NXT UK
Date: August 19, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s title week around here as Pretty Deadly is defending the Tag Team Titles against Moustache Mountain. That alone should be enough, but we also have Stevie Turner getting a Women’s Title shot against Meiko Satomura. Throw in the last push towards the UK Title match between Walter and Ilja Dragunov (in America) and we should be rolling this week. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Women’s Title: Stevie Turner vs. Meiko Satomura

Satomura is defending and has Emilia McKenzie in her corner. Turner goes at her to start and is headlocked takeovered down in a hurry. Satomura grabs a double underhook and survives being driven into the corner. The arm cranking is on so Turner bails to the rope and kicks Satomura in the face over and over. A big kick to the face drops Satomura to one knee but she is back up with a running forearm in the corner.

The STF doesn’t go on and Turner bails straight to the rope. The threat of a big kick to the head sends Turner bailing out to the floor but this time she sends Satomura into the apron. More kicks to the face rock Satomura and it’s off to the cross arm choke. That’s broken up with a Pele kick as the kicks to the face are strong in this one. A cartwheel knee to the back gives Satomura two and a Death Valley Driver is good for the same. The STF retains Satomura’s title at 8:50.

Rating: C+. It was a hard hitting match and Turner looked better than she ever had before. That’s one of the reasons you have Satomura on the roster: she is going to bring anyone else up while still looking dominant herself. Whoever takes the title from her is going to be a huge deal, and the more people Satomura defeats, the bigger her eventual conqueror is going to be.

McKenzie congratulates Satomura post match.

Oliver Carter and Kenny Williams want the Heritage Cup. Carter wants it to glorify his people but Williams wants it for himself.

Video on Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey before their showdown next week, with knockout or submission only to win.

Saxon Huxley vs. Eddie Dennis

The rest of Symbiosis is here with Dennis. They take turns shoving each other around to start with Huxley running him over. A running elbow gets keeps Dennis in trouble and he gets knocked outside in a hurry. Dennis forearms him to the face which just makes Huxley mad, but a hard clothesline does some more damage. Back in and a top wristlock is broken up by Huxley, who drops him with a running clothesline in the corner.

Huxley drops him onto the barricade, says BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME, and then knocks him back off. Dennis avoids a running crossbody in the ropes and Divine Proposition (I think) gets two on Huxley. The second try at the running crossbody hits Dennis though Huxley goes up. A top rope clothesline into a fireman’s carry slam (Sean O’Haire’s old Widowmaker) gives Huxley the pin at 5:42.

Rating: C. I was getting Berzerker vibes from Huxley here and that’s actually a good thing. He has come a pretty long way and it is nice to see the insanity actually working out and it works a bit better as the good guy. It isn’t likely to take him to the title scene but as a wacky guy who comes in and hurts people, it’s a nice idea.

Post match Symbiosis comes in to beat on Huxley and an assisted Severn Bridge leaves him laying.

Video on Jinny vs. Aoife Valkyrie.

Isla Dawn vs. Dani Luna

Dawn is still a bit out there so Luna takes her down with straight power to start. Luna does it again but this time Dawn is back up with a front facelock. A pull of the hair has Luna in more trouble and some kicks to the ribs rock her again. Dawn grabs a cobra clutch, as Nigel is worried about Dawn taking Luna’s soul. More power gets Luna out of trouble and it’s a fall away slam into a nip up.

Some knees to the face and a kick to the head set up a backdrop driver for two on Luna, whose kickout didn’t have much snap. Dawn goes up so Luna follows, only to have her hair pulled out. While Dawn is very happy, Luna grabs a fireman’s carry into a sitout powerbomb (back to back matches with a similar finisher) for the pin at 6:49.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t as good, with Dawn doing her thing with trying to pull out Luna’s hair until Luna got sick of it and knocked her silly. Dawn has been going more with the supernatural stuff and that is a different way to go. It is also a more logical way to go, as there is little reason to go with the same mostly boring Dawn that we have been seeing over the last few years.

Video on Ilja Dragunov vs. Walter, with various wrestlers and personalities talking about how this is going to be an amazing war. They better not be wrong.

Tag Team Titles: Moustache Mountain vs. Pretty Deadly

Pretty Deadly is defending and they have their own moustaches this time. Stoker and Bate lock up to start and it’s Bate being taken down into a wristlock. That’s broken up with some skilled rolling and it’s off to Seven to chop Howley. A running elbow gets two and Bate comes back in with a Swanton for two. Everything breaks down and the champs’ moustaches are ripped out before double clotheslines put them on the floor.

Back in and Stoker makes a blind tag before being sent outside again. This time Bate gives chase, with Howley nailing a clothesline to finally put the champs in control. That doesn’t last long at all as Bate slips away and dives over for the tag to Seven. House is cleaned in a hurry and it’s right back to Bate for two off a double suplex. Howley leapfrogs Seven though and the duck lets Stoker grab a DDT in a nice spot. To keep up the tradition, Seven doesn’t stay in trouble long and hands it back to Bate to unload in the corner.

Bate hits the big dive over the top to take out both champs and there’s the Liger Kick to Howley for another near fall. The Tyler Driver 97 connects….for two, with Nigel being rather stunned on the kickout. It’s back to Stoker, who hits a quick middle rope Codebreaker for the near fall on Seven.

Back up and the big right hand allows Seven to get over to Bate. The rebound lariat/dragon suplex combination gets two on Stoker, even with Seven taking out Howley. Stoker is back up with the spinning torture rack into the half crab, with Howley throwing in the towel. Seven says he didn’t do it and the distraction lets Stoker get in a belt shot. After Seven is knocked down, it’s Spilled Milk to Bate to retain the titles at 14:56.

Rating: B. This was a very fast paced match and it was better than I would have bet on. They are doing a good job of making Pretty Deadly, one of the least impressive looking teams in awhile, into a team that could hold the titles for a long time to come. Moustache Mountain doesn’t need the titles, but if they win them, it is going to be a huge moment on the big stage.

Overall Rating: B-. The matches were (mostly) good and the show felt big. That’s a good way to spend a little over and hour and NXT UK has figured out the formula so well. It might be the best weekly show going today and this was another good edition. Just keep going with the formula, and maybe set up a Takeover down the line, and it’s hard to complain about much around here.

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NXT UK
Date: August 12, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andrew Shepherd

It’s tournament time as we have eight people vying to become the new #1 contender to the Heritage Cup. That alone should take quite a while to cover so hopefully they have something else going on to fill in some of the gaps. I’m not sure what that is going to be, but NXT UK has surprised me before. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Flash Morgan Webster vs. Wolfgang

This is fallout from Webster slapping Wolfgang to prove a point of some kind. Webster knocks him into the corner to start but Wolfgang takes him to the mat without much trouble. That means a third slap to Wolfgang so he runs Webster over and grabs a cravate. A dropkick puts Wolfgang on the floor but he sends Webster hard into the barricade.

Back in and a hard whip into the corner rocks Webster’s ribs and it’s time for some forearms to make them worse. We hit the nearly required bearhug, followed by the slightly less required abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Webster hits another dropkick but what looked like a tiger driver is easily countered with a backdrop. A poisonrana plants Wolfgang out of nowhere but a Swanton hits knees. Wolfgang spears him for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: C+. You can do a power vs. speed match at any time in wrestling and it is going to work out just fine. That is as basic of a wrestling match as you are going to get and it was acceptable here as well. Wolfgang isn’t one of the Coffeys and Webster isn’t Mark Andrews but they did well enough to make this work out.

In two weeks, Joe Coffey vs. Rampage Brown, knockout or submission only.

The rest of Subculture is proud of Flash Morgan Webster for coming so close to beating Wolfgang but Isla Dawn comes up behind Dani Luna and reaches for her. Luna says back off and Dawn does, though still looks creepy in the process.

Moustache Mountain is ready for Pretty Deadly, who has to face the best team around here. Tyler Bate is ready to complete the Grand Slam (Shouldn’t that be Triple Crown?) and Trent Seven is ready to get his first title.

Jinny is fine with getting to face Aoife Valkyrie in a No DQ match but isn’t happy that Joseph Conners will be locked in a shark cage.

Nina Samuels vs. Amele

Samuels gets aggressive to start by driving her into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Amele isn’t having that and hammers away with forearms of her own. A bulldog gives Amele two and we hit the cravate. An elbow misses though and Samuels is back with a Hennig necksnap, setting up some double knees to the back in the corner. Amele is right back with a running boot in the corner but Samuels grabs back to back tilt-a-whirl backbreakers. A bridging northern lights suplex gives Amele two and a t-bone suplex into a spinebuster finishes Samuels at 4:58.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to get very far but it was energetic while it lasted. The women’s division is in a bit of a weird place as you have the very top firmly established and then a bunch of people scattered around underneath them. These two are firmly in that secondary group and maybe this can start Amele moving up a bit. It likely won’t, but it was a good enough match.

We look back at the first Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov match, with Dragunov talking about how he gave everything he had but he will be ready next time.

We look back at Walter costing Ilja Dragunov a match against Pete Dunne this week on NXT but Dragunov laid Walter out after the match.

Saxon Huxley runs around shouting BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME. Symbiosis isn’t sure what to make of him.

Meiko Satomura is ready to defend the Women’s Title against Stevie Turner next week.

Pretty Deadly is at the WWE Warehouse and find some photos of Moustache Mountain. Right now, Moustache Mountain is the best team in NXT UK but next week, they will be the best team that Pretty Deadly has beaten.

Heritage Cup #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Mark Andrews vs. Noam Dar

Dani Luna is here with Andrews. Round one begins with the grappling exchange and Andrews putting on an armbar on the mat. Andrews spins out of a wristlock and hits a dropkick to send Dar into the ropes. Back up and Dar pulls him down by the leg but Andrews twists him down by the arm again as time expires.

Round two starts with a test of strength, which is always odd to see from smaller guys like these two. Dar takes him to the mat for a fast two and a snapmare into the ropes of all things makes it worse. Now it’s time to work on Andrews’ arm for a bit before taking him outside for a whip into the barricade. Back in and Andrews snaps off a cartwheel into a dropkick to put Dar outside as the round ends.

Round three begins with Dar kicking the leg out to take Andrews off the middle rope. Cue Teoman and Rohan Raja to watch as Dar stays on the knee. Luna offers a distraction though and Andrews pulls Dar down for a quick double stomp. Stundog Millionaire sends Dar outside and there’s the big dive to drop him again. Back in and Andrews misses a springboard though and the knee gets banged up again. Andrews tries a Pele kick but gets pulled into a kneebar for the tap at 2:43 of the round (9:47 overall).

Round four starts with Raja and Teoman leaving and Andrews hitting a 619 onto Dar’s knee in the ropes. The leg gets snapped over the middle rope, setting up a kneebar back inside. Dar breaks that up and reverses an enziguri into an ankle lock. That’s fine with Andrews, who flips him over into a cradle for the pin at 1:38 of the round (12:03 overall).

Round five begins with Andrews hooking another rollup for two but his 619 is countered into Dar’s ankle lock. The Nova Roller is countered with an enziguri but Dar catches him on top again. Dar goes after Luna though, drawing Andrews over. That means Dar can kick him in the knee and hit the Nova Roller for the pin at 2:38 of the round (15:12 overall).

Rating: C+. They were building things up rather well here and the knee/Luna both played into the end. These matches are some of the better things about NXT UK at the moment and I could go for more of them like this. They have figured out the formula and these two made it work well, as was the case here. I’m not wild on Dar moving on, but he would be fine for a villain to make a decent run.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t their strongest show of the last few weeks but it isn’t like it was a bad fifty three minutes. The action was mostly good and I liked enough of what they did. It is the kind of show where you are better off just reading are cap rather than watching the show in full, but even if you did, you would be completely fine.

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NXT UK
Date: August 5, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

We’ve got a big one this week as it’s Jordan Devlin vs. A-Kid in a thirty minute Iron Man match. Devlin injured A-Kid’s knee in a previous match to set this up so let’s have a good one. That alone should be enough to carry the show but you know there is going to be at least a little bit more. Let’s get to it.

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

Shawn Michaels narrates a video about the history of the Iron Man match and what it means. Devlin is ready to win however and A-Kid says this is wrestling instead of a way to hurt people, as Devlin likes to do.

Opening sequence.

Xia Brookside vs. Blair Davenport

Brookside goes after the arm to start and takes Davenport down twice in a row. Back up and Davenport cranks on the arm as well until Brookside is back with a dropkick. Davenport takes her down and a baseball slide puts Brookside on the floor. Back in and Davenport is back on the arm until a headscissors gets Brookside out of trouble. A neckbreaker gets two on Davenport, who kicks her in the head. Two knees to the head put Brookside away at 4:23.

Rating: C. This was a way to make Davenport look like a bigger deal as she beat up a more established name. There was some nice storytelling to it also, as Brookside isn’t quite as serious in the ring and was taken out by the aggressive power stuff. Davenport seems to have started fast and it would be nice to see how far she can go. Brookside still has potential, but eventually she needs to do something with it.

We look back at last week’s staredown between Moustache Mountain and Pretty Deadly.

Pretty Deadly and Moustache Mountain agree to a match in the future.

We are getting an eight man tournament to crown a new #1 contender to the Heritage Cup Title. Here are the brackets:

Mark Andrews
Noam Dar

Kenny Williams
Oliver Carter

Wolfgang
Sam Gradwell

Teoman
Nathan Frazier

Isla Dawn finds a box buried in the woods and opens it to find that it’s empty. She puts a watch inside and I think we have a curse.

Wolfgang runs into Subculture, who isn’t happy with him costing them the Tag Team Titles. Flash Morgan Webster slaps him and leaves.

Josh Morrell/Danny Jones vs. Dave Mastiff/Jack Starz

This is Mastiff and Starz’s first time as a team. Starz grabs a front facelock on Morrell and takes him down. It’s time for some shouts to the arm, setting up the armbar. Morrell and Mastiff come in, with Mastiff suplexing him over the top and outside in a huge. Starz comes back in so Morrell kicks him in the face. Jones sends him into the corner for a running knee but charges into a backdrop. It’s back to Mastiff to clean house for a few seconds before Starz puts Morrell in the Tree of Woe. A running headbutt sets up Mastiff’s Into The Void for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: C-. A big/small team has worked forever and it can work here, even if it feels like a recycled Killian Dain/Drake Maverick story. It’s not like the division is deep in talent at the moment so throwing another team out there could do some good. If nothing else, I’ve wanted to see something more from Mastiff and this could be a good place for him.

Nina Samuels and Amele scream at each other in the makeup room.

Noam Dar and Mark Andrews have met before and they both wound up leaving on stretchers. Now they are ready to face each other again in the first round of the Heritage Cup #1 contenders tournament.

Aoife Valkyrie is ready to face Jinny one on one and has an idea to deal with Joseph Conners. The camera pans out to reveal a shark cage. Fair enough.

Stevie Turner interrupts Meiko Satomura’s training with what sounds like a challenge.

Here’s what’s coming over the next few weeks.

A-Kid vs. Jordan Devlin

Thirty minute Iron Man match and A-Kid might have a bad knee coming in. Feeling out process to start and they take turns going after wrist control. Devlin gets him down into an armbar but A-Kid is right back up. A dropkick puts Devlin on the floor but it’s back inside for more grappling. The threat of an armbar sends Devlin over to the ropes and he grabs a Gory Stretch to put A-Kid in trouble for a change. That’s broken up as well so they go to the pinfall reversal sequence.

A-Kid grabs a cross armbreaker, sending Devlin straight to the ropes. Devlin kicks him down though and starts cranking on the arm until A-Kid is up with a dropkick of his own. A slap to the face doesn’t annoy A-Kid, who grabs a headlock on the mat. That’s broken up as well and Devlin ties the bad leg into the ropes. A hard stomp onto the leg sets up a Texas Cloverleaf to give Devlin the first fall at 9:45.

We’re down to 20:00 to go as A-Kid insists that he can continue. Devlin is smart enough to stay on the leg with a kick to the knee into a chop block but A-Kid pulls him into a rear naked choke. The rope is reached though and Devlin drives the knee into the apron. Devlin wraps it around the post as well and the Figure Four around the post makes it even worse. Back in and a Boston crab sends A-Kid bailing to the rope.

With that not working, they trade German suplexes until they fall out to the floor for the double crash. They both beat the count back inside, where Devlin can’t get a Crossface. Instead he hits a running knee to the face for two but Devlin is back up to win the slugout. A-Kid pulls him right back down into the cross armbreaker though and Devlin taps to tie it up with 11:43 to go.

Devlin has to pause to get his elbow back to normal and gets knocked off the apron to make it worse. A-Kid kicks him down to get rid of a chair and snaps off a hurricanrana for two. The running knee gets the same on Devlin and they’re both down with a banged up limb. Devlin gets kicked outside with just over seven minutes to go but comes back in and headbutts A-Kid down for two.

They slug it out from their knees and wind up on the apron, where Devlin is smart enough to hook the rope to avoid any suplex attempt. Instead, he drops to the floor and pulls him down with the Devlin Side for the big crash with 4:00 left. They both dive back inside, where another Devlin Side is countered into a Canadian Destroyer. A kick to the head gives A-Kid two at 3:00 left.

A-Kid tries to pull him into the Rings of Saturn with his legs and finally gets the whole thing on to make Devlin tap with 1:30 left to make it 2-1. Devlin tries some rollups but can’t get anywhere with less than :30 left. They slug it out until Devlin gets two at 30:00, with A-Kid winning 2-1.

Rating: B+. The highest compliment that you can give a match like this is that it didn’t feel long and that was the case here. It felt like two guys beating each other up until one of them couldn’t hang in there any longer, but not through violence. Instead, this was a technical exchange with both guys working on a body part to have an advantage later in the match. Heck of a fight here and worth checking out.

Overall Rating: B. It’s kind of hard to complain about a show where about half of it was a rather awesome match. This was a great showcase for two of the potential breakout stars around here while the rest of the card was fine as a supplement. What matters here is they built up a big match and then delivered, which is a lot more than you would get on a lot of shows these days. Great main event on a good show.

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

We have a pretty stacked card this week with Jordan Devlin vs. A-Kid and Tyler Bate defending the Heritage Cup against Jack Starz. This is a good example of what NXT UK does well, as they have built those matches up to feel important rather than throwing big names out there and having them do whatever. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Emilia McKenzie vs. Isla Dawn

McKenzie charges straight at her but Dawn hammers her down. That doesn’t seem to bother McKenzie, who is back with a swinging neckbreaker into a suplex. Dawn gets in some stomping and a forearm to the back of the neck gets two. What might have been a botched suplex is turned into a small package to give Dawn two more and McKenzie is sent outside.

A whip into the barricade has McKenzie in more trouble but she comes back in with an enziguri and a cutter. McKenzie’s spear only hits knee though and a Saito suplex plants her. A second spear connects with Dawn, who is right back with a superkick. Dawn takes a bit too much time being all freaky though and McKenzie takes her down, setting up a running knee for the pin at 6:07.

Rating: D+. Not much to see with this one and that shouldn’t be a huge surprise. This was a pretty low level women’s match and Dawn isn’t someone who is going to win very often. McKenzie has a long way to go but at least she has started off well enough. WWE might be able to do something with her and it isn’t like her matches have been terrible. For someone who is still getting started around here, this worked well enough.

Post match Dawn looks up and talks to someone.

We look back at Walter attacking Ilja Dragunov after last week’s main event.

Gallus is happy with their friendly rivalry, though Mark Coffey goes off to ask about a match. Everything is cool.

Heritage Cup: Tyler Bate vs. Jack Starz

Bate is defending and has Trent Seven as his second. Round one begins with a feeling out process 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: May 13, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s time to get ready for a title match as the main event this time around is a five woman gauntlet match for a future shot at Kay Lee Ray. This is almost a necessary move as Ray has been champion for the better part of forever now, meaning she is going to need a fresh challenger. On top of that, the Heritage Cup rules are back as Nathan Frazer faces Noam Dar. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Xia Brookside is out of the gauntlet match so we have an empty fifth spot. This shouldn’t be hard to figure out.

Nathan Frazer vs. Noam Dar

Heritage Cup rules. Round one begins as Frazer takes him down into a hammerlock and then switches into a wristlock. That’s reversed into the same thing from Dar, who has to avoid a charge against the ropes. They go to the mat with Dar grabbing a headscissors into a standoff as the round ends, with Dar getting in a cheap shot elbow after the bell. Round two begins with Dar going straight to the leg but Frazer is back up with a forearm to the face. A small package finishes Dar at 59 seconds of the second round (4:37 total).

Round three begins with Frazer hitting a dropkick into a running shooting star press for two. Cue Sha Samuels to watch at ringside and the distraction lets Dar get in a shot to the leg to take over. A kick to the arm puts Frazer down but one to the chest is cut off. Frazer goes up top and headbutts him down but time runs out before he can do anything.

Round four begins with Frazer hitting a running dropkick into the corner but Dar avoids a top rope double stomp. Dar strikes him down for two but the Nova Roller is countered into a rollup for two. An enziguri hits Frazer but he gets pulled into an ankle lock to tie it up at 1:14 of the round (10:03 overall). They slug it out to start round five with Frazer grabbing a quick rollup for two. A swinging suplex gets the same and Frazer goes up but Samuels grabs his leg. With that broken up, Frazer misses a springboard and the Nova Roller finishes Frazer at 1:50 of the round (12:27 overall).

Rating: C+. These matches have grown on me a lot over the last few months and I can go for more of them. Frazer lost via cheating so he isn’t hurt that badly and already has a rematch set up. Samuels and Dar might not be the top pairing in the world but they are perfectly adequate for what they are supposed to do.

Rampage Brown throws away Gallus’ ball and still wants to fight Joe Coffey. He seems to settle for a match with Mark Coffey though.

Video on Pretty Deadly.

Trent Seven is giving Jack Starz some advice when Sam Gradwell comes up. Gradwell says Seven is overrated and he sees right through this dad act. The brawl is almost on but it’s broken up in a hurry.

Levi Muir vs. Mark Andrews

The rest of Subculture is here with Andrews. Muir’s wristlock doesn’t last long as Andres rolls him u for two. Back up and Muir snaps off a powerslam before hammering away in the corner. They slug it out with Muir getting the better of things and snaps off a slingshot suplex. Andrews kicks him into the ropes for a 619 to the back but has to counter another slingshot suplex into a Stundog Millionaire (that was cool). Muir is knocked outside so Andrews is right there with the suicide dive. Back in and Fall To Pieces finishes Muir at 4:34.

Rating: C. I liked this better than I was expecting to as Andrews really is one of the better high fliers going today. He is one of those guys that is so easy to get behind and that is harder to find than it might seem. Muir is someone with some potential of his own and could go somewhere if he is given a bit more of a chance and a character.

Amale comes up to Sid Scala but can’t get Xia Brookside’s spot in the gauntlet match. Instead, she’ll be facing….to be announced, whenever Brookside is back to health. They might have spoiled that a bit.

Video on Kenny Williams beating Amir Jordan last week to get rid of him.

We get a sitdown interview between Heritage Cup Champion A-Kid and #1 contender Tyler Bate. A-Kid wants the big win to prove himself over one of the big names. Bate says A-Kid may be the master of the Heritage Cup rules but he isn’t the master of him. They don’t seem intimidated but do shake hands.

Gauntlet Match

Five women, with only four known, and the winner gets a title shot against Kay Lee Ray. Isla Dawn is in at #1 and Emilia McKenzie is in at #2. McKenzie takes her down with the waistlock to start and then forearms away. A swinging neckbreaker gives McKenzie two but Dawn kicks her down and gets two off a suplex. McKenzie is right back with an enziguri and running dropkick, followed by a spear for two of her own. Dawn kicks her in the head though and a bridging half nelson suplex gets rid of McKenzie at 3:31.

Dani Luna is in at #3 and kicks Dawn in the face, setting up some rolling suplexes for two. A fall away slam sets up an exploder suplex for two more but Luna misses a charge into the post, allowing Dawn to roll her up at 5:33. Meiko Satomura is in at #4 and is taking Xia Brookside’s spot. Dawn is smart enough to dropkick her on the way in and takes it outside to send Satomura into the barricade.

Back in and Dawn kicks her into the ropes, with commentary being all stunned. Some Saito suplexes into some double knees get two on Satomura but a knee drop misses. Satomura kicks her in the back but gets rolled up for two. Dawn tries another rollup, only to have Satomura reverse into one of her own for the pin at 9:43.

Jinny is in at #5 to give us the final fight and Satomura gets taken down by the arm. A front facelock gives Jinny two and a rollup is good for the same. Satomura kicks her way out of an armbar and then spins out of a headscissors. Back up and Satomura wins a strike off, capped off by a running dropkick. The Crossface is broken up in a hurry and Jinny hammers away with right hands. Satomura has had it with this and hits the Death Valley Driver, setting up the Scorpion kick for the pin at 16:35.

Rating: C. The match was fine as a way to set up Satomura vs. Ray II and that’s all it needed to be. The action itself worked, though it suffered from the same problem that these matches so often do: Satomura was suddenly spent after being in there for like five minutes because she had beaten a somewhat drained Dawn. All that mattered was Satomura winning though so they got the important part right.

Kay Lee Ray comes out to trade bows with Satomura….and then superkicks her to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was average for the most part with the matches all being watchable, but it served its purpose of setting up some things for later. Satomura vs. Ray and A-Kid vs. Bate should be good, though this was just a preview of the big stuff instead of the actual big ones. It wasn’t the best show, but it did what it needed to do for the future, which is rather important in its own right.

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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 25, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to England and things are continuing their slow and steady process around here. I’m not sure what that is building towards as there is no Takeover in sight, leaving us with a bunch of featured television matches again. This time around that would be Ilja Dragunov in a rematch against Sam Gradwell. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with Supernova Sessions with Noam Dar talking about how he is facing Tyler Bate in two weeks for a shot at the Heritage Cup. For now though the guest is Trent Seven, who came just short in his shot at the Cruiserweight Title. Dar wants to know Seven’s secret to the weight loss, with Seven saying he never worked so hard in his career.

Dar cuts him off and says he has been around WWE for five years and has performed on every brand in the company. He’s the original gangster of the relaunch of the cruiserweight division but Seven gets up and calls himself one of the Founding Fathers of NXT UK. Cue Sha Samuels, who is going to be in Dar’s corner against Bate. Seven volunteers to be there to even things up. I’ve heard worse ideas.

Sid Scala tells Jinny that she and Piper Niven are banned from ringside tonight when Joseph Conners faces Jack Starz. She storms off, albeit fashionably.

We hype up NXT Prelude, which looks like a decent card.

Video on Walter vs. Rampage Brown, who are having a title match at Prelude.

Joseph Conners vs. Jack Starz

Conners grabs a cravate to start and Starz is out just as fast. The same is true of a wristlock but Conners tries it again and takes him down by the wrist. Back up and they hit the pinfall reversal sequence until Starz uppercuts and dropkicks him to the floor. That means a big dive from Starz, followed by a crossbody for two back inside.

Conners hits a double stomp out of the corner though and a backbreaker sets up some near falls. A clothesline gives Conners two more but Starz is back with a suplex for a breather. Starz hits a running uppercut to the back and a backdrop makes it worse. A rollup gives Starz two but Conners grabs a DDT and a neckbreaker to finish Starz at 7:53.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that I would have expected to be absolutely nothing but it wound up being a pretty fun one, which works well in a story that has no business being overly interesting. Neither of them have anything going on so putting them into a story is a nice idea. It’s certainly better than having them sit in catering for five months.

Pretty Deadly are rather excited about their first Tag Team Title defense next week, to the point where they speak in unison.

Piper Niven gives Jack Starz a pep talk after his loss.

The Hunt vs. Danny Jones/Josh Morrell

It’s the new Hunt (though still with Eddie Dennis) with T-Bone taking Wild Boar’s place. T-Bone unloads on Morrell in the corner and Primate comes in for his own shots. It’s off to Jones, who gets his arm worked on by both monsters. Jones does manage a Backstabber on Primate though and the hot tag brings in Morrell to start cleaning house. That earns him a hard shot to the face and it’s back to T-Bone for a backbreaker. Everything breaks down and Jones hits a step up enziguri, only to get kneed in the face. Primate adds the top rope headbutt for the pin at 6:29.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what they were going for here but this didn’t make me think much of the new Hunt. This felt like it was almost about bringing both of them up, which should not be the idea in a match like this one. The Hunt needed to look dominant and while their stuff looked good, it doesn’t matter all that much when two jobbers are surviving and even hanging in there for a bit. Just let it be about the Hunt and squash these guys.

Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams are training at the Performance Center and everything seems cool. For now.

Aleah James vs. Isla Dawn

James takes her down by the arm to start and hits a dropkick to send Dawn into the corner. Dawn comes out with a kick to the face and then hammers away, only to get small packaged for two. A Saito suplex sets up a weird standing double underhook stretch to keep James in trouble. That’s broken up and James hits a dropkick, followed by a crossbody for two. Dawn suplexes the heck out of her though and a bridging half nelson suplex finishes James at 4:17.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and I’ve always liked Dawn, so it’s nice to see her getting a push for the first time in a good while. They have hyped her up as the white witch over and over again so having her actually do witchcraft stuff makes sense for a change. It’s not like there is anyone else to go after Kay Lee Ray (save for Xia Brookside) anyway.

Xia Brookside makes Nina Samuels clean the bathroom.

Kay Lee Ray comes up to Isla Dawn in the back, so Dawn makes the lights flicker. That’s enough for Ray, who walks off.

Sam Gradwell vs. Ilja Dragunov

No DQ. Gradwell throws his jacket at Dragunov to start and hammers away but Dragunov is right back up with a forearm to the face. A kick to the face sends Gradwell outside and there’s a dropkick through the ropes. Dragunov picks up a chair but throws it down and takes things back inside instead. The Constantine Special drops Gradwell but Dragunov has to stop himself from going too nuts. Gradwell goes outside where Dragunov gets a big running start, only to have Gradwell blast him with the bell (it looked like in the head at first but Dragunov is holding his arm so well done on the head fake).

Some cord whips to the back keep Dragunov in trouble and a shot to the mouth makes it worse. Back in and a butterfly suplex onto a chair gets two on Dragunov. Gradwell pulls off some turnbuckle pads and, after powering out of a guillotine attempt, crotches Dragunov on top. Dragunov shoves him off but gets rammed into the buckle. Gradwell knocks him off the top and they head outside, with Dragunov hitting a heck of a clothesline (which hurts his damaged arm).

The steps are picked up so Gradwell begs off, only to get German suplexed on the floor. Dragunov chops away at the back of the neck so Gradwell begs off again, saying he is a dad too. This time he suckers Dragunov in for something like an AA onto the steps. That makes Dragunov scream in agony but it’s only good for two back inside. More chairs are piled up but Dragunov fights out of another AA.

Dragunov sends him into the exposed buckle to knock him silly and it’s time to go back up. The top rope backsplash only hits chairs though and Gradwell chops him in the back…..which sends Dragunov over the edge (Gradwell knows he’s done too and the facial is perfect). Dragunov hammers away and kicks him in the face, followed by a bunch of chairs to the back. A bunch of forearms to the face are enough for the referee to stop it at 14:48.

Rating: B. The storytelling was what mattered the most here, though they beat the heck out of each other for a good while. Commentary did a great job of pointing out the chops sending Dragunov back to the match with Walter, which sent him over the edge. Throw in his background of dealing with bullies and trying to find an outlet for everything and Dragunov going insane at such a thing makes a lot of sense. That’s the kind of depth you don’t get very often in something WWE related and I want to see where it goes. Gradwell deserved attention as well, as he has gone from nothing to looking great, so more of him too.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event carried this one but it’s another good example of the promotion being able to build a show up without most of their top stars around. That’s a really good sign, because they are showing the ability to build people up rather than just going with the same people over and over. WWE could use a lesson from them, but that has never stopped them before. Good main event to a pretty nice show with some impressive character development.

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