Titles.

Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan vs. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews

Webster, with his taped up ribs, starts with Williams and takes him to the mat by the arm. A few spins let Webster take Williams down and it’s off to Andrews for a step up dropkick. After a quick chat on the floor, Jordan comes in and is quickly caught in Andrews’ wristlock. A double hiptoss takes Jordan down and Andrews hits a standing moonsault for two. There’s a basement dropkick for two more and Webster grabs a snap suplex for the same. It’s back to Williams to knock Webster down for a camel clutch on the bad ribs.

That’s broken up in a hurry so Jordan comes back in for a chinlock. Webster breaks that up in a hurry and dropkicks his way over to the corner for the tag off to Andrews. Everything breaks down with Andrews getting to clean house until a standing Sliced Bread drops Williams. A standing flip splash gets two and it’s a double tag so Jordan and Andrews can come back in.

Stundog Millionaire drops Jordan but Williams makes the save. It’s back to Williams with a springboard elbow to drop Webster but Andrews shoves him into Jordan for the crash. Williams is fine enough to blast Webster with a clothesline and they’re both down. There is no Jordan to tag so Williams hits a quick low blow (much to Jordan’s disapproval) and grabs a bulldog driver for the pin at 10:57.

Rating: C+. This is fairly interesting as Williams and Jordan have grown on me a bit since they have started taking things more seriously. I’m not sure I could have gotten all that interesting in seeing them as challengers for the titles though so doing this kind of a story could be more interesting. Williams is the more complete star, and him dropping Jordan makes a bit more sense.

Video on Ilja Dragunov going a bit scooters lately.

Video on Trent Seven, who is working harder than ever to be ready for his weigh-in. Tyler Bate has ever seen him work so hard. The weigh-in is next week on the Bump.

Ben Carter is ready for a new start so he has a new name: Nathan Frazer. That’s certainly a WWE name.

Jinny/Joseph Conners vs. Jack Starz/Piper Niven

The women start but Jinny tags out before anything happens (with a smirk on her face). Conners takes Starz to the mat by the arm (that’s really popular around here) but a cravate is broken up in a hurry. An armdrag into an armbar has Conners in some trouble for a change and Starz nails a dropkick to send Conners outside. It’s back to the women with Jinny rolling away until a Conners distraction lets her get in a few cheap shots.

That doesn’t work out so well so Jinny has to bring Conners back in, with Starz grabbing a fast backdrop. Conners uses a Jinny distraction to hit something like a bulldog to the apron, where Jinny nails a kick to the head. A tilt-a-whirl slam plants Starz and he hammers away in the corner, only to charge into an elbow to the face. Starz misses a crossbody though and goes sailing out to the floor.

Back in and Starz wins a slugout, setting up a diving tag to bring in Piper. Jinny gets thrown around to set up the running basement crossbody. A rolling Liger kick rocks Piper but a headbutt puts them both down. Conners tags himself back in so Piper feeds him into a suplex from Starz, setting up stereo Cannonballs. The Piper Driver plants Conners and Niven drops Starz onto him for the pin at 9:41.

Rating: C. Well that happened. This is a match that served as little more than a way to keep Jinny vs. Niven going, as somehow it is a feud that hasn’t gone on long enough already. The men were just people here for the sake of being there and they did their job well enough. It just wasn’t anything of note aside from Niven beating up Conners, and even that is only so interesting.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a more entertaining show than usual as they kept things moving. The matches weren’t the best but I had a fun time with the show. You can always go for something like that and what we got here worked out well. NXT UK continues to be very good stuff and that is never a bad situation to have.

Results

Tyler Bate b. Dave Mastiff – Spiral Tap

Teoman b. Eddie Jones – Crossface

Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan b. Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster – Bulldog driver to Webster

Piper Niven/Jack Starz b. Joseph Conners/Jinny – Splash to Conners

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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NXT UK
Date: March 4, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for a special show with a huge main event. This week the Women’s Title is on the line again as Kay Lee Ray defends against Meiko Satomura in what sounds like a final boss fight (because that’s an awesome/appropriate nickname). I’m not sure how I see it going but it would be a bit un-NXT to have someone pop in and win the title in her first major match. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the Women’s Title match with various main roster and NXT women giving their picks.

Opening sequence.

Sam Gradwell vs. Ilja Dragunov

Gradwell gets in a slap to the face and dodges away, only to get taken to the mat with a head and arm clutch. That’s broken up with Gradwell going for the arm but walking straight into a big boot. Gradwell is busted open but he is still able to catch Dragunov on top and knock him to the floor. Back in and Gradwell gets two off a shot to the face but has to check his busted mouth.

The butterfly suplex sets up a chinlock until Dragunov fights up and stares him down. A hard headbutt rocks Gradwell and sets up the rolling German suplexes, followed by an enziguri to rock Gradwell again. The top rope backsplash looks to set up Torpedo Moscow….which only hits an exposed buckle. Dragunov is fine enough to slip out of a fireman’s carry though and the hard elbows to Gradwell’s head are good for the stoppage at 8:07.

Rating: C. These two beat each other up well enough as I’m rather surprised at how much better Gradwell has gotten since returning. The intensity is there and it is making for an interesting story. Then there is Dragunov, who is a different kind of intense and has to be going somewhere with his recent near insanity streak.

Post match Dragunov keeps unloading with the elbows until the referee reverses the decision. Dragunov goes after the referee before snapping back to reality and looking at his hands. Dragunov is near tears as he leaves on his own.

Teoman (Lucky Kid) tells us that his name is Teoman and he is coming next week.

Xia Brookside has Nina Samuels bring her and Aleah James an apple and tea. Nina spikes the tea but Brookside takes the wrong one, meaning the frustration grows again.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions with Noam Dar, who reads some nice statements about himself. Tyler Bate is the guest this week and Dar mocks him for looking young. Bate is proud of his accomplishments and mentions being a vegan. Therefore, Dar has a gift for him: a lot of broccoli and some lettuce, which Bate enjoys. Bate doesn’t feel bad about losing to A-Kid because you only lose when you don’t do. Dar says Bate should face Dave Mastiff next week, which Bate will do, assuming it is under Heritage Cup rules. He is no one’s doormat and wants the funky music played.

Ben Carter was training at the Performance Center this week and talks about how awesome it is.

Video on Aleah James, who was inspired by Melina and Mickie James.

Isla Dawn uses an Ouija board, crystal ball and tarot cards for an unexplained reason.

Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan vs. Oliver Carter/Ashton Smith

Williams rolls away from Carter’s wristlock to start and they miss a few charges each. Smith comes in to run Williams over and takes him down again with a judo throw. Back up and a crossbody sets up a headlock but it’s off to Jordan in a hurry. That goes badly for him as well as Smith forearms him in the head, followed by Carter dropping him face first onto Smith’s raised boots. A running clothesline gives Smith two and it’s back to Carter for some kicks to the face.

Jordan manages an enziguri though and the hot tag brings in Williams to clean house. A Code Red gives Williams two on Smith as everything breaks down. Williams and Jordan hit stereo dives to the floor but Smith takes Williams down with a faceplant back inside. Carter flips Smith into a 450 for two on Jordan with Williams making the save. Williams dives onto Smith and it’s Jordan trading rollups with Carter. With Jordan in trouble, Williams turns a rollup over and Jordan gets the pin at 8:11.

Rating: C+. Not too bad here with both teams getting to showcase themselves. The problem here is both of them are on the lower tier of tag teams around here and they both needed that breakout match. I’m not sure if this was it, but winning a match on TV is always going to help things out a bit.

Video on Jinny/Joseph Conners vs. Piper Niven/Jack Starz. Piper wanted to fight them both on her own but had to get a partner so Starz is filling in for the first ever mixed tag in NXT UK history.

Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams are happy with their win and are ready to keep going against Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews next week.

Women’s Title: Kay Lee Ray vs. Meiko Satomura

Satomura is challenging and of course we get the Big Match Intros. The fight over a lockup doesn’t go anywhere so Satomura kicks the leg out and grabs the armbar. Back up and Ray slaps on a hammerlock but Satomura knocks her outside with ease. Ray scores with some chops back inside and gets two off a dropkick. Satomura is fine enough to slap on the STF, with Nigel freaking out on commentary.

The rope grab gets Ray out of trouble so Satomura kicks away at the leg. Ray is fine enough to pull her down into a Koji Clutch until Satomura stacks her up for two and the break. Back up and Satomura kicks her down in the corner without much trouble, only to have Ray slide to the floor and trip her down. A hanging DDT off the apron plants Satomura but she’s back up for a slugout on the apron.

Satomura’s Death Valley Driver onto the apron knocks them both silly on the floor. They both make the count and it’s a Saito suplex for two more on Ray. A tornado DDT gives Ray the same but she pulls Satomura into some kind of a triangle choke. Satomura finally makes her over to the rope for the break and hits another Death Valley Driver for another two.

Ray gets her knees up to block a frog splash and the Gory Bomb connects for the next near fall. Ray’s knee is banged up so the Swanton takes too much time. Satomura loads up the Scorpio Rising but Ray grabs the leg and pulls her into the Gory Bomb…which is countered into a sunset bomb for two more. Ray is right back up though and now the Gory Bomb retains at 16:47.

Rating: B+. These two beat the heck out of each other and it even exceeded the hype they had built up. Ray winning is the right call, as it makes her feel like the next level champion by beating the legend. That’s a great way to go with these two and they had one of the better matches in NXT UK history on the way there. Awesome stuff and they both held up their end.

Post match Ray helps Satomura up and bows in respect before posing to end the show without going violent.

Overall Rating: B. This was a great show with nothing bad and a pretty incredible main event to wrap it up. They have things set up going forward but also had this show to go with it. NXT UK may be the best show going at the moment because the wrestling is good and the pacing is even better, which isn’t something many other shows can get right. Keep this stuff up, because it’s great.

Results

Sam Gradwell b. Ilja Dragunov due to a reversed decision

Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan b. Oliver Carter/Ashton Smith – Rollup to Carter

Kay Lee Ray b. Meiko Satomura – Gory Bomb

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: January 21, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s title night as Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray is defending against Jinny. This is an interesting one as they are both heels, with Ray having held the title for over a year. I’m not sure if I can see Jinny winning the title, but I’m also not sure I can imagine Ray holding it that much longer. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Ray vs. Jinny, which has been built in a hurry.

Opening sequence.

Rampage Brown vs. Dave Mastiff

They go with the power battle to start but Brown can’t shoulder him down. The slugout is on early until Brown nails a dropkick. Back up and Mastiff hits a much bigger dropkick but Brown kicks him in the face to take over again. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Mastiff gets up and sits on Brown’s chest.

The backsplash crushes Brown again and Mastiff headbutts him out of the air. A pumphandle suplex gets two more but Brown hits a hard clothesline for the same. Mastiff nails a German suplex so Brown bails into the corner, where he blocks Into The Void. Brown manages a pretty impressive Doctor Bomb for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C+. This worked in a few different ways at the same time, with the guys having a nice power match and Brown getting his biggest win so far. Mastiff has been well protected and as a result, the win means something more for Brown. It’s nice to see a promotion building things up like that and doing the right things for a change.

We look at A-Kid losing to Walter last week.

A-Kid says next week will be different.

Kenny Williams tells Amir Jordan that he has gotten him a match with Tyson T-Bone. Jordan isn’t thrilled but goes through with it.

Jack Starz vs. Ilja Dragunov

Feeling out process to start with Dragunov’s wristlock setting up a bunch of flips from Starz. A dropkick sends Dragunov into the corner but he’s right back with a headlock takeover. Some rollups get two each on Dragunov so he double legs Starz down into the headlock. Back up and Dragunov hits a spinning chop but the Torpedo Moscow is cut off with a clothesline. They slug it out with Starz getting the best of it and chopping him in the back. That’s too much for Dragunov, who unloads in the corner to set up a German suplex. Torpedo Moscow to the back sets up a bunch of elbows to draw the referee stoppage at 5:53.

Rating: B-. Who would have thought these two would have a competitive match? This one told a nice story as Dragunov still isn’t right after the loss to Walter and then snapped at the idea that someone else could beat him. I could go for a lot more of Dragunov so seeing him in any kind of story is a nice change.

Post match Dragunov snaps back to reality and begs Starz to be ok.

Ben Carter is in action next week.

Sam Gradwell is ready to send Carter back to Jersey.

Tyson T-Bone vs. Amir Jordan

Kenny Williams is here with Jordan. T-Bone hammers away to start and muscles him up for a backbreaker. There’s a fall away slam and some right hands set up some shots to the back. Jordan jawbreaks his way out of a chinlock and hits a dropkick before dodging an elbow. T-Bone gets sent face first into the buckle but sits down on a sunset flip, only to have Jordan roll over to pin T-Bone at 5:01.

Rating: C-. I wouldn’t have bet on that one as Jordan often comes off as the goofy friend rather than anyone of note. T-Bone hasn’t been around in a long time but he still has enough of an aura to him that a win over him seems like it means something. Williams looking so surprised by Jordan winning probably doesn’t bode well for him though.

Xia Brookside doesn’t like Nina Samuels jumping her or dragging the Brookside name through the dirt.

Video on Gallus.

Women’s Title: Kay Lee Ray vs. Jinny

Jinny, with Joseph Conners, is challenging. They go with a hard lockup to start with Ray cranking on the armbar. Jinny knocks her into the corner but Ray is right back out with a dropkick. Ray’s double underhook facebuster gets two but Jinny dropkicks the knee out to sent it outside. Some forearms to the back have Ray in trouble as they go inside again….where the lights on the screen flicker. Can we put a moratorium on that for a bit?

Jinny grabs a surfboard but Ray gets her arms free to grab the rope. Some shots to the head keep Ray in trouble and the chinlock goes on. That’s broken up and they slug it out with Ray getting the better of things. The Koji Clutch has Jinny in big trouble but she kicks out a few seconds later.

Jinny gets in a shot of her own and pounds away but Ray is right back up. The Gory Bomb is broken up by a Conners distraction, followed by a trip to pull Ray down. That’s enough from Conners so the referee tosses him. That’s fine with Conners as he grabs the belt, only to have Jinny miss a shot. Ray grabs the Gory Bomb for the pin to retain at 11:07.

Rating: C. That was kind of a relief as Jinny felt like a challenger of the month with Conners kind of messing up. At the same time though, Jinny seems like someone who could be back for another shot later. It’s nice to see Conners fail in any way shape or form and Ray was wrestling pretty face here so it was certainly eventful.

Overall Rating: C+. They were starting off great this week but then it slowed down near the end. I like the idea of getting the title matches out there when they can and thankfully they haven’t come close to overdoing it yet. Carter is a nice draw for next week and this time we might even see him get a win. Pretty good show here, but it started off looking great.

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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IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: November 26, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s Thanksgiving in the United Stats but that isn’t quite so important in the UK. Instead, let’s have a title match as the first ever Heritage Cup is on the line with A-Kid meeting Trent Seven in the tournament finals. Other than that, Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin is defending his title as well. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the importance of the Heritage Cup and features A-Kid and Trent Seven talking about how important the title would mean to them.

Cruiserweight Title: Jordan Devlin vs. Amir Jordan

Devlin is defending and for the sake of simplicity, I’ll only refer to Amir Jordan as Jordan. A shoulder into a headlock takeover has Jordan down to start but he’s back up with a wristlock to flip Devlin over. That just means a big running elbow from Devlin and they trade chops until Devlin blasts him with a dropkick. Devlin cranks on his neck for a bit, followed by the release Rock Bottom into the standing moonsault for two. They head outside with Jordan being stomped against the barricade and it’s a belly to back backbreaker back inside.

We hit the abdominal stretch but Jordan hiptosses his way to freedom. The comeback is on with a clothesline to the floor and there’s a suicide dive to take Devlin down. Back in and Jordan gets caught on top but Devlin has to block the sunset bomb. Instead it’s an electric chair flipped forward into a slam for two on Devlin. Jordan goes up top but the top rope backsplash hits raised knees. The Cloverleaf makes Jordan tap to retain the title at 9:44.

Rating: C. Devlin continues to look sharp out there and Jordan was putting up a good fight throughout. This was much more about having Devlin get in there and show that he can still bring it in a title defense and they pulled that off well. I’m curious about how they’re going to handle the two Cruiserweight Titles, but that isn’t the kind of thing that WWE is going to let last very long.

Post match Devlin says there is one Cruiserweight Champion.

Rampage Brown is training at the Performance Center when Saxon Huxley comes up to say his name. Please just be a squash.

Noam Dar is getting his own talk show. Does he have to?

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews jumped Eddie Dennis and the Hunt on their way in today. That could be a heck of a six man with the right partner.

Isla Dawn vs. Jinny

They trade headlocks to start until Dawn knocks her down and gets two off a double knee drop. Jinny responds by kicking her in the head and then grabbing the Iron Octopus. Dawn makes a rope so Jinny rolls her into a reverse chinlock. With that broken up, Jinny kicks her in the head over and over. Back up and Dawn hits her own kicks to the chest and a Saito suplex gets two. Jinny sends her hard into a knee to the face though and the Tarantula has Dawn screaming. Something like a crossface chickenwing with a leg grapevine makes Dawn tap at 5:04.

Rating: C+. The finish looked good and Jinny was more dominant than she has been in a long time. She has seemed to be ready to move up to the next level for a long time now and maybe this is the time where she finally gets to move up. Nice and quick match here, with Jinny coming off like a killer who can take a hit.

Post match, Jinny calls out Piper Niven.

Alexander Wolfe comes in to see Sid Scala about a match with Joe Coffey. Scala says it’s on, with Gallus and Imperium banned. Wolfe throws him an apple.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Heritage Cup: Trent Seven vs. A-Kid

For the inaugural title. Feeling out process to start with Kid taking him to the mat for a quickly broken headlock. Seven cartwheels his way to freedom and grabs a headscissors on the mat to slow things down a bit. That’s reversed into a double arm crank on Seven and they roll around with some grappling as the first round ends.

Round two begins with a test of strength going to Seven, who can’t break Kid’s bridge. Kid tapes him down and starts pulling on the arms but switches over to a kneebar. Seven is in trouble but manages to survive until the end, where he pops Kid in the jaw with a right hand.

We start round three with Kid kicking the water bottle out of Seven’s hand, only to have the parched Seven unload with chops. Kid kicks him down in a heap though and some running kicks, including one to the face, finish Seven at 1:34 of round three (8:50 total). The fourth round begins with Kid hitting a running kick to the face in the corner again and slapping on a Crossface. The triangle doesn’t work for Kid so he tries a cross armbreaker, which is countered with a heck of a powerbomb. They’re both down as time expires.

Round five begins with Seven grabbing a front facelock and Kid having to flip his way out of it. Back up and Seven plants him with a DDT for two and they both need a breather. Kid pulls himself up in the corner and fights out of the Birminghammer attempt. Seven tries a belly to back superplex attempt instead but Kid turns it into a high crossbody for a very near fall as time expires.

The final round begins with Seven hitting a quick Emerald Flosion for his own near fall. A big lariat gets the same and there’s the Birminghammer for a delayed two as Kid’s foot is underneath the rope. The Seven Star Lariat only gets two so Kid goes for the arm, only to have Seven stack him up for the pin at 2:31 (19:41).

So that’s a tie at the end of round six so let’s go to overtime with no time limit. Round seven starts Kid wins a slugout but the Seven Star Lariat cuts him off. Seven can’t follow up so Kid goes to the apron, with Seven joining him. The slugout goes to Seven, who hits his suplex slam to the floor, leaving Kid mostly done.

Kid still dives in and beats the count so Seven hits another Seven Star Lariat. That’s not enough for a cover as Seven loads up the Birminghammer, only to have Kid slip out and hit a superkick. Seven pulls him into a rollup like the one he won with before but this time pulls him into a Rings of Saturn, with Kid using his leg to pull Seven’s arm back for the tap and the cup at 5:17 of overtime (26:04 total).

Rating: B. That certainly worked and you forget that the rounds are there after a bit, making it a rather good match with both guys trying to survive and hold onto/chase the lead. Seven not being able to hang in there with the young Kid worked, especially with Kid just striking him down over and over. Good stuff here and Kid is a nice choice to see what he can do with the Cup, especially once Imperium realizes it’s perfect for them.

Post match Seven presents Kid with the trophy and streamers fly to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event was more than enough to carry the show and the first two matches were certainly serviceable enough. They wrapped up the tournament on a high note and that’s a positive sign for the future. As usual, they know how to set things up for the future so while they have their work cut out for them following this one, they had a good show here and could pull it off again in the future.

Results

Jordan Devlin b. Amir Jordan – Cloverleaf

Jinny b. Isla Dawn – Crossface chickenwing with a leg grapevine

A-Kid b. Trent Seven 2-1

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: November 12, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

We’re coming up on the end of the Heritage Cup tournament and that means we are going to need some finalists. A-Kid advanced to the finals last week and this week we find out who his opponent will be. Other than that, we have the debut of Rampage Brown, who looks like he could be a big deal. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The Hunt vs. Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan

Eddie Dennis is here with the Hunt. Boar takes Williams into the corner and it’s Primate coming in off the top with a shot to the back. A headlock doesn’t do much to Primate but a dropkick sends him into the corner for the tag back to Boar. The Hunt is knocked outside by a springboard elbow and some dives have them down as well. Back in and Boar sends Williams flying towards the camera to take over.

The Hunt pounds Williams down in the corner and Boar adds a headbutt for a bonus. The face pulling is on but Williams fights up, only to get elbowed right back down. We hit the chinlock for a bit but Williams slips out again and this time gets over for the hot tag to Jordan. Everything breaks down and a Downward Spiral into a Swanton gives Jordan two. There’s an enziguri to Primate and it’s already back to Williams to strike away. Williams hits a double springboard elbow and brings Jordan back in but Dennis’ distraction lets Primate hit a clothesline. The double headbutt gives Primate the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C. I’ve liked the Hunt for a good while and it is nice to see them getting a push like this for a change. They could do well as the aggressive monster style team and they seem to be gelling well into the rope so far. Throw in Dennis, who has always had potential as well, and this is a team I want to see more from in the future.

Trent Seven talks about asking Dave Mastiff to help him with some training in his younger days. They became friends, but now they’re in WWE and Seven doesn’t need his help. Seven needs Mastiff to get out of the way so he can show he can win the big one.

Jack Starz vs. Rampage Brown

Starz circles him a lot to start and the forearms have no effect on Brown. A powerslam cuts Starz out of the air (Rick Steiner style) and Brown drives him into the corner. Starz scores with a dropkick but charges into a Samoan drop. The Doctor Bomb finishes Starz at 2:23. Brown looked good but it’s just Jack Starz.

Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter hijack a Sid Scala interview at the Performance Center. They talk to Pretty Deadly (while making me feel better by not knowing which is which either) and ask about Pretty Deadly’s relationship with Eddie Dennis. Insults are launched and Scala breaks it up, saying they can settle this later.

Video on Kay Lee Ray vs. Piper Niven. Piper looks rather violent here and that’s how to make her seem like more of a threat.

Rampage Brown says that is just the beginning.

Xia Brookside vs. Nina Samuels

They trade wrist control to start until Brookside hits a monkey flip into a springboard headlock takeover. The headscissors gets Samuels out of trouble until Brookside flips backwards into a half crab. That’s switched into an Indian deathlock but Samuels slips out and stomps away. The chinlock goes on but Brookside is back up with some forearms.

Nina charges into a boot in the corner and the high crossbody gives Brookside two. A missed big boot lets Brookside grab a Codebreaker for two but Nina avoids the running knees in the corner. The Brooksie Bomb is countered and Samuels cartwheels off the top to the mat, only to collapse while holding her knee. Brookside small packages her for the fast pin at 5:50.

Rating: C. Just a match here and the ending was a little weird. I was expecting the goldbricking but Brookside just got the small package for the win to get out of there in a hurry. Samuels is almost the gatekeeper loss of the women’s division and that’s a fine role for her to have. Brookside continues to be the person who seems to be the next breakout star but they’re taking their time with her, which is a good idea.

Post match Nina is helped out but she’s goldbricking and hits a fireman’s carry backbreaker to leave Brookside laying.

Sam Gradwell doesn’t like being asked about his loss last week. They threw him into a six man tag instead of a singles match and he can’t keep up with every three seconds in a match. He got pinned by Joe Coffey in a six man tag but a different tail would unfurl in a singles match. Alexander Wolfe comes up to ask what is wrong with Gradwell before leaving just as fast.

Next week: Kay Lee Ray defends against Piper Niven in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

Heritage Cup Semifinals: Trent Seven vs. Dave Mastiff

They fight over a lockup to start with Mastiff powering him against the ropes without much effort. Seven’s headlock is broken up without much effort and Mastiff grabs a much bigger version. Stereo crossbodies end the round with both guys in some pain, including Seven favoring his chest. Round two begins with Mastiff running him over again but misses a legdrop, allowing Steven to crucifix him for the pin at 1:22 (5:04 total).

Round three starts with Mastiff hitting him in the damaged chest and the backsplash gets two. Mastiff ducks his head and gets DDTed for two. Seven heads up top so Mastiff superplexes him back down, only to come back with the Seven Star lariat. That just earns Seven one heck of a right hand but the round ends despite Seven looking out of it.

Round four begins with Mastiff knocking hitting a powerbomb into Into The Void for the pin at 42 seconds of the round (10:24 total). Round five begins with Seven down in the corner but managing to avoid Into The Void. Seven blocks an apron superplex but Mastiff blocks a sunset bomb. A shot to Mastiff’s leg sets up the Birminghammer out of the corner to give Seven the pin at 1:30 (12:18 total).

Rating: C+. This match told a nice story with the monster injuring Seven and then following up on it by staying on the chest throughout. Seven needed to fight though because the point of winning the tournament is to prove himself, which is some of the best motivation you can get. It might not have been the best match but Seven vs. A-Kid sounds rather nice.

A-Kid comes out for the staredown/handshake to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling was fine enough here but the important parts were setting up the finals and making Brown look like a player right out of the box. They accomplished both of those things and the show is still less than an hour so it is a little difficult to get annoyed. Not a show you need to see but a completely acceptable watch, making it run of the mill NXT UK.

Results

The Hunt b. Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan – Double headbutt to Jordan

Rampage Brown b. Jack Starz – Doctor Bomb

Xia Brookside b. Nina Samuels – Small package

Trent Seven b. Dave Mastiff 2-1

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 1, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s tournament time as we are starting up the Heritage Cup. This is a special one as we are going to be seeing a tribute to the old British rounds system. That could go multiple ways and we’re going to have Pete Dunne as a special guest referee. Other than that, we are continuing to build up the United Kingdom Title match between Walter and Ilja Dragunov. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Heritage Cup Qualifying Match: Kenny Williams vs. Ashton Smith vs. Amir Jordan

The winner gets the Wild Card spot. Williams and Jordan seem surprised to see each other. Smith misses a double clothesline and the regular partners dropkick him down. That leaves Jordan and Williams to shake hands and then go to the grappling, with Jordan popping up for a pose. It doesn’t work out that well though as Smith comes back in with a double clothesline to take them both down.

They trade rollups for two each before it’s time to double team Smith again. That doesn’t work overly well as Smith suplexes Jordan down but Williams dropkicks Smith to the floor. Smith pulls his dive out of the air so Jordan hits his own dive to take Smith down. Back in and Smith can’t hit a superplex on Jordan, allowing him to try a sunset bomb. Jordan can’t get him down, so Williams comes in off the top with a back elbow to finally put Smith down.

Smith is back up again to slug away at both before ducking a clothesline so that Jordan hits Williams. Jordan knocks Smith out to the floor and grabs a rolling Downward Spiral on Williams for another near fall. With Smith down, Williams and Jordan slug it out until Jordan is knocked outside. A hurricanrana drops Smith for two and Jordan adds a Swanton for the same. Smith gets knocked down and it’s Williams running in for a tornado DDT to pin Smith at 8:45.

Rating: C+. They did something interesting here by not having the monster Smith winning here and going with half of the tag team instead. I liked what we got here too as Smith and Williams looked very good while Jordan’s dancing was kept to a minimum. It was a rather nice match and Williams gets a push, as he probably should have a good while ago.

Video on Jinny.

Eddie Dennis is ready to be our teacher.

We look at Mark Andrews being attacked.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews are ready for Webster to win the Heritage Cup. Andrews doesn’t get to say much.

Jinny vs. Xia Brookside

Jinny grabs a headlock to start and gets taken down into an armbar. Back up and Jinny grabs a wristlock so Brookside does her rope grab flip. That earns her a hard toss into the corner but Xia comes out with a hurricanrana and La Majistral gets two. Brookside grabs a leglock but Jinny breaks it up and palm strikes away. That earns her a hurricanrana and Xia puts her on the top, only to have Jinny snap her throat across the top. Jinny grabs a cross between an STF and a crossface chickenwing for the tap at 6:33.

Rating: C. I’m not wild on the fashionista deal but Jinny is growing on me. There is something about her that makes her seem evil and that’s not something every heel has. Brookside might be the most adorable person in WWE today and it’s hard not to like her. Now move one of them closer to the title picture and we might get somewhere.

Post match Jinny says no one has seen her best side yet. Just wait to see how ruthless she can be.

Video on A Kid.

We go over the Heritage Cup rules:

• Six three minute rounds
• 20 seconds break between rounds
• Each match is 2/3 falls
• You can win a fall by pinfall, submission or countout
• The round ends on a fall
• DQ/Knockout ends the match
• Whoever leads after six rounds wins

Heritage Cup First Round: Alexander Wolfe vs. Noam Dar

Pete Dunne is guest referee and Wolfe has a modified version of the Imperium theme. They go to the mat to start with Wolfe scaring him into the corner. The grappling goes to Dar as he takes Wolfe down by the arm. Back up and it’s Wolfe grabbing his own armbar while pulling at Dar’s face at the same time. They get up again and Dar bails into the corner as the first round ends.

The second round begins with Dar trying for something like a Crossface to no avail. Wolfe tries a test of strength to keep Dar’s shoulders down but he’s right back up. That earns him a headlock takeover before Dark grabs a very spinning backslide for two more. With that broken up, Dar grabs a rollup and lays on Wolfe’s legs to win the round at 2:49 (8:13 total, counting breaks.

Round three begins with Wolfe taking him straight down but Dar starts pulling at the leg. Wolfe reverses into some kicks to the face and suplexes him down for another two. Dar cranks on both arms at once before it’s time to slug it out. Neither gives an inch as the round ends, though Wolfe does get in a cheap shot to knock Dar down between rounds.

Dar is still getting up as round four begins but manages a kick to the face and a running clothesline to the back of the head. The Nova Roller misses though and Wolfe kicks him in the face, setting up a bridging German suplex to tie it up at 58 seconds of the fourth round (10:59 total).

Round five begins with Dar trying a rollup but Wolfe knocks him down again. Some more kicks to the head from the mat rock Wolfe though and Dar pulls on a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up as well and they strike it out until Dar gets another armbar. Wolfe fights up again and grabs a kneebar until Dar snaps the finger. Dunne is checking on Wolfe and Dar hits the Nova Roller for the winning pin at 2:56 of round five (14:20 total).

Rating: B-. I’m really not sure what to think of this as it’s so different than what you are used to seeing. They did something interesting here and it was a big change of pace, mainly in a good way….I think. It was not boring and the system was easy enough to understand. I had to look back at the rules a few times to make sure I was understanding everything but nothing was too complicated. It’s just a system I’m going to need to see more of to get used to, but I do want to see more of it so they’re off to a nice enough start.

Post match Wolfe blames Dunne for the loss and gets destroyed. Cue Walter before the Bitter End can hit though and you know Dunne is down for that. Wolfe sneaks in for the cheap shot and feeds Dunne to Walter for the powerbomb. Ilja Dragunov runs in for the save before Dunne gets planted though and Imperium bails to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. It was a good enough show overall and the Heritage Cup is off to a nice start. Again though, this whole show changes when Walter comes out there. He was in workout gear here and even then you could feel things getting bigger. They’re setting things up well enough here and I want to see more of the tournament style matches. It was a really fast watch here too so they’re doing something right.

Results

Kenny Williams b. Ashton Smith and Amir Jordan – Tornado DDT to Smith

Jinny b. Xia Brookside – Crossface chickenwing with a leg trap

Noam Dar b. Alexander Wolfe 2 – 1

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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