NXT UK
Date: September 2, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

With the reaction to the UK Title change out of the way, it’s time to move forward around here. Now in this case, that makes me interested in where they’re going, as NXT UK has been quite the fun show for a rather long while now. That being said, there is always the chance that WWE pulls the plug around here and none of this matters again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Blair Davenport vs. Nina Samuels

Hold on actually as Davenport jumps Samuels before the bell and hits her with a Falcon Arrow. Officials, including Sid Scala, come out, with Davenport laying out Scala as well. No match.

We look back at Aoife Valkyrie beating Jinny last week in a heck of a fight. Valkyrie has injured her knee though and will be out of action for a “significant period of time”.

Jinny takes credit for injuring Valkyrie.

Symbiosis is ready for Saxon Huxley and whoever he can get to team with him.

Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff vs. Dan Moloney/Andy Wild

Wild can’t do anything with the much bigger Mastiff to start, including a headlock having no effect. Mastiff’s bridging northern lights suplex gets two and it’s off to Starz for the same. Moloney comes in to go after Starz’s arm but a standing armbar doesn’t get him very far. It’s back to Mastiff for the backsplash but a Wild distraction lets Moloney dropkick Starz to take over. We hit the nerve hold to keep Starz in trouble for all of ten seconds before Starz makes the tag back to Mastiff. House is cleaned and Moloney is tied in the Tree of Woe, with Starz adding a running headbutt. Into The Void finishes Moloney at 5:50.

Rating: C. Totally fine squash here with Starz and Mastiff as the latest oddball team, though they have played it straight so far. Starz has come a long way since being the whipping boy for new names and the team is doing well at what they’re trying. Nice opener here and I wouldn’t mind seeing Mastiff and Starz out there again.

Pretty Deadly danced in a fountain earlier this week, until Gallus shoved them into the water. Are they already out of challengers?

Amele vs. Emilia McKenzie

McKenzie takes her down into a leglock to start and goes with a variety of mat grappling. Back up and a running dropkick puts Amele down again and a neckbreaker gets two. Amele sends her to the apron though and a running kick to the face puts McKenzie on the floor. Back in and a corner clothesline gives Amele two and we hit the chinlock.

McKenzie’s comeback just frustrates Amele and she hammers away to drop McKenzie again. A cobra clutch sets up a running shoulder to give Amele two and McKenzie is in trouble. Amele’s shotgun dropkick into the corner sets up a running boot to the face….but McKenzie rolls her up for the surprise pin at 6:44.

Rating: C-. This was mostly a squash until the surprise ending, which will likely set up Amele to wreck McKenzie even more to set up her title shot. Amele did well here and had the aggression, though I’m not sure if she needed to lose here. It was certainly a surprise ending, though hopefully it doesn’t derail Amele’s momentum too badly.

We look back at Blair Davenport attacking Nina Samuels and Sid Scala.

Oliver Carter and Ashton Smith agree to team with Saxton Huxley next week. Carter: “I LOVE THAT MADMAN!”

Sam Gradwell and Wolfgang are ready to face each other in the Heritage Cup #1 contenders tournament.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including another look at the Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov rematch, with additional insight from legends and WWE stars. Could be interesting.

Heritage Cup #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Teoman vs. Nathan Frazer

Rohan Raja is here with Teoman. Round one begins with a fight over a lockup and they take it to the mat to make it more interesting. Teoman starts cranking on the arm by driving Frazer to the mat, complete with a knee in the shoulder. Frazer fights up and doesn’t care for being hit in the face, meaning it’s a slugout to put Frazer in control. A dropkick takes Teoman down to end the round in a hurry.

Round two begins with Teoman going after the arm but Frazer hits him in the face some more. Teoman is sent outside and Frazer’s suicide dive takes him down. That’s fine with Teoman, who sends Frazer hard into the steps. Back in and a sliding forearm gives Teoman the pin at 1:03 of the round (4:43 overall) to go up 1-0.

Round three begins with Teoman kicking Frazer down and a shot to the face gets two more. Frazer manages to headscissor him outside but Teoman ties him in the ropes and stomps away. Back in and Teoman misses another sliding forearm and gets crotched on top. A springboard super hurricanrana gets two on Teoman as time expires just before the three.

Round four begins with Frazer slugging away and driving him into the corner. That’s broken up and Teoman’s missile dropkick hits Frazer in the back of the head for another near fall. Back up and Frazer grabs something like a powerslam small package at 1:50 of the round (10:51 overall) to tie it up.

Round five begins with Frazer grabbing a fast Sling Blade for two but Teoman goes right back to the arm. Teoman grabs a spinout inverted DDT for two more but Frazer drives him to the floor. A suicide dive drops Teoman and a springboard elbow connects. Hold on though as a Raja distraction means the Phoenix splash completely misses, allowing Teoman to hit….kind of a dragon sleeper into Natural Selection for the win at 2:47 of the round (14:10 overall).

Rating: B. I was expecting good things here and it lived up to the hype, as Frazer seems incapable of having a bad match and Teoman is moving up the villains’ ladder. They put together a nice match here and I liked what we were getting throughout. Teoman is probably the favorite to win the whole thing and I could certainly go for his showdown with Tyler Bate.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, NXT UK is a good show and I don’t think that’s even a surprise anymore. The main event is by far the best thing on the card but the rest of it was far than bad. This show knows how to set something up and then knock it down, which is exactly what you should be able to do on a weekly show. It’s still mostly slow and steady and, again, it still mostly works.

 

 

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NXT UK
Date: June 10, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s a title night as Meiko Satomura is challenging Kay Lee Ray for the Women’s Title. The two of them had quite the showdown back in March and it could be great to see what they could do again with the stakes at a high level again. Other than that, Walter is back and that means we could be in for an important appearance. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Walter for the first time in about two months to get things going. Walter talks about his title defenses in two days on two continents. Now he is the longest reigning champion of the modern era but his mission has never changed. His goal is to make this title prestigious and keep the ring sacred. And that’s it.

Subculture is ready for Jinny and Joseph Conners next week.

Jordan Devlin vs. Saxton Huxley

The bigger Huxley powers him into the corner to start and hits a knee to Devlin’s ribs. A headlock grinds Devlin down but he low bridges a charging Huxley outside. That doesn’t seem to bother Huxley, who drops Devlin throat first across the barricade. Commentary is stunned by the dominance as Huxley pulls him shoulder first into the post. Back in and a Thesz press drops Devlin again so it’s a rake to the eyes to cut Huxley off. Some kicks to the ribs keep Huxley down but he is right back up with a sitout chokebomb for two. Huxley puts him in a fireman’s carry but Devlin slips out and the Devlin Side finishes Huxley at 6:24.

Rating: C. This was a nice showcase for Huxley and there is no shame in coming up short against Devlin. I’m still convinced that Devlin could be the next challenger to Walter, if nothing else for the sake of mixing up the challengers. Devlin has been treated as being on a pretty high level, though Walter is on a level all of his own. Anyway, nice opener here.

Gallus is annoying Sid Scala when Sam Gradwell pops in. Then he pops out, leaving Gallus to be told they might get a match they want, possibly vs. Gradwell.

Symbiosis vs. Andy Wild/Dan Moloney

Eddie Dennis is here with Symbiosis (T-Bone/Primate) and Pretty Deadly is on commentary. Primate hammers on Moloney to start and cranks on the head. It’s off to Wild, who scares Primate into the corner for the tag to T-Bone. A snapmare into an elbow gets two on T-Bone, who is right back with a fall away slam. T-Bone holds up Moloney for a top rope ax handle to the back and a pair of stomps get two. Moloney finally gets in a few shots of his own and brings in Wild to clean house. That just earns him a belly to back suplex though and a spear drops Wild again. A powerslam into a top rope headbutt finishes Moloney at 6:10.

Rating: C-. Not quite a squash here but there wasn’t much drama about the result. Symbiosis are a good pair of brawlers and they looked good running over two game opponents. I’m not sure I can see the two of them getting the next title shot against Pretty Deadly, but I’ve heard worse ideas.

Teoman doesn’t like Oliver Carter getting in his way and wonders if Ashton Smith would even help him.

Next week: Sam Gradwell vs. Wolfgang and Joseph Conners/Jinny vs. Subculture.

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

Ray is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Satomura kicks at the leg to start and forearms away in the corner. Ray can’t hit an early Gory Bomb attempt and bails to the floor from a fireman’s carry attempt. Back in and Ray hits a superkick for two and the chinlock goes on. With that broken up, Ray chops her against the rope for two and a clothesline sets up the trash talking.

A gordbuster sets up the Koji Clutch but Satomura reverses into an STF. Ray makes the rope and scores with an elbow, followed by some neck cranking. Satomura has to slip out of the Gory Bomb and it’s a DDT to plant the champ again. Back up and Ray nails a Death Valley Driver, only to walk into the Gory Bomb to put them both down. They trade kicks to the face, with Satomura smiling before hammering away again.

Ray is back with a tornado DDT for two but Satomura pops back up. Two superkicks make her pop up again so there’s a third, which just fires Satomura up enough for a Death Valley Driver. Another superkick from Ray sets up the Gory Bomb which sets up a Swanton for a rather near fall. Ray teases walking out but walks into a Death Valley Driver on the floor.

That barely slows Ray down and she hits the Gory Bomb onto the apron. Back in and they head up with Satomura managing a sunset bomb for a rather close two. Satomura grabs a sleeper but Ray gets over to the rope. Ray’s attempt at a Koji Clutch doesn’t work so it’s Scorpion Rising to give Satomura the pin and the title at 18:27.

Rating: B. This is how you should want a major title change to go and they made it work. It made sense for Satomura to put everything she had into this as you cannot have her lose twice in a row in major matches. Satomura winning the title to end Ray’s reign fits well as Ray has gotten everything she can out of the title (and it has been a lot). This was the right call at the right time and a rubber match is not the worst idea.

A lot of replays and celebrating, including red and yellow streamers, end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event is the most important thing by far here and while Walter’s appearance was cool, he didn’t really say anything. This show did a nice job of making me want to see the title match though and that is what matters most. NXT UK has done a great job of making its champions feel important and they did it again here with Satomura’s title win. Good show here, with the main event feeling like the big match it should have been.

 

 

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NXT UK
Date: March 12, 2020
Location: Coventry Skydome, Coventry, England
Commentators: Andy Williams, Nigel McGuinness

We’re on a fresh taping cycle and that means we’re on the way towards Dublin for the next Takeover. You can probably guarantee a Finn Balor vs. Walter United Kingdom Title match and that could be a heck of a showdown. The rest of the show is yet to be built but they still have time to get there. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Balor to get things going. He’s not here because he wants to boost the ratings but because he wants Walter. Therefore, here’s Walter, but the rest of Imperium follows him out. They come in after him but Balor nails a Sling Blade and bails in a hurry for fear of being destroyed.

Viper got involved in the I Quit match because she couldn’t let Kay Lee Ray cripple Toni Storm. Ray is evil and Viper isn’t standing for that.

Video on Tyler Bate.

Pretty Deadly vs. Dereiss Gordon/Dan Moloney

Stoker and Howley throw their shirts at them to start and the beatdown is on in a hurry. Stoker takes Moloney into the corner to start so Howley can come in for a headlock. Moloney gets in a suplex and works on the arm before handing it off to Gordon for the same. A headscissors and leg lariat give Gordon a fast two but he gets taken into the corner as Nigel tries to figure out which movie characters Stoker and Howley look like.

Stoker gets two and it’s back to Howley for a running uppercut in the corner. A chinlock is broken up though and Howley gets shoved away, allowing the hot tag off to Moloney to start cleaning house. Everything breaks down though and Moloney gets caught in Deadly Pretty for the pin at 6:08.

Rating: D+. Pretty Deadly continues to be just kind of there, but establishing a new team with some wins is fine enough. It’s always hard to figure out what you have with a team when they keep beating jobbers so maybe we don’t know what they’ve got. They’re far from wasted or anything so just give them a bit more time.

Alexander demands and receives a match against Finn Balor tonight. He leaves so here is Jordan Devlin, who is told he will be defending the title in two weeks against Travis Banks.

Gallus and Dave Mastiff/Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews set up a six man for next week.

Ligero vs. Noam Dar

Dar grabs the arm to start and then PULLS THE HORN to annoy Ligero. A missed charge in the corner makes things worse for Ligero and Dar sends him outside for the big crash. Back in and Dar makes bullfighting jokes before stomping away even more. Ligero fights up and kicks him to the floor for the slingshot dive, followed by the reverse DDT for two back inside. The Lethal Injection is countered into a Fujiwara armbar though, meaning Ligero has to counter into a rollup for two. A missed charge lets Dar kick him in both legs and the Nova Roller is good for the pin at 6:13.

Rating: C-. Dar is someone else who keeps going up and down without doing much in the way of going forward. He’s a good choice to keep around though and that’s not the worst place to be. They need something for him to do, or at least a feud, but having him out there doing random matches is fine enough for now.

Travis Banks promises to win the title in two weeks.

Amele vs. Dani Luna

Feeling out process to start with Amele taking her down by the arm and controlling with a wristlock. Back up and Amele switches to a hammerlock but Luna lifts her up without much trouble. A suplex drops Amele but here’s Kay Lee Ray to jump Amele for the DQ at 1:59.

Post match Ray clears the ring and says there is no making a name for yourself around here. Luna tries to fight back but gets knocked down again.

Video on Aoife Valkyrie.

Alexander Wolfe vs. Finn Balor

Balor takes him down by the arm to start before rolling through a sunset flip into a basement dropkick. The chinlock has Wolfe in early trouble but he’s right back up, only to get stomped down in the corner. Running chops in the corner make it even worse so Wolfe kicks him in the ribs a few times. We hit the waistlock and here’s the rest of Imperium for the menacing stares.

The bearhug stays on Balor’s ribs until he forearms his way to freedom, followed by running forearms to keep up the trend. Balor stomps away while glaring down at Walter, meaning it’s time for Imperium to try and interfere. That’s broken up and we get an ejection but Wolfe scores with a running clothesline. A powerbomb is broken up and Balor hits a double stomp, followed by an Eye of the Hurricane. The shotgun dropkick sets up the Coup de Grace and 1916 finishes Wolfe at 8:21.

Rating: C+. This was just a step below a squash for Balor, who ran through Wolfe like he wasn’t even there. That’s what they should be doing with him though as Balor is likely getting the big showdown title shot against Walter and it makes sense to have him run through Imperium to get there. It’s not like losing to a former World Champion is a downgrade so everything is fine.

Overall Rating: D+. Pretty nothing show this time around with only the main event meaning anything, and even then it wasn’t that much. The weak first night of a taping seems to be the norm around here though and hopefully that is the case this time around too. This wasn’t a good show for the most part and while we are kind of starved for sporting events at the moment, it didn’t make things that much better.

Results

Pretty Deadly b. Dereiss Gordon/Dan Moloney – Deadly Pretty to Moloney

Noam Dar b. Ligero – Nova Roller

Amele b. Dani Luna via DQ when Kay Lee Ray interfered

Finn Balor b. Alexander Wolfe – 1916

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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