NXT UK
Date: March 6, 2019
Location: Coventry Skydome Arena, Coventry, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back in England this week and with Wrestlemania weekend less than a month away, there’s a good chance that we’ll be hearing about a big match being set up for New York. Possibly even for the UK Title? With a certain Austrian challenging Pete Dunne? It’s kind of hard to imagine it being anything else so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long and detailed recap of the issues between Jordan Devlin and Travis Banks, who meet in a falls count anywhere match tonight. They’ve got a nice midcard story going here.

Opening sequence.

Ligero vs. Joseph Conners

On the way to the ring, Conners says he lost last time because it was a bad day while Ligero doesn’t want to hear excuses. Ligero tries an early tornado DDT but gets shoved away, having to settle for a hurricanrana instead. Conners gets smart by tossing Ligero to the floor for a crash, followed by a tilt-a-whirl slam for two inside. A belly to back drop gets a few near falls and it’s a foot in the back for a double arm crank.

Ligero fights up and backflips over Conners for a leg lariat to the ribs. A springboard Stunner gets two and Conners’ slingshot DDT gets the same. Ligero is staggered and a belly to back suplex spun into a sitout faceplant gives Conners two more. Conners is getting frustrated so Ligero small packages him for two, followed by a bunch of spins into a crucifix for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: C-. Now can Conners go away for a long time please? He’s not interesting in the first place and this was another instance of Conners managing to lower his already worthless stock. Complaining about the new talent taking over doesn’t make sense when the show isn’t even six months old, but it’s not like Conners has anything else to talk about. Ligero continues to be fine and could be fed to a monster later.

Post match Ligero offers a handshake but Conners walks away.

Toni Storm wants to know what’s next. Jinny watches from behind.

Video on Wild Boar and Primate.

Gallus talks about how strong they are collectively. They want more respect from people like Walter and Pete Dunne because they command it. People like Walter have come into their house and taken food off their table. Those people aren’t on the table though, because they’re on the menu.

Walter has nothing to say.

Sam Stoker/Louis Howley vs. Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel

Stoker and Howley refer to themselves as Pretty Deadly. How Orndorff and Roma inspired. Aichner throws Stoker down to start so we need to stop for a hair check. Stoker can’t get out of an armbar and it’s a powerslam to plant him rather hard. Howley comes in as the announcers don’t seem to know which jobber is which. It’s off to Barthel, who gets caught in the wrong corner for some alternating right hands.

One heck of a headbutt takes Stoker down though and the butterfly suplex has him in even more trouble. Stoker’s comeback is cut off with a spinebuster and a kick to the chest, followed by a double sliding dropkick in the corner. Barthel throws Stoker to Aichner, who catches him in a suplex and walks around before powerslamming him down in an impressive power display. A powerbomb/middle rope European uppercut finishes Stoker at 3:56.

Rating: C. This is the match that Aichner and Barthel needed to have since their debut as they ran through the jobbers and hit some of their cool moves to make it look good. It was one sided and the beating was as decisive as you could get with Aichner getting to show off his power offense. That’s what they should have been doing from the beginning but for some reason we hadn’t seen it yet.

Video on Kay Lee Ray, who is here next week.

Charlie Morgan vs. Nina Samuels

They trade wristlocks to start with Samuels taking her down and driving a knee into the arm. The armbar goes on as Nina declares this the Nina Samuels Show. Morgan shoves her away and nails a kick to the head, followed by an enziguri to make it worse. Not that it matters as Nina is right back up with a fireman’s carry backbreaker for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: D. Morgan isn’t exactly thrilling and Samuels’ offense wasn’t the most impressive. I do like her obsession with the spotlight though and there’s something to her that makes me want to see more. The women’s division isn’t exactly deep at the moment so they would be smart to build some fresh names up like this.

Pete Dunne says the next time Gallus and Walter step in the ring with him, it will be the last time.

Next week: The Coffey Brothers vs. Pete Dunne/Walter.

Jeff Jarrett is here.

Jordan Devlin vs. Travis Banks

Falls count anywhere. The fight starts in the aisle with Banks suplexing him on the floor for an early one. They head into the crowd and up some steps with Banks knocking him off a balcony, with Devlin falling a full two feet to the ground as he was hanging on by his fingers. Devlin’s crossbody off said balcony looks a lot better and gets two and it’s time to go back to ringside. Devlin tries to bring in a chair but gets hit in the ribs instead as they head inside for the first time.

The ever greedy fans want tables but settle for a barrage of kicks to send Devlin outside again. Banks’ dive gets chaired out of the air on a dive attempt and it’s another chant that I can’t understand directed at Devlin. The fans switch to telling Devlin that his head is too big for him as Devlin gets two off a belly to back backbreaker. The release Rock Bottom into a standing moonsault gives Devlin two and he heads to the apron.

Banks is up this time though and shoves him down, sending Devlin knees first into the chair for a somewhat delayed two. The fans want and receive a table (maybe they’ll shut up now) but first, we have a ref bump. Banks’ Kiwi Crusher gets no count (well, one from the crowd) and Devlin gets back up for a headbutt. A very good looking top rope moonsault gets two and Devlin takes him up top for a superplex, which is rolled through into a Kiwi Crusher to give Banks two more.

They get up and slap it out in the middle of the ring until Banks goes with the Slice of Heaven, sending Devlin falling out to the floor. Devlin misses a charge into the steps and Banks stomps the leg into said steps. An ankle lock is broken up and they head to the apron with Devlin countering another Kiwi Crusher into a Spanish Fly through the table for the pin at 15:42.

Rating: B+. That was a heck of a fight with both guys beating the tar out of each other the whole time. They didn’t try to do anything too ridiculously over the top but the stuff they did looked good throughout and the match was exactly what it needed to be. Building up people like these two is going to get them somewhere, as whoever comes out of Wrestlemania weekend as champion is going to need a few challengers.

Overall Rating: B. Another rather good show here as things are starting to get consistently better around here. As is usually the case, it’s a positive sign that the shows without the top stars being featured are still working, as you can only go with Walter and British Strong Style so many times before the charm wears off. I had an easy time watching this and they’re figuring out how to make this work. The lack of a second hour is certainly a big part of the solution.

Results

Ligero b. Joseph Conners – Crucifix

Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel b. Sam Stoker/Louis Howley – Powerbomb/middle rope European uppercut combination to Stoker

Nina Samuels b. Charlie Morgan – Fireman’s carry backbreaker

Jordan Devlin b. Travis Banks – Spanish Fly through a table

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

NXT UK
Date: November 28, 2018
Location: NEC Arena, Birmingham, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for a title match as Jordan Devlin has challenged Pete Dunne for the NXT UK Title and gets his shot here. It’s not like there is anyone else to get the shot at the moment so they might as well go with Devlin. Other than that we’re likely going to get some build towards the first ever Women’s Title match, which should be taking place next week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The announcers hype up the upcoming title matches.

Xia Brookside/Millie McKenzie vs. Charlie Morgan/Killer Kelly

Xia grabs a top wristlock on the very tall Morgan to start things off. A headstand lets Morgan reverse into a regular wristlock so Brookside grabs a hurricanrana to get out of trouble. The rather popular Millie comes in for a swinging neckbreaker and it’s time to start in on the armbar. That goes nowhere so it’s off to Kelly, who gets armbarred as well, this time with the shoulder at a really painful looking angle.

Kelly finally sends her into the corner for the break and, with her arm apparently not wrecked, hammers away on the mat. Millie pops up for a hard release German suplex (Fans: “SUPLEX MILLIE!”) and it’s back to Xia to pick up the pace. That’s cut off with a toss into the post but Millie is right back with a spear to Morgan, giving Xia the jackknife rollup pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. Millie definitely has star power and Xia’s look alone will keep her in a good place for a long time. Being the daughter of a big time WWE trainer won’t hurt either. I still haven’t gotten much out of Kelly, but I’ve heard good things about her stuff from outside NXT UK. That’s not exactly unheard of so maybe she’s better than I’ve given her credit for.

Ashton Smith vs. Eddie Dennis

Smith, who isn’t the taller one for a change, spins out of a wristlock to start but bounces off a shoulder block attempt. A dropkick staggers Dennis and a leg lariat puts him on the floor. The suicide dive just isn’t working though as Dennis drives him back first into the apron instead. Back in and Dennis gets into his cocky mode before hitting a judo throw for two.

The cravate goes on for a bit, until Smith fights up with a quick backbreaker. A springboard dropkick puts Dennis on the floor for a big flip dive (no hands of course) and a top rope leg lariat gets two. Dennis gets some boots up in the corner and goes up, only to get staggered with a dropkick. The superplex is countered into the Severn Bridge though and the reverse implant DDT gives Dennis the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C. Smith’s offense looks good as he’s a big guy with some great athleticism. That’s the kind of style that makes him a valuable commodity, but there’s something so interesting about Dennis. It’s kind of a mysterious aura and that’s much more important than the athleticism. Anyone can show off in the ring, but being someone who gets your attention is what matters.

We recap Saxon Huxley and Joseph Conners splitting last week.

Joseph Conners vs. Saxon Huxley

They go right at each other to start with Huxley uppercutting him into the corner. Some right hands have Conners in trouble until some knees to the ribs cut Huxley off. A hard clothesline lets Conners hammer away on the mat as the fans call him Judas. Things slow down a bit as we hit the chinlock. Since Conners doesn’t like the JUDAS SUCKS chants, he puts Huxley on the top for some forearms to the back. Huxley makes the comeback with a running knee and a dropkick, only to miss a charge. A sitout Rock Bottom spinebuster gives Conners two, followed by Don’t Look Down for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: D+. The brawling was fun but neither of these guys do anything for me. They’re just generic brawlers who don’t stand out in any way. I mean, other than Huxley’s look of course. Neither has any kind of a character to be seen and the story was started last week and blown off a week later. That doesn’t do them any favors and it’s a problem on a lot of the roster.

Video on Toni Storm, who wants to make history. She doesn’t just want to win because she needs to win. Ripley isn’t getting the title because it’s Toni time.

Video on Rhea Ripley, who tried being nice last year in the Mae Young Classic but would rather be ruthless and get what she wants. She’s not worried about Toni Storm because Toni isn’t Rhea Ripley.

United Kingdom Title: Pete Dunne vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin is challenging and gets taken down by the wrist. That’s reversed into a headscissors but it turns into a slap off with Dunne getting the better of things. Devlin takes him down by the wrist to little avail as Dunne monkey flips his way to freedom. One heck of a forearm drops Dunne but he pops back up with a heck of a clothesline. It’s time to bend Devlin’s fingers back before Dunne just stomps on Devlin’s head. You can’t say he doesn’t vary up his offense.

Devlin avoids a charge though and kicks at the back before going with some more slaps to the face. A standing moonsault hits Dunne’s legs for two but he’s up with a glare and a hard forearm. This time it’s Devlin getting dropped so Dunne hits a running forearm in the corner. The snap German suplex sets up the X Plex into a cross armbreaker but Devlin rolls onto him for two and a break. Dunne tries a charge but runs into a backdrop driver for a closer two than you might expect.

A standing moonsault misses though and Dunne unloads with stomps on the fingers. The Spanish Fly plants Dunne but he’s right back with a Koji Clutch. With that broken up, Dunne tries a stomp to the hand on the steps but gets shoved off, sending him face first into the steps. Devlin isn’t done and hits a Spanish Fly off the steps. That’s enough for a dueling MAMA MIA/HOLY S*** chant, with the fans not quite in sync.

Both guys have to dive back in to break the count, with Devlin grabbing a reverse hurricanrana for two more. The fans accurately declare this awesome but switch to oooo as Dunne punches him in the face to block a standing Lionsault. Dunne back’s is killing him though and he can’t follow up, allowing Devlin to roll to the apron.

Devlin sends him back first into the post and a super Spanish Fly (dude learn a new move) gets two more. That’s good for a standing ovation and Devlin follows up by removing Dunne’s mouthpiece and hitting a superkick. Devlin’s moonsault is countered into a triangle choke and Dunne breaks the fingers to make Devlin tap at 15:10.

Rating: A-. Devlin had been growing on me for a bit and this was the big match that he had been needing. These guys beat the heck out of each other with Dunne’s back injury slowing him down just enough to keep Devlin in there. Dunne, the hometown boy, was being outwrestled by the talented Devlin but took over when Devlin tried to go a little too high. The brawling worked well for Dunne too, including the whole breaking fingers thing. Great match here, as tends to be the case with Dunne.

Overall Rating: B+. That main event alone is enough to make the show work as the top stars around here carry things as far as they need to go. They’re got a star on their hands whenever someone takes the title from Dunne, which almost has to be coming sooner rather than later. The rest of the show was entertaining as well with all but the Conners vs. Huxley match exceeding expectations. Just get some better character development and everything will be great.

Results

Xia Brookside/Millie McKenzie b. Charlie Morgan/Killer Kelly – Spear to Morgan

Eddie Dennis b. Ashton Smith – Reverse implant DDT

Joseph Conners b. Saxon Huxley – Don’t Look Down

Pete Dunne b. Jordan Devlin – Dunne snapped Devlin’s fingers

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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