IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 31, 2019
Location: Brentwood Centre, Essex, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

This is one of those shows that might be in a weird place as it comes on the same day as a huge afternoon which also included Crown Jewel. There is a fairly stacked card for a show not featuring the main eventers, as we’ll be seeing Dave Mastiff vs. Jordan Devlin and the debut of A-Kid. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jinny/Jazzy Gabbert vs. Piper Niven/Rhea Ripley

Jinny and Piper start things off and an early Jazzy distraction completely backfires with Piper knocking Jinny down with ease. Rhea comes in to a massive reaction and sends Jinny outside, where she is caught between Rhea and Piper for a scary visual. Back in and Rhea nails a running basement dropkick to Jinny’s head but a second Jazzy interference works a bit better as Rhea gets taken down.

Jazzy blasts Rhea down and hands it back to Jinny for something close to the Black Widow. That’s broken up with raw power and it’s time for Piper to run into Gabbert really hard. A backsplash crushes Gabbert and Jinny at the same time but Gabbert is right back up with a spear for two. Piper comes back in for the save and the villains are sent to the floor for the big flip dive from Ripley. Back in and Niven Michinoku Drivers Gabbert for the pin at 6:04.

Rating: C. Ripley looks more and more like a superstar every second she’s out there that Toni Storm is gone. She’s a complete star and someone who seems ready for the main roster today (she isn’t there yet, but that’s how it feels a lot of the time). Her move over to NXT is overdue as she needs better competition, and that was on full display here.

A-Kid vs. Kassius Ohno

The fans are behind the Kid here and the much bigger Ohno takes him down by the arm to start, only to let him go in a hurry. That seems like a bit of a waste of time as Ohno grabs another armbar on the mat a second later, only to get rolled up for two instead. Kid’s headlock is countered into a rather hard headscissors but Kid is out again. An armdrag out of the corner into a dropkick has Ohno in trouble so he hits Kid in the throat.

Ohno grabs a chinlock and drops a backsplash for two but can’t keep Kid down on the mat with a test of strength. Kid gets up and snaps off a springboard hurricanrana but Ohno powers out of a cross armbreaker. A catapult sends Kid throat first into the middle rope and they stagger around outside. The slugout is on but Kid hits a 619 underneath the bottom rope (apparently not breaking the count) for the countout at 6:36.

Rating: C+. Kid definitely has some potential, which was on display in the few times I’ve see him before here too. The match got just enough time to go somewhere and Ohno is the kind of guy who can easily bounce back from a loss like this. You can all but guarantee a rematch too, which would be just fine.

Post match Ohno beats him down but Tyler Bate, who endorsed Kid before he got here, runs in for the save.

Killer Kelly is medically cleared and is off to demand a match.

Joseph Conners vs. Roy Johnson

Johnson is a friend of a friend so this is a cool moment. The fans certainly seem to like Johnson (Big Wavy you see) so he dances a bit and hits a right hand, only to get caught with a clothesline. Johnson goes head first into the buckle and gets his ribs bent around the post for a bonus. Conners shouts about this being his so Johnson makes the comeback with a series of forearms and elbows. A backbreaker connects and the straps come down, only to be sent face first into the buckle. A reverse Hennig neck snap sets up Don’t Look Down to give Conners the pin at 4:06.

Here’s Kay Lee Ray to talk about how great it is to have Toni Storm gone. What matters now though is the fact that she has Xia Brookside saying that she wants a title shot. Xia tries to claim that Ray cost her a title shot but all Ray did was win a battle royal. Now, she stands here as your champion.

Gallus says as long as they’re around, Imperium doesn’t hold all the gold. Joe Coffey is coming for the UK Title.

Dave Mastiff vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin goes right at him but is smart enough to bail to the floor when he feels the power. Back in and Mastiff throws him around again, followed by a hard shot to the face. A choke takes Devlin to the top rope but he takes Mastiff’s arm down across said rope to take over. The arm goes around the rope again and Devlin stands on Mastiff’s head. The short armscissors goes on and some of those slaps to the leg look like taps. Anyway Devlin backflips away and muscles Devlin up for the break.

Back up and an overhead belly to belly sends Devlin flying but has to slap his own arm. Devlin tries the Devil Inside for as much success as you would have expected. A hard whip puts Devlin on the floor and there’s a Regal Roll to crush him even worse. Back in and Devlin hits a slingshot cutter into a moonsault for two, only to try it again and hit raised boots. Into the Void connects but Devlin collapses to the floor. Mastiff pulls him back in and goes up for some reason, allowing Devil to hit an enziguri. A super Devil Inside finishes Mastiff at 12:03.

Rating: B-. Devlin is looking more and more like a main eventer every single day and Mastiff does things that a giant should not be able to pull off. That gave us a rather entertaining match with Mastiff’s power and freaky athleticism being enough to hold Devlin down, but in the end it was one creative move that stopped him. That made for a rather strong story in a match where you wouldn’t have expected it.

In the back, Alexander Wolfe gives Ilja Dragunov another sales pitch to join Imperium but Dragunov isn’t convinced to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It felt like they were in a bit better groove this time and I liked the show as a result. What mattered the most through was the main event, which came off better than I would have bet on. A-Kid looks good and Ripley is still a star. That being said, the lack of Walter is starting to hurt as it feels like this is all the second stringers because he’s so dominant on top of the roster. Good enough show here though, and an improvement over most recent weeks.

Results

Piper Niven/Rhea Ripley b. Jinny/Jazzy Gabbert – Michinoku Driver to Gabbert

A-Kid b. Kassius Ohno via countout

Joseph Conners b. Roy Johnson – Don’t Look Down

Jordan Devlin b. Dave Mastiff – Super Devil Inside

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: September 18, 2019
Location: Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time to go full British here as Sid Scala faces Kassius Ohno in a British Rounds match. This could make for something interesting while also giving this place a signature match, which it hasn’t had so far. I’m curious to see how WWE runs something like this as it could range from really bad to a pleasant surprise. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Ohno defeating Scala on a moment’s notice, so Scala is now prepared and in a match of his choice.

Opening sequence.

Travis Banks vs. Tyson T-Bone

Banks takes him straight into the corner for an early stomping and some running shots to the face to make it even worse. T-Bone uses the size advantage to crush Banks and damage the ribs, meaning it’s time to punch said ribs over and over. We hit the chinlock on Banks, followed by the slingshot suplex to get back to the ribs. Banks is fine enough to hit a knee to the floor, setting up the required suicide dive. T-Bone is right back with a German suplex out of the corner to counter the Slice of Heaven. Back up and T-Bone tries another suplex, only to get reversed into a small package to give Banks the pin at 4:35.

Rating: C-. Banks continues to seem to be the guy who should be rocketing up the card but he never gets there. He clearly has talent but doesn’t seem ready to move up to the next level for whatever reason. T-Bone looks great but is more about being a jobber to the stars around here, which they have to have.

Toni Storm’s whereabouts aren’t clear yet but Gallus comes in to say this is their kingdom.

Rhea Ripley vs. Debbie Keitel

Keitel is from Ireland and has only been wrestling for two years. A waistlock just annoys Ripley so she sends Keitel into the corner. For some reason Keitel thinks it’s a good idea to slap Ripley in the face so it’s Riptide to finish Keitel at 1:25. Well that worked.

Post match Ripley says it’s time to get her NXT UK Women’s Title match. There is no one like her around here so here are Jinny and Jazzy Gabbert to interrupt. Jinny insults Rhea’s look, saying it all belongs in the past. The present is right here though so the brawl is on, with Rhea kicking Jazzy off the apron before anything can really start.

Trent Seven arrived earlier and Noam Dar annoyed him with a bullhorn. The fight almost started but referees broke it up.

Joseph Conners vs. Kenny Williams

The always serious Conners sends him into the corner to start and gets two off a hard clothesline. Williams gets his own two off a sunset flip before firing off some elbows to the face. A hard whip into the corner has Williams in trouble again as Conners talks to himself, which apparently is now his thing. Williams comes back with a jawbreaker and some chops, followed by the springboard back elbow to the face. A wheelbarrow faceplant gets two more with Conners rolling to the apron. Conners snaps the rope into Williams’ chest and Don’t Look Down is good for the pin at 5:12 to an almost creepy silence.

Rating: D+. Yeah this was another Conners match, though I guess talking to himself is better than fighting the rookies in a company that is about a year old. The match wasn’t terrible but Williams is better than this and Conners is just not interesting in any definition of the word. I don’t know what they see in him but he doesn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon.

Video on Cesaro vs. Ilja Dragunov from Takeover. Cesaro says Dragunov brought it and you should keep watching him (Dragunov).

Oliver Carter is back for his first win next week. YEAH MAN (his words).

Kay Lee Ray is ready for Tegan Nox in two weeks.

Next week: Trent Seven vs. Noam Dar.

Sid Scala vs. Kassius Ohno

This is a British Rounds match, meaning we have six three minute rounds. You win with two pinfalls or submissions, one knockout, or being ahead on falls at the end of the final round. The fans are rather behind Sid here, even as Ohno takes him down by the arm. A headlock has Ohno in more control as Nigel has a ball listing off various British wrestlers of rounds fame. The chinlock keeps Scala down before it’s off to an ankle crank. Scala reverses into one of his own but the first round ends to break things up.

After a thirty second break, Scala starts the second round with a cravate but Ohno spins out to give us a standoff. Ohno starts cranking on both arms but Scala slips out again. A few rollups get two but the second round ends with a kickout. The third round begins with Ohno using the size to hold Scala down but some knees to the ribs get him out of trouble. That’s fine with Ohno, who hits the rolling elbow to earn the first fall at 1:30 of the third round.

Scala is rocked and can barely stand as round four begins, apparently with the other minute and a half being dropped due to the fall. Ohno slams him down and Scala has some trouble getting back up. That’s fine with Ohno, who grabs a cravate and drops a knee to keep Scala down. Scala slugs away but it’s another big forearm to put him down again. Ohno grabs another cravate and headbutts him to end the fourth round. Scala can barely get to his feet during the rest period so Ohno is very happy to start the fifth round.

The abdominal stretch goes on, followed by a chinlock but Scala comes back with some knees to the head. Back in and Ohno misses an elbow, followed by a backsplash hitting raised knees. Ohno is in trouble as the sixth and final round begins so Scala dives at him and hammers away in the corner. The size is just too much though and Ohno grabs a Regal roll for two.

The chinlock doesn’t last long so Ohno BLASTS him in the back of the head with a forearm. An electric chair is countered into a victory roll for two, followed by a crucifix for the same. Ohno kicks him in the head with twenty seconds left but gets caught in a backslide for two as time expires at 20:02 (counting the breaks so well done on keeping the time close), meaning Ohno wins one fall to nothing.

Rating: B. This match is not going to work for everyone (meaning fans or wrestlers) but I got into it a lot more than I expected to. Not only did they have a story here with Ohno being the bully but they sucked me into the drama at the end. Throw in Scala as a rather good underdog and the match did exactly what it was supposed to. It’s not something that would work every week or that I would want to see very often, but if you make it someone’s gimmick or a special attraction, it could work rather well.

Scala is upset to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was one of those shows that had a lot of different things to offer, which often makes the show that much better. I liked the show well enough and the whole thing went by rather quickly. As usual, it’s a good idea to focus on things other than the major title, which is what they did here. Nice show, with a main event that may or may not be your taste.

Results

Travis Banks b. Tyson T-Bone – Small package

Rhea Ripley b. Debbie Keitel – Riptide

Joseph Conners b. Kenny Williams – Don’t Look Down

Kassius Ohno b. Sid Scala – 1-0

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: August 28, 2019
Location: Plymouth Pavilions, Devon, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for Takeover: Cardiff, which feels like it was announced a very long time ago. Last week’s show saw Tyler Bate and Walter have their big showdown, which makes me wonder what is left for this week’s show. The good thing is I have some confidence that they could pull this one off so maybe we’re in for a strong last show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Tyson T-Bone

Dragunov’s music is still awesome. T-Bone grabs a headlock and runs Dragunov over with a shoulder. That earns him a knee to the face and a backsplash (make sure you get in your backsplash) so T-Bone is back with a right hand. The armbar goes on with Dragunov giving T-Bone the crazy eyes.

T-Bone slaps on a nerve hold instead, which lasts as long as any standard nerve hold. Dragunov fights back with the collection of clotheslines and a German suplex, but a second attempt is knocked down with a right hand. A missed charge sends T-Bone’s shoulder into the post and it’s a top rope backsplash to crush him. Torpedo Moscow gives Dragunov the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C-. How in the world is Dragunov not on Takeover? Normally I would ask how in the world he isn’t a heel but with that kind of intensity, it’s easy to see why he’s cheered so soundly. You can imagine him turning heel somewhere down the line though as he could be a heck of a monster heel despite his size. Just don’t have him lose to Kassius Ohno of all people again.

Video on Toni Storm’s path to the Women’s Title and Kay Lee Ray wanting to take it from her. Ray has made it personal, including bringing up their past friendship and Toni’s dad walking out on the family.

Jack Gallagher asks the fans who is the better British wrestler: Kassius Ohno or himself? Ohno pinned him despite the foot being underneath the ropes, so he’d like a rematch next week.

Joseph Conners vs. Oliver Carter

Nothing to get you in the mood for a big show like a Joseph Conners match. Carter is from Ghana but lives in Switzerland for a pretty unique mix. Some early strikes set up a backdrop to Conners, who is tossed outside in a fast start. Back in and Conners pulls him down by the hair and forearms away at the chest. Conners runs him over for two as the fans are trying to get into this. Carter fights back with more shots to the face and scores with some top rope knees to the chest. An overhead belly to belly into a kick to the face gives Carter two but he misses a Lionsault. Don’t Look Down finishes Carter at 6:26.

Rating: D+. Carter is someone with some potential as he looks fine and had some good fire, but my goodness what do they see in Conners? He’s been around since the beginning of the show and is little more than a gatekeeper, so he wins here? Conners has been one of the few true misses since the promotion debuted and this match could have fit into any spot in his history. The matches aren’t even that bad but they’re so uninteresting that I was checking the clock to see how much longer it could possibly go.

Takeover rundown.

Cesaro says he’s coming to Cardiff to take a more hands on approach.

Video on Piper Niven vs. Rhea Ripley. They meet next week.

Kenny Williams vs. Jordan Devlin

Feeling out process to start with Williams taking him down by the arm, followed by a backdrop and a clothesline to the floor. That’s enough for Devlin but Williams isn’t letting him walk so easily. Devlin sends him back first into the barricade though and it’s a suplex back inside to bang Williams up even more. With Devlin saying that he isn’t breaking a sweat, it’s another shot to Williams’ back.

Devlin kicks him in the back and says he’s the ace to Kenny’s joker, which brings Williams up to hit Devlin in the face. Another kick to the face gives Williams two but Devlin is back with a shot to the ribs. They head to the apron but Devlin can’t get a Spanish Fly to the floor. Back inside and Williams hits a great looking top rope elbow to the face. Devlin counters a charge into a wheelbarrow suplex (fans: “YOU KILLED KENNY!”), followed by a Spanish Fly for two.

What looks like a super Regal Roll is countered into a springboard hurricanrana to bring Devlin back down and a wheelbarrow faceplant gives Williams two more. Williams gets sent chest first into the buckle though and Devlin hits a moonsault onto the back for another near fall. Devlin has had it with this and pulls Williams in for the Saito suplex and the pin at 12:33.

Rating: B-. Williams is good for a completely passable if not above average performance every time he’s out there and you have Devlin who is one of the best all around performers on the show. The problem is that this felt like the least important match since the previous one, which has been the case for the entire show. Devlin could be a big deal around here but they keep putting him in matches like this one and it’s getting repetitive.

Long video on Tyler Bate vs. Walter, with Walter winning the UK Title and forming Imperium to go after British Strong Style. Walter injured Pete Dunne so Bate is fighting for the team’s honor. And the title.

Here are the Grizzled Young Veterans to complain about Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews qualifying for the Tag Team Title match by winning singles matches (fair point). Cue Gallus and Webster/Andrews for the big brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Oh this didn’t work. Other than a few parts here and there, this felt like they ran out of ways to build up Takeover last week and threw everyone not on the show out here to fill in time. It’s a perfectly watchable nearly hour long show but it took a lot of the energy out of the build to Takeover. The show itself is all that matters, but what we had here wasn’t working in regards to setting up Saturday.

Results

Ilja Dragunov b. Tyson T-Bone – Torpedo Moscow

Joseph Conners b. Oliver Carter – Don’t Look Down

Jordan Devlin b. Kenny Williams – Saito suplex

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: June 26, 2019
Location: Download Festival, Leicestershire, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Aiden English

We’re still at the Download Festival and that means we’re still in for a cool venue. The big story coming out of last week saw Kay Lee Ray becoming the new #1 contender to the Women’s Title, though you might not be seeing the title match for a little while. What we get tonight though is Walter defending the United Kingdom Title against Travis Banks, which could be rather interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Travis Banks says he’s ready.

Opening sequence.

Mark Andrews vs. Joseph Conners

Andrews rolls out of a wristlock to start and takes him down with an armdrag. The fans are VERY appreciative of an armbar but Conners cuts them off by bending Andrews’ neck around the ropes. A running clothesline gets two and a suplex is good for the same as they’re keeping the offense simple so far. Some choking on the apron and a neck snap across the rope somehow wake Andrews up so he can slug away.

The knee slide into the enziguri sets up a suicide dive to the floor to rock Conners again. He’s right back with a sunset bomb into the corner though and a belly to back faceplant gets two. The fans are all over Conners, showing that the Download Festival has bad taste in heels. Andrews can’t get a backslide but can get a Stundog Millionaire. Fall To Pieces finishes Conners at 6:09.

Rating: C-. Just a match here and nothing that hasn’t been done better before. What makes me feel better though is that it seems Conners is falling down the card, which means we don’t have to listen to him anymore. Andrews is still easy to cheer for and that’s a good piece to have around on any show.

The Hunt is angry but Dave Mastiff comes up to suggest he’s on their side against Gallus.

Here are the Grizzled Young Veterans, with trash bags around their feet, for a chat. They’re not happy about having to defend their Tag Team Titles in front of a bunch of dirty fans out here. The fans clap so Gibson has to tell them that’s not something to cheer about. This is supposed to be a music festival but Gibson hasn’t heard a single instrument. They’ll defend their titles against Moustache Mountain and then they can go anywhere but here. Good stuff as usual, but the fans didn’t hate Gibson as much as they tend to do.

Video on Piper Niven vs. Rhea Ripley, with Niven standing up against Ripley for thinking she is the most dominant female in NXT UK. They meet next week.

In two weeks: Gallus vs. The Hunt/Dave Mastiff.

Killer Kelly vs. Xia Brookside

Xia is aggressive to start and forearms her in the back, but it’s not the best strategy against Kelly. A wheelbarrow suplex gives Kelly two and it’s time and it’s time for a double arm crank. With that going nowhere, Kelly hits a pump kick to put Xia in the ropes for some covering up. She’s fine enough to come back with a headscissors as Jazzy Gabbert and Jinny come out to watch. Kelly gets in a shot from behind as the two of them leave but Xia is fine enough to hit the Codebreaker for the pin at 3:16.

Rating: D+. Just a match here with Xia getting a win to get back some momentum after coming up just short in the battle royal last week. Kelly continues to show a lot of potential, though she almost never (if ever) actually wins a match. They keep her strong enough so that a win wouldn’t come out of nowhere though and that’s a smart way of doing things.

Toni Storm is happy that Kay Lee Ray won the battle royal but would love to know when Ray wants her shot. Toni is ready anytime and she’ll be in action in two weeks.

Noam Dar vs. Ligero

Dar holds his jacket out in an attempt to get Ligero to charge for a funny moment. The bell rings and Dar messes with Ligero’s horns before bailing out to the floor. Back in and Dar avoids an armdrag before knocking Ligero down for some more mocking. Dar can’t get a rollup so he hides in the corner as the stalling continues. A headlock works a bit better as Kenny Williams comes out with a chair to watch at ringside.

Dar is fine enough to work on Ligero’s knee, which is rammed into Dar’s head to break up a suplex. A Widowmaker and kick to the back give Ligero two but Dar kicks the leg out. Dar grabs a fisherman’s buster for two but the Nova Roller is broken up. Ligero’s enziguri puts Dar down for a bit, only to have Dar get back up and get a knockdown of his own. Dar misses a top rope double stomp and injures his knee but really it’s just a ruse to get Williams to give him the chair. Williams hands it to him but doesn’t let go, allowing Ligero to grab a rollup for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C-. I don’t know what it is about Dar. For the life of me I can’t remember the last time that I went back and forth on someone so many times but I go from liking Dar to rolling my eyes about having to see him again. He’s not someone I want gone, but he’s someone who needs to figure out how he should be presented because it hasn’t happened yet.

We look back at Banks coming out to say he’s ready for Walter last week.

United Kingdom Title: Travis Banks vs. Walter

Walter is defending. Banks tries to circle the monster to start but gets taken into the corner. The big chops miss but a crossbody is pulled out of the air so Walter can lay him on the top rope. Walter’s chop puts Banks on the floor and a big boot to the face knocks Banks silly. Walter goes to the test of strength to keep Banks down but he manages to power up and kick at the leg. A big kick knocks Walter down and a Shining Wizard rocks the champ again.

The shotgun dropkick sets up a top rope double stomp for two on Walter and you can feel the energy going out of the crowd. The Slice of Heaven is countered into a Boston crab to crank on Banks’ back. A rope is grabbed so Walter throws him into the corner. Only to get caught with the Slice of Heaven. Walter bails to the apron and gets dropkicked to the floor, setting up a suicide dive. Banks stays outside for too long though and gets powerbombed onto the apron. Back in and a regular powerbomb retains the title at 8:49.

Rating: B. Banks wasn’t going to win here but he was trying as hard as he could. That’s not enough to overcome the situation though and it was pretty clear that the title wasn’t changing hands. Walter is likely to have a very long reign and that means he isn’t going to lose the title in his first defense. Banks was game here and they had something going near the end but it wound up being what was expected, which was fine.

Overall Rating: B-. This is an instance where they have to get through a bunch of stuff before we can get to the build to Takeover. Next week the Tag Team Titles are on the line and then we probably get the Women’s Title match soon after that. With those out of the way, we can move on to the Takeover stuff and that’s where it should get really good. This worked well enough, though you could feel it wasn’t as important.

Results

Mark Andrews b. Joseph Conners – Fall To Pieces

Xia Brookside b. Killer Kelly – Codebreaker

Ligero b. Noam Dar – Rollup

Walter b. Travis Banks – Powerbomb

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:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: June 12, 2019
Location: Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

Tonight is a huge show as we have British Strong Style vs. Imperium, which should be the awesome match that everyone is expecting it to be. It’s not exactly a secret that there should be something big happening at the end but the question is what. Hopefully they can live up to the hype, which almost always tends to be the case. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the six man tag, including a quick history of both teams. Tonight it’s their first showdown and it feels big.

Opening sequence.

Xia Brookside/Isla Dawn vs. Jinny/Jazzy Gabbert

Jinny and Dawn take turns working on the arm to start with Dawn getting the better of it. Brookside comes in for an aggressive headlock and a dropkick to send Jinny into the corner….for the tag to Gabbert. Xia actually tries a sunset flip but gets powered down, allowing Jinny to come in for the stomps in the corner. A quick crawl across the ring lets Dawn come back in but Gabbert swats away the strikes. The Dominator plants Dawn but Jinny demands the tag so she can get the pin at 4:16.

Rating: D. Nothing match of course but it went exactly as it should have. Gabbert is the first monster the division has seen and having her under Jinny’s control is a fine story. She destroyed Brookside and Dawn here and that’s all she needed to do. Not exactly a good match, but the right presentation, which is what matters more.

Video on Ligero, who only had sight in one eye until he was eight years old due to his eye not opening. It caused other kids to pick on him so he decided to wrestle under a mask so he wouldn’t have to worry about how his face looked during his career. The mask is his identity and that’s what people are going to remember. Short piece here but it’s a nice way to get behind someone like Ligero.

Kenny Williams says Noam Dar can be annoying but he still likes him. What Dar does doesn’t affect him and it won’t affect him next week against Kassius Ohno.

Joseph Conners vs. Ilja Dragunov

As usual, Dragunov has an awesome entrance and looks insane. They lock up rather hard to start with Conners’ forearm to the back annoying Dragunov. The strike to the face sets up a neck crank with Dragunov making some rather strange noises at the same time. Back up and a jumping enziguri drops Conners, but he’s able to duck a running crossbody to send Dragunov into the ropes.

The chinlock goes on but Dragunov powers out and stares Conners down, setting up a knee to the face. A sunset bomb into the corner has Dragunov in some trouble but he counters a slingshot into a Death Valley Driver into the corner. The Torpedo Moscow finishes Conners at 4:49.

Rating: C-. Dragunov is one of those guys where you can’t take your eyes off of him and that’s the kind of thing you can’t create. It’s a special kind of intensity and that’s going to carry him very far. If nothing else, it’s always nice to see Conners getting destroyed and bludgeoned in various ways.

Toni Storm has beaten all comers and if Kay Lee Ray wants some Toni Time, come get it. Either way, the shiny shiny stays at home.

Video on Travis Banks, who talks about having such a strong work ethic. His time in NXT UK has been a mixed bag with great experiences but his injury held him back. Jordan Devlin was a thorn in his side but then he defeated him once and for all. Now he’s the #1 contender and it would be pretty cool to beat Walter for the United Kingdom Title.

The Hunt wants Gallus.

British Strong Style vs. Imperium

Dunne goes right at Aichner for some stomping in the corner to start but Aichner comes right back out with a hard clothesline. Bate comes in and it’s time for a double arm crank on Aichner. Barthel comes in and gets dropkicked but Bate takes too much time messing with the mustache, allowing Barthel to take over. That doesn’t last long though as Bate brings him into the corner for the tag from Seven.

Trent gets taken into the wrong corner though and Walter comes in to a lot of booing. Seven’s chop just annoys Walter so Seven does it again to a bit of success. Walter’s one chop puts Seven down though and it’s back to Aichner to keep Seven down in the corner. A swinging Rock Bottom gives Walter two on Seven and it’s back to Barthel to start in on the arm. Seven slugs away but walks into a spinebuster from Aichner to take him right back down.

A jawbreaker and enziguri get Seven out of trouble and it’s Dunne coming back in for an enziguri of his own. Dunne’s middle rope dropkick to the knee takes Walter down but he has to backflip out of the sleeper hold. The German suplex drops Walter again but he’s right back with a suplex of his own. Bate and Aichner come back in with Tyler taking over off a knee out of the corner.

An exploder suplex sends Barthel onto Aichner and it’s time for the airplane spin to various villains. Bop and Bang staggers Walter but Aichner saves him from an airplane spin of his own. A brainbuster gets two on Bate with Dunne making the save. The Backstabber into the top rope double stomp combination is good for the same but it’s back to Seven for some fresh strong style blood.

The Seven Star Lariat into the Bitter End into Spiral Tap gets two on Barthel with Walter making the save this time. Walter gets sent into the steps though and we’ve got a masked man. With the referee getting knocked to the floor, the masked man unmasks as Alexander Wolfe (formerly of Sanity). He knocks Bate out with a powerbomb and Barthel steals the pin at 14:03.

Rating: B. This felt like a big brawl and having Imperium grow in size at the end is a great touch. Wolfe was rumored to be leaving WWE and technically he did, though this was quite the surprise that helped everyone out quite a bit. Now I wonder who British Strong Style could find to help even the odds.

The now four man Imperium poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The first two matches don’t add all that much to the show but this was ALL about the main event and the big surprise to end the show. There’s nothing wrong with that at all and it made for a good show. NXT UK is now to the point where it’s rare to have a bad show and that’s something I could more than get used to. Like more British Strong Styles vs. Imperium for instance.

Results

Jinny/Jazzy Gabbert b. Xia Brookside/Isla Dawn – Dominator to Dawn

Ilja Dragunov b. Joseph Conners – Torpedo Moscow

Imperium b. British Strong Style – Barthel pinned Bate after a powerbomb from Alexander Wolfe

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:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: May 22, 2019
Location: Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for a big one as we have Pete Dunne vs. Walter II for the United Kingdom Title. The first match was the biggest match in the history of NXT UK and now Dunne wants his chance to get the title back. That’s all but a guarantee for some shenanigans but the question is what kind. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Fatal Four Way Qualifying Match: Travis Banks vs. Joseph Conners

Banks takes him down by the arm to start before heading outside early on. Conners sends him into the steps so the fans get behind Banks with the KIWI BUZZSAW chants. The chinlock cuts those off as the energy isn’t exactly here yet. Banks fights up and sends Conners to the floor again, this time for a heck of a suicide dive.

The Slice of Heaven misses back inside though and a running sunset buckle bomb (nice) gives Conners two, plus some polite applause. We hit the pinfall reversal sequence into a standoff as the fans get behind Banks all over again. Back up and Conners sends him into the corner but Banks comes out with the Slice of Heaven. The Kiwi Crusher finishes Conners at 8:27.

Post match Banks promises to run through Dave Mastiff, Jordan Devlin and Joe Coffey to becoming #1 contender. The match is in two weeks.

Nina Samuels is proud of how she manipulated Toni Storm into the title match. Now it’s time for her masterpiece next week when she wins the title in her series finale.

We recap Mark Andrews vs. Noam Dar from two months ago when they beat the heck out of each other and were too injured to finish.

Noam Dar vs. Mark Andrews

Of course Dar gets the big home country reception. Feeling out process to start with Andrews missing a kick to the head for a standoff. Andrews takes him down again though and a standing moonsault gets two. Dar grabs a very spinning backslide for two and it’s off to the quickly broken ankle lock. Instead Dar hits a bicycle kick for two but Andrews is right back up with a jumping enziguri. Stundog Millionaire sends Dar outside for the running flip dive with Dar’s knee giving out. That would be goldbricking though and Dar hits a quick Nova Roller for the pin at 5:50.

Rating: C-. Well that was a little shorter for the sake of the heel turn at the end, which isn’t the most interesting thing in the world. Their first match was quite entertaining and this one was more of an angle than anything else, which doesn’t do much for me. At least we got something out of it though and they didn’t waste time until getting to the ending.

The Grizzled Young Veterans don’t care about Moustache Mountain calling them out for a title shot because the champs decide when they defend their titles.

Here’s Rhea Ripley for a chat. She knows how much people want to see her wrestle tonight but it’s just not going to happen. Rhea has been told that Piper Niven is something of a big deal here in Scotland but she sees Piper as a wannabe superstar who reeks of fear. All Piper can do is talk about her and as soon as Piper steps in the ring with her, nightmares become reality. Short and to the point here.

Kassius Ohno is rather happy that he gets his update from Sid Scala and Johnny Saint this week. Since Saint isn’t here, Scala gives him Jack Gallagher for next week, which seems to work for Ohno.

Next week: Nina Samuels vs. Toni Storm for the Women’s Title.

United Kingdom Title: Pete Dunne vs. Walter

Pete is challenging and gets powered into the corner to start. That’s reversed into a series of rolls on the mat into a standoff. Dunne takes him to the mat this time and tries for the arm stomp but has to duck the chop. Back up and Pete grabs a headlock, which is reversed into one from the champ as they’re firmly in first gear. The sleeper is blocked and Dunne grabs the leg to send Walter outside.

Dunne follows though and this time it’s the big chop to give Walter his first real advantage. A kick to the arm doesn’t do much for Dunne as Walter kicks him in the face to take over again. There’s a whip into the barricade and Walter stomps him on the steps. Back in and Dunne is in trouble but he sneers up at the champ anyway. That just earns him some hard stomps and a reverse chinlock as things stay rather slow.

Dunne fights up and drops Walter with a single forearm as the fans are behind Pete (or Peter actually). A middle rope dropkick to the knee takes Walter down again and it’s off to a kneebar. Dunne can’t get it in all the way so he kicks Walter in the arm instead and hooks something like an Octopus hold while pulling on the finger. A crucifix bomb gives Dunne two and annoys Walter so much that he hits a rather hard clothesline.

The Boston crab stays on Dunne’s back but Dunne gets out again. Some stomps to the head have Walter in trouble this time and a double arm crank is broken up as well. Walter’s fingers are tied in the buckle and Dunne dropkicks the hand for a bonus. Dunne’s super hurricanrana brings Walter back down for two but he’s back up with a chop between the shoulder blades.

A German suplex rocks Walter, who is fine enough to explode into a clothesline for two on Dunne. The top rope splash is punched out of the air and Dunne grabs the Bitter End. The fingers are bent back….and here’s Fabian Aichner to push the rope toward Walter. With the referee on the floor with Aichner, Marcel Barthel runs in to hit Dunne with the belt. Walter’s powerbomb retains the title at 16:33.

Rating: B+. It’s good and a hard hitting brawl but it was a far cry from what they did in New York. The problem here was they went from the slow start to beating the tar out of each other in the span of a few seconds and it didn’t have the smoothest transition. The ending is a good way to move things forward while also keeping Dunne strong for the future. It’s a very good TV match, but not a great, classic one.

Walter, Aichner and Barthel post to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. They weren’t messing around here with a huge main event, a match to set up the #1 contenders match and a heel turn in the middle. They’re setting things up for the future and when you add that to the good stuff this week, it’s a heck of a show. This place is officially on a roll and the new villains vs. British Strong Style will work just fine for the time being.

Results

Travis Banks b. Joseph Conners – Kiwi Crusher

Noam Dar b. Mark Andrews – Nova Roller

Walter b. Pete Dunne – Powerbomb

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: April 10, 2019
Location: Coventry Skydome Arena, Coventry, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the final show from the taping cycle and while the United Kingdom Title changed hands about six weeks after this was filmed, I’m sure something will be mentioned in an inserted video. As for tonight though, we have the Women’s Title to worry about as Toni Storm is defending against Jinny. They have quite the rivalry in Progress so this should be good. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Storm vs. Jinny. Storm won the title earlier in the year and Jinny is tired of it always being Toni Time. We get some clips of their Progress matches, with Toni saying that Jinny doesn’t like being made to work for something and tonight she has to fight.

Opening sequence.

Travis Banks vs. Kassius Ohno

Feeling out process to start with Ohno taking over off a wristlock but getting reversed into a headlock. Banks tries a shoulder but Ohno doesn’t go very far. He turns his head to look at Banks and says “Oh I didn’t see you! I didn’t feel you either.” Ohno loads up a shoulder of his own but stomps on Banks’ foot instead. Banks goes with the kicks to the chest instead and one to the back puts Ohno on the floor.

The dive is countered though and Ohno kicks him in the face. Banks is fine enough to hit a running kick to the chest from the apron, only to be sent into the steps for his efforts. Back in and a running legdrop gives Ohno two but he misses a backsplash. The kicks to the chest (they like kicking in this one) keep Ohno in trouble until a knee to Banks’ injured shoulder has him writhing on the mat.

Ohno walks around for a bit until they trade more kicks. The pump kick gives Ohno two so it’s time to pull on the arm a little bit. A reversed whip sends Ohno to the apron and a dropkick puts him on the floor. Now the suicide dive connects, allowing Banks to hit a running knee to the face.

Back in and Banks gets caught in an electric chair, which is countered into a victory roll for two. A quick Kiwi Crusher gets two more but Ohno throws him onto his shoulders again for a Rubik’s Cube (One Winged Angel) for two which should have been three. Ohno is so surprised that he gets rolled up twice in a row, followed by a third attempt for the pin at 14:47.

Rating: B. Questionable use of such a major move that didn’t end the match aside, this was a smart way to use Ohno. He’s so much bigger than Banks (or just about anyone else on the roster) and it’s a good idea to have him wrestle this kind of an aggressive style. Banks looks like he can beat a monster, which is a good way to get him back on the right track.

We look back at Piper Niven debuting last week and scaring off Rhea Ripley.

Long video on Pete Dunne vs. Walter.

Jordan Devlin is sick of hearing about Dunne’s rematch because he’d rather hear about his own title shot.

Piper Niven vs. Killer Kelly

Piper stalks her a bit and we get an early handshake. Kelly goes a little more aggressive than I would have expected and tries a cravate, earning herself a slam and backsplash. A regular splash gets two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Kelly slips off Piper’s shoulder and grabs a sleeper, which is reversed with a crash into the corner. A Cannonball into a Michinoku Driver gives Piper the pin at 3:35.

Rating: D+. Not quite a squash but Kelly never felt like any kind of a threat. That’s the right way to present someone like Piper, who shouldn’t be in any kind of trouble until she’s in there with Ripley. Yeah she’s big, but she moves around very well and came off as very athletic, which is a great combination.

Post match Rhea tries to sneak in but gets stared back up the aisle.

Moustache Mountain is ready to come to New York to face Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews.

The Grizzled Young Veterans aren’t happy with having to go to New York because Gibson doesn’t want to miss Liverpool games. There’s going to be a non-title challenge to any team from the NXT UK roster.

Joseph Conners vs. Jack Starz

Starz spins out of a wristlock to start and puts Conners down into a wristlock. Conners’ British Bulldog lift out of a short armscissors is countered into a sunset flip to give Starz two. With early frustration setting in, Conners hits a top rope shoulder and it’s off to a neck crank. Some elbow drops have Starz in more trouble and Conners wants the referee to check on him. The referee thinks Starz is fine so Conners hits a hard clothesline but Starz slips between his legs. A running corner dropkick sets up a high crossbody, which Conners rolls through into Don’t Look Down for the pin at 4:46.

Rating: C-. Remember all the other times I’ve criticized Conners’ matches in the same way? It’s the exact same thing here. Don’t Look Down is a good name for a finisher and it’s not a bad move….but it’s Joseph Conners doing the thing. I’d like to care about him, but he is just so uninteresting and dull that there’s nothing he can do to fix his problems.

Video on Dave Mastiff, who is back soon.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Jinny

Jinny is challenging. They go right at it to start with Toni getting the better of it and grabbing a half crab. The fans don’t make it any better by calling Jinny a Primark Princess, though Toni switching to an STF might be more painful (emphasis on might). After using the rope for a break, it’s off to a camel clutch to put Toni in trouble for a change. Storm reverses into a surfboard on the mat but Jinny is right back in the ropes for the break.

A Downward Spiral into the middle buckle knocks Toni silly and it’s time to start in on the back. Jinny hits a backbreaker and grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back. Now it’s a regular chinlock as Jinny is looking rather strong so far. Toni fights up with some rolling German suplexes but another shot to the back cuts her off. Jinny’s version of Storm Zero is countered with a headbutt and Jinny is rocked. She’s fine enough to try a hurricanrana, which is reversed into a powerbomb. Storm Zero retains the title at 10:34.

Rating: B-. Jinny was treated as an equal here and a real threat to the title, which is the best thing that can happen to the division at the moment. Storm and Ripley have been on top for so long that they need someone fresh in the ranks. It doesn’t have to be someone to win the title, but there needs to be someone who makes Toni sweat, which is what we had here.

Overall Rating: B+. That’s one of the better shows they’ve had and they’re wisely taking a path that NXT took: what you see right now on this show, no matter what it might be, is the most important thing. They treated the Women’s Title match like a big deal, just as they did Trent Seven vs. Joe Coffey before. It makes everything on the show feel important, which gives you a reason to want to watch. Some things are of course more important than others, but you wouldn’t know that from commentary and that’s the right way to go about things.

Results

Travis Banks b. Kassius Ohno – Rollup

Piper Niven b. Killer Kelly – Michinoku Driver

Joseph Conners b. Jack Starz – Don’t Look Down

Toni Storm b. Jinny – Storm Zero

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Ligero vs. Joseph Conners

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

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

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

Post match Ligero offers a handshake but Conners walks away.

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

Video on Wild Boar and Primate.

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

Walter has nothing to say.

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

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

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

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

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

Charlie Morgan vs. Nina Samuels

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

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

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

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

Jeff Jarrett is here.

Jordan Devlin vs. Travis Banks

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Ligero b. Joseph Conners – Crucifix

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: February 6, 2019
Location: Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

Last week saw the rise of Walter, who is clearly going to be a major star around here in short order. The man is a monster who is going to run over everyone in his path, possibly including UK Champion Pete Dunne. Tonight he’s in action again against Mark Coffey, which makes it clear that they know they have something here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Andrews vs. Ligero

They shake hands to start because British people are just more polite. Feeling out process to start with Andrews getting a very limited advantage off a hammerlock. A run of the ropes suits them a bit better until Ligero gets two off a rollup. The pinfall reversal sequence gives us a bunch of one counts, capped off by a nice round of applause (more British politeness). Ligero sends him outside but misses a dive, instead settling for a headscissors. Andrews cartwheels out of it though as we’re still waiting on the first major offense.

A flip dive off the barricade finally puts Andrews down and a Stunner gives Ligero two back inside. Some forearms keep Andrews in trouble but he rolls Ligero down and hits a jumping double stomp to the ribs. The standing corkscrew moonsault gets two and it’s off to an exchange of strikes. Ligero’s suplex is countered into the Stundog Millionaire but can’t follow up. Instead it’s Ligero hitting a pumphandle faceplant for two of his own but the C4L is broken up. Andrews is right back with a reverse hurricanrana for two, only to have Fall to Pieces hit knees. Now C4L connects to give Ligero the pin at 9:05.

Rating: B-. This was a lot of fun and the ending was a bit of a surprise. They’re actually pushing Ligero as something around here and while I don’t know how high he can actually go, it’s cool to see someone getting a push like this. Andrews is still good in the ring, though I would have thought he had a bit more potential than Ligero, at least coming in.

Post match we get another handshake.

We look back at Sid Scala announcing Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan as the first challengers to the Grizzled Young Veterans.

Lorcan and Burch are happy and have little more to say.

Pete Dunne is impressed by Walter but doesn’t fear anyone.

Xia Brookside vs. Candy Floss

Brookside is being treated as a big deal here, which is a good sign for her future. We get another handshake to continue proper British tradition. Brookside jumps out of a headscissors and we hit the pinfall reversal sequence into a standoff. Back up and Candy goes technical with a full nelson until Xia rolls into an armbar. Xia’s offense isn’t exactly inspired so far. Floss reverses into a hammerlock before slamming the arm into the mat. With that not going anywhere, Xia is back up with a running bulldog and the Brooksie Bomb (Iconoclasm into a bridging pin) finishes Floss at 4:32. That’s Brookside’s first win on the show.

Rating: D+. Brookside has a great smile and a unique look, but she’s going to need some more ring time. To be fair though, she’s twenty years old and needs a lot more ring time. She’s going to need some more experience to get the finer points down, but she has a good base to build from so far.

Post match Brookside checks on Floss but here’s Rhea Ripley to beat them both down, including a standing swinging Texas Cloverleaf (awesome) to Brookside. Toni Storm runs in for the save but headbutts Brookside by mistake, allowing Ripley to hit the Riptide on Storm.

Jordan Devlin doesn’t like Noam Dar and wants to beat him up in Phoenix.

Mike Hitchman vs. Joseph Conners

Conners is billing himself as an NXT UK original. The show isn’t even four months old and we have originals? Conners hammers away to start but a headbutt to the elbow (yes to the elbow) takes him down. Hitchman nails the backsplash to the back but Conners snaps Mike’s throat across the top. A belly to back faceplant gets two on Hitchman and we hit the neck crank. Conners shots that Mike isn’t taking it away. What the heck did Conners have in the first place? Hitchman doesn’t like being called a thief so he fights up and sends Conners outside, setting up a frog splash off the apron.

Back in and Conners gets two off the slingshot DDT (stolen from Johnny Gargano, as Conners is a hypocrite). Conners: “YOU ARE A PUSSYCAT! YOU ARE NOTHING!” So cats are nothing? I guess Conners is a dog guy. Hitchman grabs a pop up powerbomb but Conners one ups him off a sunset bomb. Don’t Look Down finishes Hitchman at 5:29.

Rating: D+. The wrestling was ok but Conners is officially that guy on the roster who just shows up, rants about how unfair everything is, and makes no impact whatsoever. It’s a character that shows up every now and then in almost every promotion but it very rarely gets interesting. Conners is someone who doesn’t stand out and with a gimmick that has been done so many times, it’s not exactly going anywhere for him.

Gallus is ready to keep their kingdom.

Video on Jinny.

Jinny tells Ragsy that he’s ugly and says of course she won because she’s amazing. She’s coming for Toni Storm. Makes sense.

Joe Coffey vs. Ashton Smith

Smith grabs a headlock to start in what might be his biggest offense of the match. Coffey isn’t having that and Pounces him down without much trouble. It’s off to the chinlock into a cobra clutch, followed by some hard forearms to the back. We hit the bearhug as you can’t fault Coffey’s psychology here. Coffey suplexes him down and nails a pop up uppercut (ala Cesaro’s Swiss Death) but Smith scores with right hands. A dropkick sets up a nice superkick but Smith jumps into a German suplex. All The Best For The Bells finishes Smith at 6:17.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here though Smith’s very limited offense looked good. There’s nothing wrong with bringing someone like Coffey back up from the loss and he’s still someone who can be a threat going forward. I’m still not sure why the Coffey Brothers haven’t been in the tag division, as you would think that would be as easy of a layup as you could have around here. Joe is good as a singles guy though so what they’re doing is far from bad.

Post match Gallus comes out to celebrate with Joe.

Mark Coffey vs. Walter

Coffey makes the mistake of throwing a chop as Walter shows him how it’s really done. They head outside with Walter being driven into the barricade as the fans stay behind him. Back in and it’s a double arm crank to stretch out Walter’s chest but he reverses into one of his own. Walter shrugs off a clothesline and tells Coffey to bring it before snapping off a big German suplex. The beating continues with Walter taking him outside for more shots to the chest. Coffey gets in a dropkick for a quick near fall but Walter isn’t having that. The powerbomb finishes Coffey at 6:30.

Rating: C+. That’s the Walter I’ve been hearing about as he looked like a monster who could move out there, with the powerbomb looking great to go with the signature chops. They’ve already got me wanting to see Walter vs. Dunne, which should have taken some time to set up. Let it take place at a major show, say over Wrestlemania weekend, and you have a Match of the Year candidate on hype alone.

Overall Rating: C+. This was the no nonsense version of the show and I really liked what we got. The wrestling wasn’t great up and down and nothing was exactly a show stealing classic, but what we had was a well put together show that did everything it needed to. Stories were advanced and Walter looks like the final boss for Dunne’s title reign. I’m in for this stuff now, mainly because I’m not sick of it after two hours a week. Very well put together show, which is what matters here.

Results

Ligero b. Mark Andrews – C4L

Xia Brookside b. Candy Floss – Brooksie Bomb

Joseph Conners b. Mike Hitchman – Don’t Look Down

Joe Coffey b. Ashton Smith – All The Best For The Bells

Walter b. Mark Coffey – Powerbomb

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: January 9, 2019
Location: Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s FINALLY the last of the double shots as this is the go home show for NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool. The card is all but set so this is going to be a bunch of final touches for the card. That should be pretty easy to do, though it’s going to mean a lot of talking. In this case that might be better, as the matches around here are hit and miss. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Gallus vs. British Strong Style tonight.

Opening sequence.

Ligero vs. Joseph Conners

Conners tries to drive him into the corner to start but gets caught with a running hurricanrana. A rollup gives Ligero two as this fast pace doesn’t seem to favor Conners. They fight to the apron with Ligero getting posted to give Conners his first breather. A heck of a clothesline gives Conners two as the fans are behind Ligero. Imagine that: cheering for the fun guy instead of the latest fighter from the UK.

A slingshot suplex gets two and we hit the chinlock. The expected comeback works as expected as Ligero comes back with clotheslines. A fireman’s carry slam gets two on Conners but he hits a double stomp out of the corner. Not that it matters as Ligero is right back up with a springboard tornado DDT and the pin at 5:19.

Rating: D+. Ligero isn’t great but egads Conners is one of the least interesting people on a show that isn’t interesting as a whole. The wrestling was fine but the story of Conners being upset that he isn’t being treated well is about as boring as you can get. It’s not like they have the next Rey Mysterio in Ligero, but he’s better than Conners by several miles.

James Drake and Zack Gibson deserve the shot and the titles, which they’ll get on Saturday in Blackpool. Of course they’re confident, to the point that they’ve cleared off their mantles for the titles.

Dave Mastiff thinks Eddie Dennis is jealous because Mastiff handed him his first loss. There’s one undefeated monster around here and that’s Mastiff.

Travis Banks vs. Tyson T-Bone

T-Bone has Saxon Huxley in his corner. Some early forearms to the back have Banks in trouble but he dropkicks T-Bone into the corner. That means a running double stomp and the fans are rather pleased. Hang on a second as he’s Jordan Devlin in Banks’ gear, though the distraction isn’t enough for T-Bone to take over. Banks superkicks him down and chases Huxley off the apron. The Slice of Heaven gives Banks the pin at 2:06.

Post match Devlin comes in for the beatdown but gets kicked out to the floor.

Video on Toni Storm vs. Rhea Ripley, focusing on their first match where Ripley won the title over an injured Storm.

Takeover rundown, including Devlin vs. Banks being added in not much of a surprise.

Gallus vs. British Strong Style

They have a crazy amount of time for this. Joe and Bate start things off with a test of strength. Bate gets taken down but does the always impressive bridge, with Coffey not being able to break it down. Now it’s Bate fighting up and almost getting Bate down until a knee to the ribs cuts him off. Back up and Bate hits a dropkick into a nipup for the staredown, drawing in the other four for a big staredown.

We settle back down for a tag to Wolfgang, which draws all six in for another glaring session. It’s off to Mark vs. Dunne with a running clothesline hitting Mark, drawing all six in again. Gallus gets sent outside for a nice reaction from the fans and a breather for the villains. Back in and Dunne takes Mark down by the arm and bends the fingers back for painful measure. There’s a surfboard double knee stomp as Dunne doesn’t seem to be having much trouble here.

Bate comes in to keep up the pace until a cheap shot from Wolfgang lets Mark grab a suplex. It’s back to Joe for a double underhook crank until Bate fights him off and dives over for the tag to Seven. House is cleaned with Seven hitting a backdrop on Wolfgang, followed by a suicide dive for good measure. Everything breaks down and Mark gets caught in a dragon suplex. Wolfgang kicks Seven to the floor though and Joe sends him into the steps to put the good guys in trouble again. A spear gives Wolfgang two and it’s back to Mark for the stomping.

We hit the front facelock for a bit before it’s back to Joe. They head to the corner with Seven catching him on top with a superplex, allowing the next hot tag off to Dunne. That means an X Plex to Joe and a kneebar to Wolfgang but he’s still able to crawl over for the tag to Mark. Dunne triangle chokes him so Mark tags Wolfgang, whose Howling is countered into an armbar. That’s broken up as well so this time it’s Bate coming in to clean more house. Joe misses a charge so Bate hits a running shooting star for two. The longest airplane spin I’ve ever seen plants Joe but Bate collapses from dizziness.

Bop and Bang is blocked but the second attempt gives us a double knockdown. Mark and Seven come in with Mark kicking him in the arm. That means the Seven Star Lariat doesn’t get a cover so everything breaks down again. We’re left with Mark vs. Dunne, but Joe picks up the UK Title to distract Pete. One heck of a powerbomb plants Dunne for two and it’s Bate coming back in for the rebound lariat on Joe.

Pete and Joe are left alone for the slugout with Dunne stomping on both hands. Joe’s spear is blocked with a knee to the head and there’s the Bitter End, but Wolfgang tagged himself in to run Pete over. Bate comes back in for a hurricanrana to put Wolfgang on the floor. Everyone joins him so Bate hits a huge corkscrew dive to take them all out. Back in and Bate kicks Wolfgang down but walks into Joe’s discus lariat for the pin at 25:28.

Rating: B. Well that was very long though it was quite good at the same time. It could have been shortened a bit though and that’s almost never a positive sign. It makes a lot of sense to give Joe the big pinfall before Saturday though and having him pin Dunne would have felt like a giveaway to the title match’s finish. Good main event here, though trimming off five minutes wouldn’t have been a bad idea.

Overall Rating: C+. This was basically a repeat of the first show with one match carrying the show but not well enough to make the entire show work. They did a good job of setting up Takeover though and that’s the point to a show like this. It would have been better if they had swapped things around with more of the focus on the big show on the second hour instead of the first but, as usual, these shows weren’t scheduled to go back to back like this. Good show, but the main event is all that’s worth seeing.

Results

Ligero b. Joseph Conners – Springboard tornado DDT

Travis Banks b. Tyson T-Bone – Slice of Heaven

Gallus b. British Strong Style – Discus lariat to Bate

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

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

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

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