NXT UK
Date: June 17, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

Things might be a bit slower this week as we are coming off a pretty awesome title change last week. Meiko Satomura is the new Women’s Champion, meaning we could be in for something a bit slower this time around. I’m not sure what that is going to mean for the show, but NXT UK is pretty awesome at the moment so they should be fine. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Meiko Satomura finally ending Kay Lee Ray’s record setting Women’s Title reign last week. That was a pretty cool moment.

Wolfgang vs. Sam Gradwell

Before the match, Gradwell makes Big Bad Wolf jokes but is very clear that his house is made of stone. Wolfgang shoulders him down without much trouble to start and grabs an armbar. Back up and Wolfgang’s big whip sends Gradwell into the corner as this is one sided so far.

Wolfgang heads up but gets knocked down to the floor, meaning it’s time to grab a shoulder. That doesn’t last long though as Wolfgang is right back up to slug away and run Gradwell over. A suplex gives Wolfgang two but Gradwell elbows his way out of a fireman’s carry. Wolfgang manages to snap Gradwell’s throat over the top though and a spear is enough for the pin at 6:13.

Rating: C. Wolfgang has never been the most interesting singles star so it was nice to see him getting a chance like this. The match wasn’t great or anything, but it gives Wolfgang some momentum. That being said, it would be nice to see Gradwell win something for a change. I don’t remember the last time that was the case and that’s not a good sign.

Kenny Williams is ready to prove himself.

Various wrestlers are excited about Meiko Satomura’s win. Well save for Amele, who wants the title.

Subculture and Jinny/Joseph Conners are about to come to blows but Pretty Deadly pops in to interrupt. They’ll be on commentary for the mixed tag.

Danny Jones vs. Kenny Williams

Jones takes him down in a hurry and grabs a headlock, followed by the armbar. Williams is sent outside and snaps Jones’ arm over the ropes to take over. Back in and Williams bends him around the ropes, setting up a running dropkick to the back. The armbar has Jones in more trouble but he fights up for an enziguri. Jones tosses him into the corner a few times and hits a running boot but Williams takes the leg out. Back up and Bad Luck finishes Jones at 4:11.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here but Jones got to showcase himself more than I would have expected. What mattered here was having Williams pick up a win in the end as he is someone NXT seems interested in pushing. I’m not sure how far he is going to go, but they are trying something with him and that is how you start.

We get a sitdown interview with Rampage Brown, Ilja Dragunov and Joe Coffey with the three of them talking about how tough and violent they are. They all seem ready to fight, with Coffey and Brown taunting Dragunov about not being what he used to be. Their match is next week.

Mark Coffey annoys Sha Samuels and makes him run off in frustration.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions because this needs to keep going. This week’s guest is Jordan Devlin, with Noam Dar complimenting his fashion sense. Devlin likes Dar’s shoes too and Dar gives him the new Supernova Sessions shirt. After dominating America, Devlin is back here because America sucks. We hear about Devlin dropping the Cruiserweight Title to “Santa Claus” Escobar. Dar likes Devlin so he can have the big closing statement. Devlin says the franchise brand is back so come to the biggest dressing room and challenge him.

Video on Oliver Carter vs. Teoman next week, with Carter fighting to avenge his injured partner, Ashton Smith.

Dave Mastiff is training in the Performance Center but we cut over to Tyler Bate offering Jack Starz a Heritage Cup shot. Starz says he isn’t ready and Bate says the offer is there later. Bate leaves and Mastiff asks Starz what he is thinking.

Nathan Frazer vs. Rohan Raja

Frazer grabs a quick rollup for two so Raja grabs a headlock to slow him down. Back up and Frazer snaps off a Sling Blade but charges into a hard toss into the corner to give Raja his own two. The waistlock keeps Frazer in trouble until he reverses into a rollup for two of his own. Frazer runs him over with a forearm into a moonsault but Raja rolls away.

That’s fine with Frazer who lands on his feet and hits a standing moonsault for two instead. Raja is back up with a sitout Sky High for two but Frazer grabs a twisting suplex. A springboard moonsault into a Nightmare On Helm Street connects but Raja catches him on top. That just means a headbutt to put Raja down and the frog splash finishes for Frazer at 6:50.

Rating: C. There is something about Frazer that makes him fun to watch. His offense looks crisp and he has the charisma on top of it, which is more than you are going to get out of almost anyone else these days. It wasn’t a big match or even anything important, but I had fun here, as is the case with almost any Frazer match.

Post match an eye pops up on screen so Frazer looks at it but nothing happens.

Jordan Devlin comes in to his huge locker room and finds A-Kid. It seems we have a challenge.

Subculture vs. Jinny/Joseph Conners

That would be Flash Morgan Webster/Dani Luna for Subculture and Pretty Deadly is on commentary. The guys start things off with Webster grabbing a running armdrag to little avail. A knee to the ribs cuts Webster off so the women come in, with Jinny cranking on the arm. It’s back to Conners, with Luna backflipping Webster into a moonsault. Jinny gets in a cheap shot on Luna though and the stomping is on in the corner. A Black Widow has Luna in more trouble but she powers out for a fall away slam.

The hot tag brings in Webster to fire off the clotheslines to Conners to put him outside. Luna backdrops Webster into a flip dive, allowing her to snap suplex Jinny. Luna kicks an invading Conners in the face and sends him over the top but Conners comes back in for I believe Chuck Taylor’s Awful Waffle for two on Webster. Jinny gets in a cheap shot from the apron so Conners can grab a rollup for two more as the referee finally bothers to clear the ring a bit. The distraction lets Luna kick Conners down, setting up a 630 to give Webster the pin at 8:11.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced match with Luna getting to look like a monster. You can probably pencil in Subculture as Pretty Deadly’s next challengers and that is not a bad thing. What matters here is Subculture getting a win to boost them up a bit, as the group is just getting off the ground. Besides, can Conners really fall that much further down?

Post match, Mark Andrews joins Webster in the ring for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They had a pretty balanced show here and that’s where NXT UK tends to shine. Nothing on here really got a ton of focus, which is fine when none of the matches is that much bigger than the rest. This show is just so easy to watch and that makes all the difference in the world these days. Rather nice show here and I’m not even surprised by that these days.

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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.

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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Takeover: Stand & Deliver Night Two
Date: April 8, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

We’re back here after a heck of a first night and the card here might look even better. The main event is the showdown over the NXT Title as Finn Balor defends against Karrion Kross, who never lost the title in the first place. Other than that, we have multiple title matches and an unsanctioned match between Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole. Let’s get to it.

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

Kickoff Show: Breezango vs. Killian Dain/Drake Maverick

The winners get a future Tag Team Title shot against MSK. Breeze grabs Dain’s wrist to start and brings in Fandango, who is knocked away without much effort. Dain isn’t having any of this and runs Fandango over before handing it off to Maverick for…we’ll call it dancing I guess. Fandango manages a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two on Maverick and it’s back to Breeze for the same off a suplex.

Maverick is driven into the corner and Breeze knocks him down with a right hand. A legdrop gets two on Maverick and we hit the chinlock. Maverick fights up and slips over for the tag to Dain, meaning house can be cleaned. A fall away slam/Samoan drop plants Breezango for two as everything starts to break down. Dain is finally sent outside but Maverick catches Fandango up top for a super hurricanrana. That lets Dain come back in and powerbomb Maverick onto Fandango for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C. Pretty standard match here and while Maverick and Dain aren’t likely to win the titles, I’ll take them over the rather middle of the road Breezango. There is no reason to give them another shot at the moment, as the team hasn’t done much of anything since losing the titles. Maverick and Dain are at least fresh, and MSK surviving the monster is a good way to get their reign started.

Poppy sings a song to open things up.

Cruiserweight Title: Jordan Devlin vs. Santos Escobar

Ladder match to unify the two titles. They go straight to the slugout at the bell but Devlin can’t hit the early Devlin Slide attempt. Devlin sticks the landing on a tilt-a-whirl attempt so Escobar elbows him in the back. That’s fine with Devlin, who knocks him down to set up a standing moonsault. Escobar is knocked outside and that sets up an Asai moonsault to drop him again. It’s time for the first ladder and thankfully Devlin is ready for the attempted baseball slide.

Devlin knocks Escobar down with the ladder instead and goes for the belts but Escobar is back in for a hard ram into the ladder instead. A whip into the corner into the ladder has Devlin crashing out to the floor. Escobar hits some running knees against the barricade and the cockiness is ramping up. It’s time for another ladder, with Escobar leaning it up against the barricade. Back in and Devlin tries to stop Escobar from getting the titles but Escobar is ready for him with a ladder shot.

A running dropkick sends the ladder into Devlin’s ribs in the corner and let’s get another ladder. This one is sat on the top rope but Escobar spends too much time talking trash and slapping Devlin in the face, meaning it’s Escobar being sent into the ladder instead. A dropkick to the banged up ribs puts Devlin down again though as the fans are behind Escobar. For some reason Escobar catapults Devlin at the ladder and he manages to get his hand on the titles, allowing him to dive down with a DDT to lay Escobar out again.

Devlin is sent outside though and Escobar’s suicide dive sends him into the standing ladder. Back in and Escobar’s double underhook is countered into a backdrop onto the ladder and they’re both down again. The Devlin Slide is countered into a jumping knee to the face but Devlin is right back with the Spanish Fly. The slingshot cutter drops Escobar again and a ladder is set up in the corner. For some reason Devlin climbs there and, after knocking Escobar down, hits a great looking moonsault from the very top of the ladder.

That’s enough for Devlin to go up but here is Legado del Fantasma to turn the ladder over (with Devlin falling to the floor in a hurry, which looked rather scary). After the beatdown, Escobar sends Legado to the back and goes up, but Devlin throws a ladder at him for the save. The super Spanish Fly off the ladder leaves them both laying again. They both go up and slug it out on top of the ladder until Escobar knocks him off and through the ladder in the corner. That’s enough for Escobar to pull down the titles and win at 18:07.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and that’s what you want out of a ladder match. You could feel the energy here and they were going with the classic formula of a lot of flips and dives off of the ladder. Sure a lot of it didn’t make sense (such as where Devlin put the ladder in the first place) but egads it was a fun spectacle, which is what you’re going for in a match like this. The ladder exploding at the end was a great visual too and it capped off a heck of a fun match.

Post match Escobar celebrates with Legado and his son in a nice moment.

MSK is proud to win the Tag Team Titles but don’t agree on who wins between Finn Balor and Karrion Kross.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: The Way vs. Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon

Blackheart and Moon are defending and come out in their tank because that’s what they do. It’s a brawl to start until LeRae starts hammering on Blackheart. Some pulling of the hair lets LeRae take her down and we hit the armbar. Hartwell comes in for some shots of her own but it’s quickly back to LeRae for a few more stomps. Shotzi manages to kick her down though and the hot tag brings in Moon to clean house. She throws in a SUCK IT (for Road Dogg) and nails a running splash in the corner to LeRae.

Hartwell’s distraction breaks up the Eclipse though but Blackheart comes in to turn it into a Tower of Doom. We settle back down to Hartwell spinebustering Moon for two but Shotzi comes back in for a suicide dive onto the Way, which does not exactly land very well. Moon dives onto LeRae and it’s a Dominator/sliding cutter combination to give Blackheart two back inside. LeRae knocks Moon off the apron and it’s a flapjack/Downward Spiral combination for two on Blackheart. Moon tags herself back in though and it’s a double Eclipse to set up Trip to the Ball Pit to retain the titles at 10:23.

Rating: C. These titles still don’t feel important, but it was absolutely the right call to have the champs retain. You need to establish the titles a bit before you have another title change and Moon/Blackheart are fine enough for the current champs. This was fine for a pretty big TV match, but it’s not like the titles have any kind of history or importance so far. That can come later, but it makes for some pretty uninteresting early title matches.

We recap Bronson Reed winning the Gauntlet Eliminator to become #1 contender to the North American Title.

Gable Stevenson (with Stephanie McMahon), an NCAA Heavyweight Champion in wrestling and an Olympian, is here.

North American Title: Bronson Reed vs. Johnny Gargano

Gargano is defending and has Austin Theory with him. Reed cartwheels away from him to start and Gargano seems a bit stunned. A fall away slam sends Gargano flying but he manages to get in a shot to the head. The slingshot spear….bounces off of Reed, who chops Gargano down with ease. Back up and Gargano gets smart by going for the knee to knock Reed outside.

The baseball slide takes Reed down but he pulls the slingshot dive out of the air. Gargano sends him ribs first into the announcers’ table (which is moved by the impact) and it’s time to head back inside for the left hands in the corner. A middle rope splash crushes Reed again and Gargano grabs a cobra clutch. Gargano goes up again but dives into a powerslam to give Reed a breather. A chokeslam plants Gargano and Reed muscles him up for a suplex into a Death Valley Driver.

Reed takes him to the corner for a superplex but Gargano reverses into a Backstabber for two. A missed backsplash lets Gargano grab a crucifix for two more but Reed gets him into an electric chair. That’s countered into a poisonrana, sending Reed out to the apron. One Final Beat onto the ramp is countered into a Razor’s Edge over the top and back inside for the big crash. The Tsunami only hits mat though and Gargano nails a low superkick for a close two. Reed blasts him with a clothesline so Theory gets up to block another Tsunami attempt.

Gargano tries a super hurricanrana but Reed jumps down instead (that seemed like a botch but Reed saved it in time) and plants Gargano with a powerbomb. Theory puts Gargano’s foot on the ropes and Gargano heads to the floor, allowing Reed to CRUSH Theory with a suicide dive. Back in and an Air Raid Crash gets two on Gargano so Reed goes up again. Reed debuts and misses a moonsault though, allowing Gargano to hit One Final Beat….and one more Final Beat to retain at 16:12.

Rating: B. Who knew Reed had this in him? This was a cool idea where the face was the monster and trying everything he could to overcome the odds. The problem is that Gargano is awesome at Takeover and that makes it rather hard to actually beat him. Gargano is in a weird place where there is little for him left to do in NXT but it would seem to be a career crushing promotion. Hopefully he drops the title in a big moment, as he probably will, but I’m not sure how it goes after that.

We recap Karrion Kross vs. Finn Balor for the NXT Title. Kross was forced to vacate the title due to an injury and Balor won it, meaning it’s time for a showdown.

Oney Lorcan, Pete Dunne and Danny Burch are here.

NXT Title: Karrion Kross vs. Finn Balor

Kross is challenging and has Scarlett with him. They stare each other down to start and Kross shoves him around with ease. Balor goes after the arm and gets kneed in the ribs for his efforts. A headlock works a bit better for Balor but Kross shoves him around with straight power….so Balor slaps him in the face. Balor gets driven into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs but Kross misses a charge. That lets Balor pull the arm around the top rope and the armbar goes on.

Kross powers up again and ties Balor in the Tree of Woe for a running knee to the ribs. Balor is back with another armbar but the powerbomb counter is countered into a DDT to the arm. A hammerlock has Kross’ arm in more trouble and Balor takes him into the corner. Balor hits a spinning kick to the ribs and Kross crumples to the mat. That’s fine with Balor, who hammers away at the ribs until Kross kicks him in the ribs. Kross loads up an Oklahoma Stampede but Balor reverses into a Nightmare on Helm Street to put both guys down.

Kross is back up to hit a powerbomb for two more and can’t believe the kickout. Balor is right back on the ribs and shoulder with the abdominal stretch, followed by the Sling Blade to drop Kross again. Back up and Kross runs him over again but charges into the Pele kick. The shotgun dropkick sends Kross into the corner and the Coup de Grace connects….but the cover is reversed into a choke.

Balor rolls out and hits the jumping double stomp, setting up something like an abdominal stretch on the mat. Kross reverses that and unloads with forearms to the back of the head. A German suplex drops Balor again, followed by the Doomsday Saito. The running forearm to the back of the head gives Kross the pin and the title back at 17:09.

Rating: B+. This took some time to get going but by the end they had the right idea with Kross just being able to be violent enough to put Balor away. It was a clean win as it should have been with Balor giving it everything he had but not being able to put Kross away. I’m glad to see Kross win the title back because he never lost it, and hopefully this is enough to send Balor back up to the main roster, assuming he wants to go.

Franky Monet’s dog finds her again.

Santos Escobar is proud of his win and is ready to expand his legacy.

We recap Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly. Cole turned on the Undisputed Era and broke up the team by attacking O’Reilly. This did not exactly sit well and O’Reilly is ready to beat him up as revenge for everything that Cole has caused him to do since the team began. The match is unsanctioned, meaning anything goes.

Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Anything goes and they both have new music. They stare each other down to start and O’Reilly slugs away to start as we’re off in a hurry. A running big boot in the corner hits Cole and they’re on the floor in a hurry. O’Reilly sends him into various things on the floor and they head back inside, only to have Cole knock him off the top and back to the floor in a crash. Cole gets in a whip to the barricade and loads up a bunch of chairs.

Some of the chairs are sent inside and another one, with the Undisputed Era logo on the back, is cracked down onto O’Reilly’s back. They head inside again with Cole hitting a neckbreaker onto a chair and glaring down at O’Reilly. The neck crank goes on before Cole plants him again and tells O’Reilly to get up. That’s fine with O’Reilly, who hits a jumping knee.

Cole pump kicks him in the face but O’Reilly is right back with the Muay Thai knees. O’Reilly knocks him to the floor and sits him in a chair for the running knees from the apron. Back in and O’Reilly busts out a chain but gets caught in a hanging neckbreaker onto said chain. They grab the chain and slug it out with O’Reilly getting the better of things and loading the chain around his leg. The Figure Four, with the chain around the leg, has Cole in even more trouble until he turns it over. O’Reilly turns it right back over and the chain is tied to the top rope.

Back up and O’Reilly gets a running start but Cole uses the chain to clothesline him down. A German suplex drops O’Reilly and he lands in a chair, allowing Cole to hit a Shining Wizard for two more. They head outside again with Cole trying the brainbuster onto the steps but O’Reilly reverses into a guillotine. With Cole out on his feet, O’Reilly knees him in the chest but takes too long loading up his own brainbuster. Cole drives him into the barricade, only to get knocked down again.

O’Reilly loads up the announcers’ table and they slug it out on top until O’Reilly hits a brainbuster (THUD) onto the table. Cole staggers beyond the barricade and grabs a TV monitor to blast O’Reilly in the face. It’s back inside with Cole busting out a toolbox, including a wrench. That’s blocked as well so O’Reilly hits a rebound lariat. O’Reilly ties the chain around Cole’s arm and tries a cross armbreaker, followed by a triangle choke.

Cole breaks that up and they sit in some chairs and slug it out, including trash talk for a bonus. A low blow cuts O’Reilly down and Cole superkicks him for two. With nothing else working, Cole wraps the chair around O’Reilly’s neck and shoves there referee down for daring to break it up. The Panama Sunrise connects but there is no referee. They go up the ramp with Cole throwing a chair at O’Reilly’s head for a nasty crash. Cole drives him into the barricade but O’Reilly is back with a guillotine choke….and they go crashing through the ramp.

Cole is up first and kicks a hole in the side of the ramp to pull O’Reilly back out. O’Reilly gets in the ring and falls right back out, allowing Cole to hit the brainbuster onto the steps. That gets two back inside as this is full on ridiculous Cole Takeover match. The Last Shot misses though and O’Reilly pulls him into a heel hook. Cole is in trouble but wraps the chain around his hand to knock O’Reilly cold.

Another Panama Sunrise is countered and O’Reilly hits his own fireman’s carry neckbreaker. The knee pad comes down and a Last Shot to Cole….gets two. Oh come on already. O’Reilly loads up a Pillmanization on the ankle but Cole gets up and catches him with a chair on top. A chair is turned upside down but O’Reilly gets in his own low blow. O’Reilly wraps the chain around his leg and drops a knee to Cole’s neck to drive it into the chair for the pin at 40:18.

Rating: B. Yeah it was a good brawl and they beat each other up but GOOD GRIEF STOP LETTING COLE GO ON FOREVER LIKE THIS. There is a place for a long match but you could have probably cut out nearly twenty minutes of this thing and had just about the same match. This just kept going and I was getting annoyed at it for going on so long. It felt like they had a long checklist of things that they had come up with and needed to get through instead of doing what made sense for the match. I really didn’t have fun with this one and it was ALL because of the length.

Cole gets taken away on the stretcher and O’Reilly just stares at him to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. That main event sucked the life out of this show for me and that is not a feeling I’m used to around here. This show probably should have been done fifteen minutes earlier and that is a much bigger problem when you are on your second two plus hour show in a row. It’s still very good and I liked it a lot, but enough with the long main events. Everything else made sense and went the right way with some awesome matches though, and it’s another awesome Takeover to go with what we had last night. I don’t need another two night Takeover, but for a one off, it went very well.

Results

Santos Escobar b. Jordan Devlin – Escobar pulled down the titles

Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon b. The Way – Trip to the Ball Pit to Hartwell

Johnny Gargano b. Bronson Reed – One Final Beat

Karrion Kross b. Finn Balor – Running forearm to the back of the head

Kyle O’Reilly b. Adam Cole – Middle rope knee with a chain

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

This is a different kind of Takeover as the whole thing is spread over two nights. That has caused a few issues with the build to the show as it is a little bit difficult to focus on two shows at once. Throw in the fact that this means we have twice as many matches as usual for a Takeover and I’m not sure how something like this is going to go. Then again, you don’t bet against Takeover so let’s get to it.

Night One

Kickoff Show: Toni Storm vs. Zoey Stark

Stark continues to be one of the more interesting cases in NXT at the moment as it is clear that they see something in her (because it’s there) but she keeps losing to one big name after another. At some point that is going to stop working out for her and the stock is going to drop, meaning she needs to win something. I’m just not sure if she is going to get that win here.

I think I’ll go with Storm to win here, as she has been kind of floating since the feud with Io Shirai, meaning she is going to need something to get her back on track. Beating Stark is not exactly the kind of thing that is going to be the big saving grace for her, but it is going to help her out a bit. Stark is going to get a win of her own someday, though I’m really not sure when that is going to be the case.

Tag Team Titles: MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma

This is for the vacant titles thanks to Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch being injured. We’re starting off with a confusing one here too as I have no idea who is winning the titles. You really could go with all three as possible winners and that is a great thing to see. MSK would seem to be the likely winners here as they were guaranteed a title shot thanks to winning the Dusty Classic….but things have changed since then.

As much as I want to pick Legado as the team who could pick up the titles because the other two seem like the likely winners, I’ll go with MSK winning the titles here for a nice feel good moment. I’m not sure if that is the best idea though as the Veterans need to win something after coming up short time after time, but MSK seems popular enough that a win would be a nice energy boost to the show.

Gauntlet Eliminator: Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah Scott vs. Bronson Reed vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis vs. LA Knight

This is something similar to a Royal Rumble, but you are eliminated by pinfall or submission and the winner gets a North American Title shot against Johnny Gargano on night two. In theory that eliminates the heels from getting their shot, but stranger things have happened around here. I would assume that we only have three potential contenders, and only two of them are interesting.

Unfortunately I think we’re getting Lumis here, as he has been tied up with Gargano and the Way for a few weeks now. Reed is the most interesting choice and Ruff has a history with Gargano, but Lumis makes the most sense here. Grimes is on a roll and could feud with a few people in the match. Scott is already feuding with Ruff and Knight….well I’m not sure you can call his stuff with Reed a feud just yet. Lumis goes over here and moves on to the title shot on night two.

Pete Dunne vs. Kushida

Yes please. I think I might need a bit more than that, but this one feels like possibly the most intriguing match on the entire card. Kushida is someone who is capable of busting out a great match at the drop of a hat and Dunne is Dunne, so how can this one be bad? These two have been having issues for weeks now and that sounds like a good enough reason for the two of them to spend fifteen minutes trying to break the other’s arm off.

While Kushida needs a win to get some footing underneath him, Dunne is a far bigger star and is going to win here. He is someone who could become a top star around here in the blink of an eye and it makes sense to have him go over here. This very well could steal the show and the entire Takeover, but it is more about getting us to the inevitable, which is Dunne getting the win.

United Kingdom Title: Walter(c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Speaking of matches that could steal all of Takeover, we have these two who are more than capable of doing just that. This time around it is for Walter’s title, as his seemingly never ending reign continues. Now the problem with this one is they have announced Walter’s next title defense, but that isn’t exactly the point here. What matters is Walter is back in the ring and that is a great thing for everyone.

Of course Walter wins here, because they aren’t going to end the epic title reign on a different continent in a match that feels a bit thrown together. Walter is someone who can have a classic with anyone he faces and if we get the old Ciampa here, these two could do something incredible. I know Ciampa isn’t as great as he has been before, but even a mostly there Ciampa is a sight to behold.

Women’s Title: Io Shirai(c) vs. Rhea Gonzalez

This is an interesting one as the champ issued the challenge for a change. You might not realize it but Shirai has been champion for about ten months now and has all but cleared out the division. Thankfully NXT is good at bringing in fresh talent and that is exactly what they are doing with people like Gonzalez (among others). This was the main focal point of last week’s NXT and it feels like a main event.

I’ve been betting that Shirai will lose the title for the better part of ever now and I’ll do that again here, as there just aren’t many people left to take it from here (save for maybe Xia Li, but I’m not sure how much someone with her current gimmick needs the title). They need to pull the trigger on someone eventually (though Shirai is doing fine in this role) and Gonzalez makes more sense than probably anyone else. Gonzalez wins here and ends a sneakily epic reign from Shirai.

Night Two

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon(c) vs. The Way

These titles are still brand new and one of the best ways to make them mean something is to have them on the line. Granted there still are not very many established teams to go after them, but at least the Way has a name. Blackheart and Moon don’t feel like long term champs, but losing in one of your first defenses seems like a quick drop (pun intended), even at a show like this.

Now the question is will they drop them here and I’ll go with not yet. I think the Way does get the belts eventually, but it isn’t happening so soon. It is just a little too early for the titles to change hands twice and NXT would be smart to have the titles sink in with Blackheart and Moon for a bit. The Way isn’t a team that needs to have multiple titles, so hopefully the titles don’t change here, because they really don’t need to yet.

North American Title: Johnny Gargano(c) vs. Gauntlet Eliminator Winner

This is a follow up from the previous night as the winner of the Gauntlet Eliminator (Lumis, assuming my completely accurate picks are right) gets a shot at Gargano. I’m not sure how much I like this idea as it can make for a hard match to set up in advance, but at least they have something going here between Gargano and Lumis. That sets up a rather scary possibility of even more of a focus on Lumis, though they have pulled back a bit in recent weeks.

I think I’ll go with Lumis winning here, as it has been teased long enough that it probably needs to just happen already. Gargano is fine in his role as champion, but it feels like he has held the title for the better part of ever at the moment. The title probably needs some fresh blood and while Lumis isn’t the most exciting or interesting blood, he certainly would be fresh. Now just get it over with already.

Cruiserweight Title: Jordan Devlin(c) vs. Santos Escobar(c)

It’s a special situation as both are champions, meaning there are two titles. Since Shawn Michaels is helping to run NXT and it has been at least a month since the last one, it is time to put the belts above the ring and have a ladder match. That makes things both a little more interesting and less interesting at the same time, as I wasn’t sure who was going to actually take the fall here. Throw in the ladder though and things are a little bit different. Someone has to stick around though and I think I know what that means.

I’ll go with Escobar to win here, as not being able to pull down a title from above the ring is not going to crush his momentum. Devlin still seems to be the guy who is going to go after Walter (and likely take the title from him) so getting him away from the Cruiserweight Title is a necessary step. I’m also not sure I can imagine him sticking around in America and NXT UK doesn’t need a Cruiserweight Title so let Escobar have it for good.

Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly

This is unsanctioned and I believe the words “oh boy” are appropriate. These two have some great chemistry together and it should be awesome to see them beat the living fire out of each other. I know the working theory is that it should be time to see Cole go to the main roster and while I’m not sure I believe that is the case, getting beaten by O’Reilly in a big blowoff feud would be a great way to go.

So yeah give me O’Reilly here, mainly for the reason that Cole absolutely does not need to win this match. O’Reilly has yet to have the big singles win and Cole has won everything he needs to win in all of NXT. I wouldn’t mind seeing Cole show up on the main roster as a post WrestleMania surprise, but I’m hoping that we see him go down to O’Reilly after one heck of a fight.

NXT Title: Finn Balor(c) vs. Karrion Kross

We’ll wrap it up with another match that could go either way. In theory the loser here should be on their way to the main roster, as Balor has already been a main roster star and Kross was pretty much ready for the main roster the day he debuted. I don’t know how well the gimmick would work there, but at least it would make sense to have Kross and Scarlett up there. Someone has to lose though and that makes it hard to figure out.

I actually think I’ll take Balor to win here, as NXT is going to want to keep some star power down there because the show moving over to another night. Hopefully the match is the hard hitting struggle that it should be, but I have no idea who goes after the title once Balor retains. Granted he probably doesn’t win here because it is a complete coin flip, but yeah we’ll go with Balor here.

Overall Thoughts

I’m not completely sold on the idea here as it feels like a pair of shows put together rather than one great Takeover. That could mean a bit of a downgrade, but if there is one thing that I have learned about Takeover over the years, it is that NXT knows how to figure out a way around anything. There is enough good stuff on the card to believe that they could pull it off and hopefully that is the case here.

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NXT
Date: March 24, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix

We are two weeks away from Takeover and that means it is time for NXT to do what it does best by hammering home the big push towards the special. This time around that means we are going to be seeing William Regal dealing with Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly for getting into a fight earlier in the week. I think you know where this is going. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Karrion Kross attacking Finn Balor, his partner last week, and setting up their Takeover main event for Balor’s title.

Adam Cole came to work today, flanked by security.

Dakota Kai/Raquel Gonzalez vs. Zoey Stark/Io Shirai

Gonzalez shoves Stark away to start and says this is her house. The armbar goes on to keep Gonzalez in control until Starks flips her way to freedom. Stark works on her own armbar and hits a running kick in the corner, followed by a knee to the face. Gonzalez isn’t having that and blasts her with a clothesline and hands it off to Kai, who is dropped onto Stark for two.

Stark takes her down for some right hands to the head though and Shirai comes in for the first time. Kai’s pump kick misses and Shirai stomps her down in the corner, setting up the slingshot double knees to the chest. Gonzalez’s distraction lets Kai roll her up a few times, only for Shirai to show her how it’s done with her own near fall. It’s back to Stark for a running uppercut in the corner but Kai pulls her down by the hair. Gonzalez comes back in but gets kneed in the chest in a hurry. Kai tags herself in for a reverse powerbomb/enziguri combination for two.

We take a break and come back with the double tag bringing Kai and Shirai, one of whom cleans house (I’ll let you guess which). There’s a pair of 619s to the villains and a missile dropkick puts Kai down. Stark adds a springboard dropkick of his own, followed by Stark’s slingshot dive onto Gonzalez. Stark posts her as well but misses a 450 back inside. Instead, Gonzalez powerbombs her down, knocks Shirai off the apron and hits another powerbomb for the pin at 11:50.

Rating: C. They accomplished a few things here, including making Gonzalez look like a killer. Shirai is going to be in trouble she she has to defend the title and that is a good thing for Takeover. Stark continues to look very good in the ring just by rubbing elbows with stars but she is going to have to win something at some point.

Post match Gonzalez and Shirai pull themselves up for the staredown. Kai offers a distraction though and Gonzalez lays her out with a big boot. The powerbomb onto the announcers’ table leaves Shirai laying.

We look at Adam Cole coming to Kyle O’Reilly’s Brazilian jiu jitsu training center and getting in a fight. William Regal has promised punishment.

O’Reilly arrives with security and Roderick Strong tells him to take out Col. O’Reilly doesn’t seem to want the help or advice. Strong looks sad and says O’Reilly and Cole can both go to h***.

LA Knight isn’t worried about Bronson Reed tonight because Reed made a mistake last week.

Jordan Devlin knows tonight’s match is huge because it involves someone who has been a top star in Japan, England and America and is universally respected. That is quite the star, and tonight he is facing Kushida! Devlin likes Kushida, but he is going down tonight.

Bronson Reed vs. LA Knight

Reed shoves him around to start and then sends Knight flying with a backdrop. A powerslam sets up the chinlock on Knight and there’s an elbow to the face to take him down again. The chinlock keeps Knight in trouble before Reed switches to a double arm crank. Make that a waistlock but Knight fights up and makes it over to the apron. There’s a neck snap to slow Reed down and Knight stomps away.

Knight’s rhythmic pointing takes us to a break and we come back with Reed fighting out of a chinlock. That’s broken up so Knight stomps him down into the corner and slowly hammers away. A missed charge into the corner lets Knight hit a jumping neckbreaker for two more. Reed fights up again and shrugs off a kick to the face, meaning it’s time to run Knight over again. The chokeslam plants Knight again but he’s up in time to break up the Tsunami. Reed shoves him off though and finishes with the Tsunami at 12:09.

Rating: C-. It’s interesting that they are having Knight lose so soon, but more important than that is Reed, who is looking like a heck of a monster face. That Tsunami is one of the best looking splashes I’ve seen in a long time and I’m curious to see where Reed can go from here. He needs a big win, but giving him this kind of a squash is a good sign for his future.

We look at Danny Burch’s injury, causing the Tag Team Titles to be vacated. As a result, MSK, the Grizzled Young Veterans and Legado del Fantasma will face off for the vacant titles at Takeover.

Video on Walter, who is a monster and coming to NXT, at least for the time being. Other wrestlers talk about how worried they are because of him.

Oney Lorcan vs. Karrion Kross

Kross has Scarlett with him and Lorcan goes straight at him to start. Lorcan gets in a few shots to the face and they head outside, with Kross driving him into the barricade. Back in and Kross kicks him outside again, this time for a suplex on the floor. They head back in again with Lorcan’s chops earning him….a third trip out to the floor, just in case the first two didn’t connect.

Lorcan manages to dropkick him into the corner but Kross explodes out of the corner with a clothesline for two. We take a break and come back with Kross firing off shoulders in the corner. A cross armbreaker doesn’t get Lorcan anywhere as Kross breaks out and hits a t-bone suplex out of the corner.

The neck crank goes on as Kross talks about being glad Danny Burch was hurt last week. Lorcan gets fired up and avoids a charge to send Kross shoulder first into the post. A DDT on the arm has Kross panicking a bit so Lorcan wins a slugout by taking out the leg. The Blockbuster misses though and Kross kicks him in the face. The Doomsday Saito into the running elbow to the back of the head finishes Lorcan at 9:17.

Rating: C+. This was the perfectly logical match to have and as usual, Lorcan’s offense can work on anyone while still looking good. That is what we had here and Kross survives anyway, as he also gets a boost on the way to Takeover. I’m really not sure what they are going to do with Kross, but I am starting to get the praise.

Post match Kross says he would like to take a moment to address the actions of Finn Balor. Last week, Balor’s actions included malice. Kross promises pain because there is no stopping what is next, which is him. Cue Finn Balor, who says Kross showed him his weakness last week. Balor says Kross fight with emotions last week and that makes him sloppy and vulnerable. At Takeover, Balor is going to exploit those weaknesses and walk out NXT Champion because Balor can’t control himself and will drown without emotions. The staredown is on.

William Regal announces his plans for the North American Title match at Takeover. Next week there will be a twelve person battle royal with the final six remaining going on to a gauntlet eliminator match at Takeover Night One. The winner of that will move on to get the shot at Gargano on Night Two.

Kushida has accepted Jordan Devlin’s challenge for tonight.

Yesterday, Drake Maverick got on Imperium’s nerves and got a match with Walter as a result.

Walter vs. Drake Maverick

Non-title and Walter hits a powerbomb into the half crab for the immediate stoppage at 27 seconds.

Post match Imperium poses but here is Tommaso Ciampa to interrupt. Ciampa isn’t wasting time and challenges him to a UK Title match at Takeover. The brawl is on and Walter takes Ciampa’s necklace, which incenses him. One heck of a chop leaves Ciampa laying and Walter accepts the challenge.

Pete Dunne is ready to dominate the locker room and wants the North American Title.

Jessi Kamea is injured so Robert Stone pays off Mercedes Martinez to take her place. Mercedes agrees but wants the other half after the match. Stone agrees, but after Mercedes leaves, admits he has no more money. Oh dear.

A panicked Johnny Gargano goes to see William Regal and recaps the NXT Title situation for Takeover. Regal tells him to chill.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon vs. Mercedes Martinez/Aaliyah

Martinez and Aaliyah are challenging and have Robert Stone in their corner. Martinez throws Moon around to start but she snaps off a headscissors. Blackheart gets in the figure four necklock over the rope but Stone gets up on the apron to throw a quick fit. That’s enough for Martinez to get in a clothesline on Shotzi, followed by a fireman’s carry gutbuster.

Aaliyah comes in and even kicks Moon off of the apron without much trouble. It’s back to Martinez, who is quickly send into the corner, allowing the hot tag. House is cleaned in a hurry and a powerbomb gets two on Aaliyah. Blackheart plants Martinez with a tornado DDT and the Eclipse finishes Aaliyah at 4:02.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what you were expecting here but it was only so good. This was mainly there to give the new champs their first defense. It wasn’t exactly a great match and the Eclipse at the end didn’t look great, but they kept it moving and didn’t try to stretch out into some unnecessary drama.

Cameron Grimes comes in to see Roderick Strong and suggests they restart the Undisputed Era. Strong hits him in the face.

Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart are proud of their win when the Way comes in. The challenge is issued and accepted.

Takeover rundown.

Jordan Devlin vs. Kushida

Non-title. Devlin takes him down in a hurry and hits a standing moonsault for an early two. That’s fine with Kushida, who hiptosses him into a basement dropkick before starting in on the arm. Kushida cranks on it with his feet and then his arms before sliding between Devlin’s legs to the floor, Devlin is waiting with an Asai moonsault (that was as crisp and well timed of a sequence as I have seen in a good while). We take a break and come back with Devlin holding a chinlock but getting caught with a jawbreaker. Kushida hits him in the face and bulldogs the arm down but the Hoverboard Lock is countered into a cradle for two.

Devlin nails his slingshot cutter, though he is still badly favoring the arm. Said arm gives out on the Devlin Slide attempt so Kushida goes up top. Devlin catches him with forearms but here is Legado del Fantasma for the distraction. Kushida gets in a kick to the head and superplexes him into the cross armbreaker. Legado pulls Devlin to the floor, which isn’t enough for a DQ. Devlin dives back in and sends Kushida into Legado, setting up a bridging O’Connor roll (meaning no need to use the bad arm) to pin Kushida at 9:26.

Rating: C+. Is it any surprise that these two could have a good match together? This was a rather nice display from both as Kushida took apart the arm but Devlin is on another level at the moment and took out the cruiserweight legend. I’m really not sure where they go with the unification match, but Devlin winning would not surprise me as he seems to have a lot more upward potential.

Post match Kushida goes after Legado and takes down Wilde and Mendoza. Santos Escobar gets in the ring for the staredown with Devlin….and we have a Shawn Michaels. He slides a ladder in the ring and points, leaving both guys to hold up their titles.

Adam Cole runs into Shawn as he leaves and glaring ensues. I’d be down for that.

We get the big showdown between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly, with William Regal in charge and a lot of security. Regal rants about everything that has gone on between the two of them, even down to having the police involved. He has a contract for the two of them to be in an unsanctioned match in the co-main event for Night Two of Takeover so he would like them to sign in peace.

Cole takes the pen but has a story first. He asks Regal to imagine he was blind but then one day could see everything. That is what you call a revelation and Cole had one of those when he saw O’Reilly joining forces with Finn Balor. He thought O’Reilly had lost his mind but then it all came clear.

O’Reilly is just a lapdog on the sidelines but that is not Adam Cole. He is nothing like O’Reilly, who has lost sight of what the Undisputed Era was about. The team was about being the best and that is Cole. Does O’Reilly think he would be here without Cole? There is no team without Cole because he had the title run and sold the shirts and without him, O’Reilly is nothing. Everyone but O’Reilly knows that Cole wins at Takeover so Cole signs.

O’Reilly says they have known each other for a long time and didn’t care who they stepped over on their way to the top. Then O’Reilly grew up and started taking some accountability for his actions. There are no more sneak attacks or 4-1 beatdowns and since then, the team became better. They became stars but only one of them became a better person. Cole is the same a****** who came here three and a half years ago and that makes O’Reilly believe the Undisputed Era meant nothing. He wants to believe they can be cool again but now he won’t hesitate to put Cole down for good.

Cole used his friends to get to the top and O’Reilly is not surprised. No one is going to be surprised……LOOK ME IN THE EYES…..when O’Reilly beats Cole into a pulp. O’Reilly goes to sign, with Cole calling it a death warrant. The contract is signed and the table it turned over but they are held apart to end the show. Awesome promos from both guys with both of them making sense and selling how much they want to hurt the other.

Overall Rating: B. They hit the gas on the build towards Takeover here and that is the kind of show where NXT tends to shine. There are a lot of things to cover on the way there with a pair of shows but this one did a nice job of setting things up in a hurry. Next week will be the big hard sell for the shows, but they did a rather nice job here of making me want to see Takeover. Well done, as this was right in NXT’s wheelhouse.

Results

Dakota Kai/Raquel Gonzalez b. Io Shirai/Zoey Stark – Powerbomb to Stark

Bronson Reed b. LA Knight – Tsunami

Karrion Kross b. Oney Lorcan – Running elbow to the back of the head

Walter b. Drake Maverick via referee stoppage

Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon b. Mercedes Martinez/Aaliyah – Eclipse to Aaliyah

Jordan Devlin b. Kushida – Bridging O’Connor roll

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: March 18, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s another title match this wee as the now lighter Trent Seven is challenging Jordan Devlin. This comes after Seven has spent several weeks dropping weight to get under the 205lb weight limit for a Cruiserweight Title shot and only made weight this morning. That could make for an interesting main event so let’s get to it.

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

We look at the weigh-in on the Bump this morning with Seven making weight.

Opening sequence.

Nathan Frazier vs. Ashton Smith

Frazier is formerly known as (and acknowledged here) as Ben Carter and has some better looking gear. Smith powers him down in a hurry to start and then grabs a hammerlock. Back up and Frazier slips between the legs and takes Smith down for a headlock. That earns Frazier a big shove into the ropes and Smith grabs an armbar. A hard clothesline gives Smith two and we hit the bodyscissors to stay on Frazier’s ribs.

That’s broken up in a hurry and Frazier tries a springboard high crossbody, but Smith rolls through into a hard slam instead. Frazier is back up with a shotgun dropkick into the corner and a Coast To Coast dropkick gets two. Frazier’s moonsault is countered but he flips out of a reverse DDT. A Nightmare On Helm Street sets up the frog splash to give Frazier the pin at 7:03.

Rating: C+. Frazier continues to look like a star every time he is in the ring. You can see why they would want to push him to the moon around here and it is working so far. Smith got a nice rub out of this as well as he can do the power stuff pretty well, which is the kind of thing that can give him a nice new start. Good match here and I’m not sure I would have bet on that.

Ilja Dragunov tries to apologize for snapping so many times but Sam Gradwell interrupts. They can fight in any kind of match and Gradwell knows he will win.

Isla Dawn looks at her tarot cards.

There is going to be a special on April 8 called NXT UK: Prelude.

General Manager Johnny Saint announces a Pure Rules match at Prelude between Noam Dar and Tyler Bate for the #1 contendership to the Heritage Cup.

Video on Trent Seven vs. Jordan Devlin.

Meiko Satomura vs. Dani Luna

Satomura can’t take her down by the leg to start and we go to an early standoff. A front facelock works better for Satomura so Luna goes with a test of strength instead. Satomura chops down instead though and starts grinding away on a headlock. Luna suplexes her way to freedom so Satomura nails a running spinwheel kick. Satomura gets caught with a superplex but manages to win a slugout anyway. Luna gets two off a clothesline but can’t a suplex. Instead Satomura hits Scorpio Rising for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C. I know Satomura gets a lot of attention and praise for her skills and the more I watch her, the more I understand why it is all there. She really is that good and can be a major asset as both a wrestler and a trainer, which is not the kind of situation you get to see. Nice match here, though Luna was not going to be seen as a serious threat.

Jinny and Joseph Conners say they lost via cheating so it is stricken from the record.

Dani Luna isn’t ashamed to lose to the best and leaves with Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews.

Here is Walter for a chat. He talks about everyone he has beaten and wants fresh competition. Cue Rampage Brown to say name the time and place. Walter goes to take him down but gets shoved down, which leaves Water looking scared/shaken.

Xia Brookside torments Nina Samuels as she trains in the gym. Samuels is not pleased as Brookside keeps coming up with one more little thing after another. This includes kicking over a soap buckle, which was rather cruel.

Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan are ready for their Tag Team Title shot but Jordan doesn’t want more cheating.

Next week: Sam Gradwell vs. Ilja Dragunov, No DQ and at Prelude: Rampage Brown challenges Walter.

Cruiserweight Title: Jordan Devlin vs. Trent Seven

Devlin is defending and Seven charges straight at him for the rapid fire chops. A big chop knocks Devlin outside for more chops and a ram into the steps as Seven is on fire early. The snapdragon suplex on the floor drops Devlin and gets two back inside, followed by the rapid fire chops in the corner. Devlin grabs a headlock but gets slammed into a legdrop for two instead. The release Rock Bottom into a standing moonsault gives Devil two but his neck is keeping him from following up.

We hit the chinlock with a knee in Seven’s back and there’s a shot to the face to put Seven down. Some more shots to the back set up Devlin’s own slam into a legdrop for two but it’s too early for the Cloverleaf. Seven gets in a fast DDT, followed by Diamond Dust to rock Devlin again. They head outside with Devlin being sent hard into the barricade but Seven misses a dive off the top. The Cloverleaf goes on with Seven taking a good while to get to the rope.

Seven’s Seven Star lariat is countered into the Devlin Side but Seven reverses into a Seven Star Lariat for two. Devlin grabs an Emerald Flosion for a close two and it’s time to go up. That means Seven can hit the dragon superplex into the Birminghammer for two more (barely and due to a foot under the rope). Back up and Devlin goes to the eyes to set up the backdrop driver for two. With nothing else working, Devlin hits the 450 to retain at 17:38.

Rating: B. Seven was bringing it here with the intensity but you know they aren’t going to change the title with Santos Escobar looming so close in regular NXT. This was a hard hitting fight that you probably did not bet on earlier this year. I’m not sure if Seven is ever going to get the big win, but they seemed primed to make it work here and he comes up short again. Eventually that is going to stop working but it still came out fine here.

Overall Rating: B-. That main event is all that matters on here but it was a rather good match. The idea of the two big matches being announced in advance is interesting and something that NXT has done well in recent months. Stick with what works, like the general setup of the show with the main event being rather good. Not their best effort, but better than several other promotions today.

Results

Nathan Frazier b. Ashton Smith – Frog splash

Meiko Satomura b. Dani Luna – Scorpio Rising

Jordan Devlin b. Trent Seven – 450

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: February 4, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s another week in London and that means we could be in for some good stuff. NXT UK has started to find its stride again, including a pretty awesome four way tag team match last week that saw Pretty Deadly become the new #1 contenders. Hopefully they can keep the momentum going this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Commentary opens with a bit of a surprising chat about how the pandemic has shaken everyone. You don’t hear WWE talk that way on television very often.

Xia Brookside vs. Nina Samuels

As usual, Samuels has a man carrying her bags and tells Brookside that she should be doing just that. They start fast with Brookside taking her to the mat and then pulling on the arm as they get back up. Samuels kicks her into the corner though and sits on Brookside’s leg, setting up the chinlock. Make that an armbar but Brookside fights up and slugs away. The running knees in the corner set up a running faceplant and they head outside. Brookside kicks the steps by mistake so Samuels throws in a suitcase. That’s enough of a distraction for a loaded purse to knock Brookside silly for the pin at 4:56.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here before the screwy finish but Samuels winning to set up Brookside’s revenge down the line should work fine. I still like Brookside a lot and Samuels is starting to grow on me. She has a perfectly fine heel character and they could go in a few directions with her so things could be looking up.

Post match Samuels poses and said she told us so.

Jordan Devlin wants to know who he is facing tonight but Sid Scala isn’t sure.

Sid Scala talks to Jack Starz behind closed doors and Stars doesn’t look thrilled. It looks like Scala is trying to find Devlin’s opponent.

Josh Morrell vs. Joseph Conners

Conners has Jinny in his corner. The grappling exchange goes nowhere to start so Morrell dropkicks him to the floor, where Conners needs to talk to Jinny. Back in and Conners starts cranking on the arm before clotheslining him down for trying to flip out. The arm is snapped over the ropes and Conners crucifixes him for two. There’s a backbreaker for two and we hit the armbar again. This one doesn’t last as long as Morrell fights up and increases the pace with a dropkick. Morrell has to bail out of something off the top but gets run over again. A neckbreaker finishes for Conners at 5:37.

Rating: C. It’s going to take a long time for me to care about Conners but at least this is better than complaining about the young whippersnappers of NXT UK. Morrell doesn’t have much to make him stand out but the energy he has in the ring should keep him around for a bit. This was all about Conners though and he looked a bit better than usual.

Video on Sha Samuels, who calls himself the Butcher because he comes from a family of butchers.

Xia Brookside wants a rematch with Nina Samuels and orders Scala to get it done.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Tyson T-Bone

T-Bone promises to win during his entrance and they charge at each other to start in a hurry. Some shots to the back have Dragunov in trouble so he rolls over into a keylock. Cue Sam Gradwell to watch from ringside and heckle Dragunov. A hard slam into a knee drop keeps Dragunov down and a t-bone suplex does it again. Gradwell: “YOUR FAMILY IS WATCHING!”

Dragunov manages to knock him into the corner but charges into a belly to back suplex. A half nelson suplex puts Dragunov on the floor where Gradwell talks even more. T-Bone follows for some shots to the back….and Dragunov snaps to unload on T-Bone outside. They go back in where Dragunov takes him down with ease and unloads with elbows for the stoppage at 6:47.

Rating: C+. T-Bone is another one of those guys who hasn’t shown me much, though he hasn’t felt like a big waste of time. This was a better performance though as he kept taking it to Dragunov but eventually got caught by the buzz saw version. Dragunov continues to look awesome and it’s going to be even better when he fully embraces the full monster side.

Post match Gradwell yells at Dragunov some more, saying Dragunov let his family down. Gradwell: “Do you need a cuddle???” Dragunov snaps and runs over the cameraman but referees keep them apart before violence can ensue.

Meiko Satomura is here next week and some people are rather pleased.

Sid Scala still tries to find Devlin’s opponent.

Joe Coffey vs. Danny Jones

Coffey drives the tall Jones up against the ropes but Jones slaps him in the face. This is a rather bad idea as Coffey unloads on him with right hands to put Jones down. Jones manages some shots to the face, including a jumping knee, but a belly to belly suplex cuts that off. A sleeper staggers Coffey but he’s right back with the running headbutt into the corner. All The Best For The Bells finishes Jones at 2:51. There was WAY more in here than you would have expected and Jones gave it a shot.

Post match, Coffey says if Rampage Brown wants to make a name for himself, he needs to hit someone in the face really hard. Cue Brown to say anytime anywhere.

We look back at Pretty Deadly becoming #1 contenders last week.

Gallus is ready for Pretty Deadly.

Video on Eddie Dennis and the Hunt vs. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews. They meet next week in a street fight.

Here’s Jordan Devlin for the main event and Scala has found him an opponent. It’s just not for the title.

Jordan Devlin vs. Dave Mastiff

Non-title of course. Devlin works on a wristlock to start before switching to an early headlock. the running shoulder hits Devlin though and Mastiff cartwheels away and drops a backsplash. An exchange of shots to the face goes to Mastiff and he runs Devlin over in the corner. Devlin slips out of a suplex though and takes out the knee in a smart move.

A dragon screw legwhip into another chop block keeps Mastiff down but Devlin manages to put him on top. He can’t pull him into the Devlin Side though and Mastiff gets the better of a slugout. There’s a big toss to send Devlin into the corner and another toss sends him flying over the top to the floor in a great bump. Back in and Devlin slaps him in the face so Mastiff gets Devlin on his shoulders. A victory roll sends Mastiff to the floor with Devlin following, only to get caught in the Regal Roll.

Mastiff breaks the count but goes back to the floor, where Into The Void only hits (and breaks) the barricade. Devlin is still down so Mastiff hits a top rope headbutt for two more with commentary losing it on the kickout. A dropkick to the leg takes Mastiff down again though and there’s a slingshot cutter to knock him silly. Devlin adds the 450 for the pin at 12:02.

Rating: B-. If Devlin wasn’t already a face, this might have been the match that shoved him over the line. Not only did he want to fight tonight but he came up against a monster and beat him clean. I still thing this winds up with Devlin taking the United Kingdom Title from Walter and they’re setting Devlin up as a giant killer. Mastiff had Devlin in a lot of trouble but wanted to win clean rather than taking the countout. Good stuff here, but it could be setting up something bigger down the line.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this one quite a bit as it was rapid fire material focusing on all kinds of people up and down the card. They set up a few different things going forward and you could see a Takeover style card, even if that show isn’t even set at the moment. Either way, good stuff here and I could go for another format like this in the future.

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NXT UK
Date: January 28, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

Opening sequence.

Here’s Jordan Devlin for a chat. He talks about issuing an open challenge and wanting to be the best wrestler ever under 205lbs. Cue Trent Seven to say he thinks Devlin needs a challenger so he’ll get under 205 and come for the title. Devlin says come see him after losing a lot of weight so Seven drops him in a hurry. This was really quick.

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

Kay Lee Ray wants the best in the world….and WWE has officially signed Japanese legend Meiko Satomura. Yeah I’d think that works.

Ben Carter vs. Sam Gradwell

Hold on though as Gradwell has something to say. He talks about how impressive it is that Carter made it here but being from Jersey isn’t all that impressive. Jersey is a place with more cows than people and it doesn’t even make an atlas. Oh and he doesn’t like Carter’s P.E. shorts. Gradwell works on the arm to start but Carter flips out and hits a dropkick for a break. Some flips out of the corner set up another dropkick to put Gradwell on the apron but he’s right back in with a shot to the head.

Gradwell forearms him in the back of the head for three straight near falls and we hit the chinlock. Carter jawbreaks his way to freedom though and makes the comeback with some running forearms. A superkick puts Gradwell on the floor and there’s a quick dive to send Gradwell back inside. Gradwell heads to the other side of the floor and gets taken down by a running flip dive. Back in and Gradwell gets two off an STO but Carter is back up with a standing Lionsault into a Nightmare on Helm Street. The frog splash finishes Gradwell at 7:18.

Rating: C. I like Gradwell more every time I see him but this was all about getting Carter back up after he lost the title match in his debut. Carter is clearly someone they see a lot in and it makes sense to give him a win over someone as intense as Gradwell. It might not have been a classic, but at least they did everything right.

Noam Dar gives Sha Samuels some advice we can’t hear.

Sha Samuels vs. Josh Morrell

Samuels powers him into the corner to start and gives him a pat on the cheek, only to get armbarred down. Morrell flips out of a wristlock so Samuels hits him in the face. There’s a running forearm to drop Morrell again and there’s a backdrop to keep him in trouble. Morrell is able to avoid an elbow and a charge in the corner before dropkicking Samuels’ knee out. A standing corkscrew moonsault gets two on Samuels but he avoids a crossbody. Samuels grabs a spinebuster into a seated cobra clutch for the tap at 5:13.

Rating: C-. Samuels is an interesting case as he isn’t exactly the most thrilling guy but you can tell that he has been around for a long time and knows how to do his thing rather well. That’s all you need in some cases and if he becomes a bigger deal, great. Otherwise, you have a perfectly acceptable midcarder.

Ilja Dragunov isn’t sure what happened against Jack Starz. Sam Gradwell walks by and Dragunov doesn’t look happy.

Rampage Brown is happy with his time in NXT UK so far. Gallus comes up and a match with Joe Coffey is teased.

Pretty Deadly vs. Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster vs. Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter vs. The Hunt

Elimination rules, no seconds at ringside, and the winners get a future Tag Team Title shot. Sam Stoker immediately tags in Smith so Andrews can grab a rollup for two. Webster comes in to get two off a sunset flip so it’s off to Carter, who gets taken down with a hurricanrana. Gallus is watching (with popcorn) as Carter suplexes Andrews for two. Lewis Hawley is tagged in but can’t tag out immediately, meaning Carter can clothesline him. The Hunt comes in for stereo German suplexes on Pretty Deadly and everything breaks down.

We settle down to Primate suplexing Smith for two and then slamming him hard. Wild Boar spears Carter off the apron to break up the tag possibilities but Smith gets over to Webster to pick up the pace. Webster and Andrews hit stereo dropkicks to put Pretty Deadly on the floor but Smith tags himself in. That means the Tower of Doom brings down Stoker and Smith for the huge crash.

Carter uses Smith’s back as a springboard to moonsault onto the pile at ringside but the camera moves so fast that it didn’t seem to end well. Back in and Smith hits a Falcon Arrow for two on Hawley, followed by Carter superkicking Primate out of the air. Everyone is down for a bit and Gallus is rather pleased. Primate comes in to go after Smith in the corner but gets caught in an electric chair with Carter adding a springboard cutter for the elimination at 11:59.

Hawley uses the distraction to jump Carter from behind but Smith gets the tag and starts cleaning house. It’s quickly back to Carter, who hits a pop up 450 for two on Stoker. A quick tag brings in Andrews for a sitout bulldog and it’s a poisonrana with a running knee at the same time (French Toast At 2am for the best named move I’ve heard in years.) to get rid of Smith and Carter at 15:14.

We settle down to Hawley elbowing Webster in the corner but a quick crawl through the legs allows Andrews to come in and strike away. A double Pele kick gets two and Stoker breaks up a cover off a hurricanrana to Hawley. Back up and Hawley kicks out Andrews’ knee so it’s a one legged giant swing into a half crab from Stoker. The Figure four goes on so Webster shoves Hawley into the hold for the break.

Stundog Millionaire connects with Stoker to give Webster two and Andrews hits a slingshot hurricanrana to take Hawley out on the floor. Webster’s top rope flip dive takes both of them out but the melee lets Eddie Dennis sneak in with a chair to Andrews’ knee. Back in and a Hart Attack (neckbreaker instead of a clothesline) finishes Andrews at 22:14 to give Pretty Deadly the title shot.

Rating: B+. This was all action throughout and it was a heck of a match as a result. Pretty Deadly were the fairly obvious winners but that didn’t make for a boring match. I really liked this with Smith and Carter getting a great rub out of the thing, with that electric chair cutter looking great. It was Pretty Deadly’s match, but at least everyone else looked good in the process.

Gallus comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event carried this thing and that’s all the show needed. Carter did well in the opener and Samuels is someone who could do fine in the midcard. Throw in a long and action packed main event and you have a rather nice evening. Also, it’s another case of not having the big names around and still having a good show. That’s more than a lot of promotions can say.

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NXT UK
Date: January 7, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to the regular shows after two weeks of Best Of editions. They’re back in a big way too with both a #1 contenders match for the Women’s Title and the debut of Ben Carter. Granted Carter is going to be debuting on a talk show but that just means that he is getting into modern wrestling because EVERYONE needs a talk show. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Jinny vs. Piper Niven

The winner gets Kay Lee Ray at some point in the future. They slug it out to start with the much bigger Niven driving her down into the corner for some stomping. Jinny gets out though and hits a running clothesline in the corner. That just earns her a crossbody to send things outside and Piper hammers away. Jinny sends her knee and face first into the post though and Niven has to roll back in.

The Iron Octopus has Piper in more trouble and Jinny elbows her in the back of the head. Piper muscles her up and drops back for the break as Joseph Conners of all people comes out. A hard belly to back suplex and some clotheslines have Jinny in trouble with a low crossbody getting two. Jinny rolls out so Niven loads up a flip dive, only to have Conners take the bullet for her. Back in and Piper picks her up again, only to have Conners pull the leg to give Jinny the rollup pin at 6:50.

Rating: C. Jinny winning to set up her match with Kay Lee Ray is a little weird but what’s worse is bringing Conners into it. He hasn’t been as annoying since the relaunch but it hasn’t exactly been the best stuff either. Maybe it can be better this time, though it’s hard to imagine it being a thrilling addition to whatever they’re doing.

Pretty Deadly knows Gallus doesn’t want them in the tag division but they have the champs’ attention. Mission accomplished.

Aoife Valkyrie says the birds don’t try to be perfect. They just are. This oddly worked coming from her.

Tyler Bate talks about how he needs to change some things. Bruce Lee said “be like water” so he needs to go deep within and find his raw, pure self expression.

Sam Gradwell sees the advice and says the only yogi he knows steals picnic baskets.

It’s time for Noam Dar’s Supernova Sessions. Dar talks about how he has some goals this year, including all the titles, Most Humble, Most Handsome, the lead role in Marine 475, and Trish Stratus’ phone number. His guest is Ben Carpenter (Carter), who Dar asks about his woodworking abilities. Carter clears up his name so Dar yells at his producer because he has seven questions about wood work.

Carter is happy to be here because he wants to face the best. Dar is ready for that but here’s Jordan Devlin to interrupt. Why is Carter on the show before Devlin is? Devlin understands what Carter is about and that’s fair enough but Devlin is the Cruiserweight Champion. Dar says go become the real champion and his people will talk.

Carter is on Devlin’s side and says Devlin is as good as he says….so he should have no problem with Carter getting a title shot. Sounds good to Devlin, who says let’s do this tonight. Carter is game and Sid Scala comes out to say they can make the match official (while making it clear that they had a main event and are swapping it out because this show is smart).

Kay Lee Ray isn’t worried about Jinny because the title belongs to her.

We look at Levi Muir and Jack Starz beat Saxon Huxley but got beaten down as a result. Dave Mastiff made the save.

Dave Mastiff vs. Saxon Huxley

Huxley slugs away to start but Mastiff hits him a good bit harder. A running knee to the ribs and a backsplash give Mastiff two but Huxley is right back with a Thesz press. There’s a running knee to Mastiff’s head and a top rope clothesline gets two. Mastiff backdrops his way out of an armbar and throws him down again for two of his own. Another clothesline sets up Into The Void to finish Huxley at 4:44.

Rating: D+. It’s nice to see Huxley get beaten up and crushed like that in the end so things were a little better. Commentary mentioned Mastiff vs. Rampage Brown so we could be in for a good hoss battle in the near future. Mastiff is good at what he does and they kept this short, which was the right way to go.

Video on Walter vs. A-Kid. Walter respects what he has done but this is a different level. A-Kid disrespected him by acting like he represented this ring so it’s time to pay.

Cruiserweight Title: Ben Carter vs. Jordan Devlin

Carter is challenging in his debut but Devlin slams him down to start. Devlin’s wristlock is reversed with a lot of spinning and Carter takes him down into a headlock. Back up and Carter flips out of the corner, ducks under a charge and dropkicks Devlin outside. The dive is broken up and Devlin stands on Carter’s hair. With that not working, he switches to the head and Carter is in early trouble.

Carter gets back up with a sunset flip for two and he sends Devlin into the buckle. A springboard missile dropkick rocks Devlin but a right hand knocks Carter off the top and out to the floor. That’s fine with Devlin as he sends Carter into the steps for two back inside. They both hit crossbodies at the same time and it’s a double knockdown.

Back up and Devlin is sent outside, allowing Carter to hit a moonsault into a Nightmare on Helm Street on the floor. That sets up a swinging suplex for two back inside so Devlin grabs a Spanish Fly for the same. Code Red gives Carter two more but Devlin pulls him into the Cloverleaf. That’s broken up with a grab of the rope so Devlin hits the Kawada kicks into the Devlin Side for the pin at 12:36.

Rating: B. The point here was introducing Carter and showing that he could hang at this level, which worked out rather well. I was thinking they might have Carter win in an upset here, but giving Devlin another win is a good way to go also. Carter showcased himself well here and he’s going to be fine at this level and beyond long term. I’m curious to see how far Devlin can go and after this reign, it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t get a UK Title shot.

Overall Rating: C+. That main event is the match that you need to see and all that matters here. They have a new star around here and Devlin continues to move very close to the top of the depth chart. The future is looking bright around here and Walter getting back in the ring next week is only going to make it better. Nice show this week, which feels like the norm most of the time.

Results

Jinny b. Piper Niven – Rollup

Dave Mastiff b. Saxon Huxley – Into The Void

Jordan Devlin b. Ben Carter – Devlin Side

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: December 31, 2020
Host: Andy Shepherd

We’ll wrap up the year with this, as it’s another Best Of show. That’s not the worst thing in the world either, as NXT UK has had some great stuff over the course of the year. Last week’s show worked well and hopefully that’s what we’re going to get again here to finish the year. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Andy throws us straight to the first match.

From February 13.

Gallus vs. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan

Non-title and it’s Mark Coffey/Wolfgang here with Joe on the floor. Danny and Mark start things off and don’t get very far early on. Wolfgang comes in and grabs a headlock takeover and it’s already back to Mark for an armbar. Burch drives him into the corner though and it’s Lorcan coming in for a double atomic drop. So much for Lorcan staying in as Burch is right back in for uppercuts.

Mark shows him how to really do one though and Burch is taken down for Mark’s chinlock. That’s broken up and a dive through the rope allows the tag to Lorcan. The running hip attack is cut off in a hurry though and it’s Lorcan in trouble in a hurry. Wolfgang hits a running backsplash into another chinlock to keep Lorcan down. Mark comes back in to stomp away but Lorcan gets annoyed at taking such a beating.

The chops don’t do much good as Wolfgang hits a Wasteland, only to miss the moonsault. Burch gets the hot tag and starts suplexing/headbutting. Everything breaks down and Lorcan hits a running Blockbuster on Mark. The Crossface has Mark in trouble and Lorcan adds a half crab on Wolfgang, only to get kicked into Burch and Mark for the save. The powerslam/enziguri combination finishes Burch at 10:41.

Rating: C+. It was the only match of the night to get any significant amount of time and even then they didn’t exactly light the world on fire here. Burch and Lorcan have been dispatched in a hurry and unfortunately I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing them as Dragunov’s backup anyway. It takes away a lot of their impact, but it’s quite the WWE trope so odds are it’s what we get.

A-Kid, Amir Jordan, Aleah James, Dave Mastiff, Kay Lee Ray and Mark Andrews wish us a Happy New Year.

Ashton Smith, Amale, Gallus, Isla Dawn, Wild Boar and Noam Dar wish us a Happy New Year.

Sam Gradwell recaps the year, but makes the mistake of doing it from memory. Gradwell: “January: It was cold. February: It was slightly warmer.” Then he talks about fishing by hand, the Heritage Cup, Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov, and then his return a few weeks later. So Happy New Year.

We go to the Pretty Deadly home, where they are having some difficulties making drinks. They finally get one right though and dub it the Pretty Deadly. It’s just a little bit though, just like 2020. Next year though, they get the big mouthful of Pretty Deadly.

Jinny, Ilja Dragunov, Kenny Williams, Primate, Dani Luna, Joseph Conners, Chris Sharpe, Jack Starz and Nina Samuels wish us a Happy New Year.

Next week will see the return of Super Nova Sessions, featuring the debuting Ben Carter.

Saxon Huxley, Piper Niven, Levi Muir, Oliver Carter, Xia Brookside, Rampage Brown, Tyson T-Bone and Eddie Dennis wish us a Happy New Year.

In two weeks: A-Kid vs. Walter for the United Kingdom Title.

We look back at Tyler Bate defeating Jordan Devlin in the United Kingdom Title Tournament in 2017.

From Takeover: Blackpool II:

Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin

They circle each other to start as the fans are almost all behind Bate. Devlin wins an early battle over wrist control until Bate flips around and grabs his own wristlock. A battle over a rollup goes nowhere and Devlin is ready for Bop and Bang. There’s a backdrop to Devlin and a gorilla press makes it even worse. Devlin is sent to the floor but catches a charging Bate with a release Rock Bottom.

The Arabian press gets two and we have a split crowd for a change. A butterfly suplex lets Devlin mock the Moustache Mountain pose but the Devil Inside is blocked. Devlin drops him on the arm/back and stands on Bate’s neck to make it worse. The surfboard works on almost all of Bate, with Devlin pulling back on the head to add a little extra pain. Since that can’t last long, they’re both up and stereo crossbodies give us a double knockdown.

Back up and Bate catches a charge in the corner to slam Devlin. A running kick to the head sets up the standing shooting star press for two. Devlin gets up an elbow in the corner but the slingshot cutter is countered into a ridiculously long airplane spin. Even Bate is dizzy off of that one but manages a brainbuster for two. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a rollup for two before Devlin hits a half and half suplex for his own near fall.

Now the slingshot cutter connects, only to send Bate out to the apron. Another slingshot cutter onto the apron drops both of them on the floor and Devlin’s kick to the chest makes Bate dive back in to beat the count. They slug it out with Devlin getting the better of it until the rolling Liger Kick gives Bate a breather. The Devil Inside is blocked but Bate’s handspring clothesline is countered into a Spanish Fly for another double knockdown.

Bate crotches him on top but a super Spanish Fly into the Devil Inside connects for a VERY close two. Devlin punches him in the face and loads up his own Tyler Driver 97, only to get reversed into a headbutt. Bate hits a springboard tornado DDT into the Tyler Driver 97 for two, but Bate is right back up top with a Spiral Tap for the pin at 22:41.

Rating: A-. Yeah this was great stuff with both guys beating the heck out of each other. Devlin knew a lot of what Bate was going to do but got just a bit too cocky and slipped up in the end, allowing the better Bate to win. That being said, I’m not sure how much sense this makes as Devlin needed the win a lot more than Bate. Either way, this was the blow away match the show was looking for and it’s excellent.

Post match Bate gets a standing ovation, including from HHH, William Regal and Johnny Saint.

Overall Rating: B+. I know Bate hasn’t been around as much as some but man alive that guy can steal a show in a heartbeat. At the same time though, Devlin is someone who can hang with anyone and get a great match at the drop of a hat. Oh yeah and the tag match was on the show too. That’s pretty standard for a show like this but that main event was great again.

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

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

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

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