NXT UK
Date: October 21, 2021
Location: BT Sport Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

The fans came back last week and saw a classic with Ilja Dragunov successfully defending the United Kingdom Title against A-Kid. It did feel like something was changing around here and that is quite the upgrade as it just makes the show feel that much bigger. Hopefully they do that again this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Xia Brookside vs. Aleah James

Brookside cranks on the arm to start but neither can get very far. A headlock takeover puts James down but she reverses into a headscissors to keep Brookside in trouble. That’s finally reversed and it’s a seated abdominal stretch to put James in trouble. Back up and James fires off some kicks, only to get taken down with a running neckbreaker. The Iconoclasm is loaded up but James kicks her away and grabs a sunset flip for the pin at 4:17.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what has happened to Brookside but this feels like the kind of losing streak that you see before someone turns heel. The idea of Brookside as a villain is almost hard to fathom but that might be where things are going. James looked good here and we could be in for a nice new batch of women moving up the ranks here soon.

Post match, Brookside shows frustration as the heel turn is looking imminent.

Meiko Satomura is the Final Boss so she’s not scared of Jinny.

Kenny Williams is looking a little nuts and says he can be even badder after his Heritage Cup loss. Then we see some bugs on the ground because….someone needs to be like Bray Wyatt?

Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff vs. Symbiosis

Fallout from Starz/Mastiff cutting off Symbiosis’ failed interference attempt in a Tag Team Title match. Eddie Dennis is at ringside and Pretty Deadly is on commentary, which should be downright snazzy. T-Bone shoves Starz down without much trouble to start but gets pulled into an armbar. That earns Starz a fall away slam and it’s off to Primate as commentary talks about Tik Tok. Starz gets up and cleans house with some dropkicks, setting up a clothesline from Mastiff to clear the ring.

Mastiff’s backsplash sets up Starz’s slingshot splash for two on Primate. T-Bone comes back in and it’s time to wreck Starz, including sending him crashing out to the floor. Back in and a sitout powerbomb gets two on Starz and Primate pounds on his (own) chest. There’s a delayed vertical suplex for a delayed two on Starz, who is then tossed outside. That’s actually fine with Starz, who slams T-Bone on the floor and makes the hot tag to Mastiff. Everything breaks down with Mastiff hitting Into The Void but Dennis hits Starz with a chair for the DQ at 8:26.

Rating: C. They went pretty fast here and the match didn’t feel nearly as long as it was. What we got was a way to keep things going between the two teams as Starz/Mastiff seem ready to move into a Tag Team Title feud with Pretty Deadly. Good enough match here, as the tag division is bringing in some fresh blood, just like the women’s division.

Post match the beatdown is on but Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter save Starz and Mastiff.

Video on Amale, who says her loss to Emilia McKenzie was a fluke.

Charlie Dempsey thinks his time in NXT UK has been great so far but Gallus interrupts. They don’t think he should get too confident, but here are Teoman and Rohan Raja to brawl with Gallus.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions, though this time it’s actually in the ring. Noam Dar is ready to take the Heritage Cup next week, and it happens that he’ll be taking it from this week’s guest, Tyler Bate (with Trent Seven). Dar says he respects Bate so much that he’s willing to let Bate forfeit the Heritage Cup to him right now.

That isn’t happening, so Dar accuses Bate of going soft and blames Seven for the problems. Seven is ready to take him down but Bate says hold on, because this is going to be Bate beating Dar again. Dar gets in a cheap shot and bails with Sha Samuels. I think you know where this is going and that’s not a bad thing.

Gallus steals Jordan Devlin’s jacket as he’s warming up.

Jordan Devlin vs. Joe Coffey

The jacketless Devlin jumps him in the aisle before the bell but Coffey says ring the bell. Devlin shrugs off the early flurry and grabs a headlock takeover but Coffey fights up and hits a quick powerslam. The armbar has Devlin in trouble until he fights up and sends Coffey shoulder first into the post.

Coffey’s ribs get wrapped around the post as well and there’s a knee to the ribs to make it worse. Some kicks to the chest set up an abdominal stretch, followed by a bodyscissors. That’s countered with a ram into the corner but Coffey bangs up his ribs again. Devlin goes up top but dives into a hard uppercut. A pop up World’s Strongest Slam gets two on Devlin and the springboard spinning crossbody gets the same.

Another shot to the ribs puts Coffey on the floor though and Devlin hits the Penalty Kick off the apron. Back in and Devlin goes up, earning himself a belly to belly superplex right back down. Coffey is up first and slugs him down for two, setting up the running headbutt to the ribs in the corner. Devlin kicks him right back though and the 450 is good for a rather near fall. Back up and the Devlin Side finishes Coffey at 14:10.

Rating: B-. The latest rise of Devlin continues and that is an interesting way to go. I’ve long since thought that he seems primed for a main event run around here and Ilja Dragunov could use some new challengers. Beating someone as big as Coffey could get him in that direction, but I’m not sure how soon a match like that would happen, assuming it ever does.

Overall Rating: C+. This show seemed designed to help move us towards the next batch of challengers and stories, which is not a bad thing. At some point you need to move forward and it would make a lot of sense to do so now that the fans are back. NXT UK has been good for a long time now and it would be nice to see them take another step forward, which might have started this week.

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

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

Opening sequence.

Women’s Title: Stevie Turner vs. Meiko Satomura

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

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

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

McKenzie congratulates Satomura post match.

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

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

Saxon Huxley vs. Eddie Dennis

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

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

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

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

Video on Jinny vs. Aoife Valkyrie.

Isla Dawn vs. Dani Luna

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: Moustache Mountain vs. Pretty Deadly

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Flash Morgan Webster vs. Wolfgang

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nina Samuels vs. Amele

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Xia Brookside vs. Blair Davenport

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

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

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

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

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

Mark Andrews
Noam Dar

Kenny Williams
Oliver Carter

Wolfgang
Sam Gradwell

Teoman
Nathan Frazier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A-Kid vs. Jordan Devlin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NXT UK
Date: July 15, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a double title week as both the Heritage Cup and Women’s Title are on the line. That alone should be enough for a huge show, but it is also time to hype up the United Kingdom Title match for next week, which should be a candidate for match of the year. This show has a tendency to be good lately so maybe they can keep that up here. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Paul Orndorff.

Opening sequence.

HHH joins us to hype up Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov II for the United Kingdom Title next week. Walter has been champion for over 800 days but Dragunov is an enigma. NXT UK is proud to present it and it is going to be amazing.

We go to the ring, with Walter and Dragunov set up for a press conference. First up is Alex McCarthy from talkSport, who asks if Walter thinks his title reign is under threat. That’s a no, because Walter is here for the long term. It’s true that Dragunov is an amazing athlete but he doesn’t have the mental capacity to reach his level. Ace from BBC1 Radio asks what Dragunov has learned since his defeat in their first match.

Dragunov talks about how the loss was tough and has hurt him mentally. He lost control because he wasn’t ready to be at this level, but now he is prepared. Aleister McGeorge from Metro asks what we can expect next week. Dragunov promises violence and calls Walter violent, which is too far for the champ. Walter talks about how he redefines wrestling every time he gets in the ring and calls Dragunov a fraud. Yes Dragunov is fantastic, but he isn’t on Walter’s level.

Dragunov won’t look at Walter, which is enough to draw him to his feet for a long rant. With Walter yelling, Dragunov says he thought it was enough last time but, while holding back tears, he admits it wasn’t. All Dragunov feels is hate and now they both stand up. Dragunov hates Walter for turning him into this and wants to take it out on him. Next week, Dragunov will break him and walk out with the title or not walk out at all. Heavy breathing ensues to wrap up an awesome segment, though the questions and stuff didn’t need to be there. Dragunov was awesome here and I want to see the match a lot more now.

Subculture is ready to win the Tag Team Titles again and spray paint about it.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Ashton Carter/Oliver Smith vs. Teoman/Rohan Raja

Fallout from Teoman hurting Smith, who jumps Teoman to start. A jumping knee drops Teoman and Smith muscles him up into a suplex. Raja and Carter come in, with Carter hitting a jumping sidekick to the face. Carter gets taken into the corner for the stomping though and the kicks to the chest have him in trouble for a change. We hit the seated abdominal stretch but Carter fights up, only to get stomped back into the corner.

The Crossface goes on but Teoman lets it go and hands it off to Raja….who gives up the hot tag without much trouble. Smith comes in and starts cleaning house until he gets sent face first into the buckle. It’s back to Carter for a German suplex into a low superkick for two on Raja, who is pulled outside. Smith hits a big running flip dive and the referee finally decides to restore some order. The distraction lets Teoman break up a Lionsault and Raja hits a jumping Downward Spiral. Teoman adds the Crossface for the tap at 8:54.

Rating: C+. They kept things moving here and while I’m not sure how much Teoman really needs Raja, they do make a nice enough pairing. Teoman is making the Crossface into a fairly successful hold and moving him up the card a bit could be a nice move. Smith continues to look good in limited quantities so

A-Kid’s leg is in a huge cast and wants Jordan Devlin as soon as possible. We should make it a thirty minute Iron Man match too.

Video on Aoife Valkyrie.

Pretty Deadly isn’t sweating Subculture because they run this division.

Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Amele

Satomura is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. A kick to the leg staggers Amele to start and the headlock grinds her down even more. Make that a leg crank on the mat but Amele gets up and hammers away to take over for the first time. Satomura is back up with a flying shoulder and the seated abdominal stretch goes on. That’s broken up as well and Amele stomps her down in the corner.

You don’t do that to Satomura, who kicks Amele down and drops a pair of knees. More kicks to the chest get two on Amele, who gets in a cheap shot for a breather. A fisherman’s neckbreaker gets two but Satomura kicks her in the head again. Amele grabs a quick spinebuster for two and screams a lot at the kickout. Satomura’s DDT plants Amele and Scorpion Rising retains the title at 7:16.

Rating: C. This was a rather kicky match but you need to give Satomura a good, mostly dominant win like this to show that she can beat up a challenger. There was no real drama here but there didn’t need to be either. Satomura is going to get pretty far on reputation alone and she did well enough here.

After the press conference, Walter injured his hand in a backstage altercation with Ilja Dragunov, so the title match is off. More next week.

Heritage Cup: Mark Coffey vs. Tyler Bate

Coffey is challenging and Wolfgang/Trent Seven are the seconds. After the Big Match Intros, round one begins with Coffey driving him up against the ropes to start. Coffey works on the arm and Bate can’t even armdrag his way to freedom. Bate can however spin around into a wristlock of his own as they’re firmly in first gear so far. The arm work switches over to chain wrestling and no one gets anywhere as the round ends.

Round two begins with Bate having to get out of a hammerlock, only to be reversed back into a hammerlock. Coffey takes him down to the mat but Bate gets up and wheels him through the ropes. Back in and Coffey sweeps the legs but Bate flips him into a cradle for the first fall at 1:35 of the round (5:18 total).

Round three begins with Coffey grinding away on a headlock and countering a rebound lariat with a backdrop. Bate dives into a kick to the face and a running basement elbow ties it up at 1:43 of the round (7:32 total). Round four begins with Bate striking away and grabbing a rollup for two. A belly to back suplex gives Coffey two so Bate comes back with a crucifix.

An exploder suplex sends Coffey flying but Bate is favoring his back. He’s fine enough to bust out the airplane spin but the dizziness allows Coffey to grab a half nelson slam. Back up and they ram heads for a double knockdown to end the round. Round Five begins with Bate going for the legs but getting send into the post for two. Bate manages the rebound lariat though and the rolling Liger kick sets up the Tyler Driver 97 to retain at 0:58 of the round (16:47 total).

Rating: B-. These matches work well and it helps when you have someone like Coffey who can keep up with Bate. I’m not sure how long Bate is going to hold the title, but he is helping to make all of his opponents look good before moving on to something else. Bate is certainly a star around here and this is doing a nice job of reestablishing that.

Respect is shown and Bate holds up the cup to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Another pretty good show from the UK and I’m running out of ways to say that is normal. The opening segment was very good and I was disappointed by the title match being canceled. I’m sure we’ll get there eventually but dang it sounds like a lot of fun. The rest of the show was the usual nice stuff with the main event as the second highlight so as usual, I don’t have much to complain about.

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Emilia McKenzie vs. Isla Dawn

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

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

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

Post match Dawn looks up and talks to someone.

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

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

Heritage Cup: Tyler Bate vs. Jack Starz

Bate is defending and has Trent Seven as his second. Round one begins with a feeling out process into a rather early standoff. Bate goes for the wrist and pulls on an armbar to settle things down a bit Starz fights up into an armbar of his own. That’s countered into a fairly fast paced series of near falls until Bate hits a dropkick for two as the round ends. Round two begins on the mat again…and Bate rolls him up for the pin at 37 seconds of the round (4:10 total).

Round three begins with Bate grabbing a cravate but Starz shoves him away and hits a running elbow. Starz suplexes him out of the corner for two and grabs his own airplane spin into a pop up uppercut for two. Bate tries la majistral but Starz sits down on it to tie things up at 2:39 of the round (6:50 total). Round four begins with Bate trying a rolling Liger kick but Starz reverses into a Boston crab. That’s reversed with a flip though and now the Liger kick connects. The Tyler Driver 98 retains Bate’s title at 1:21 of the round (8:44 total).

Rating: C+. They had me thinking of an old low level Ric Flair NWA World Title defense here, as Flair gave up enough to make you think a miracle might happen but then everything got back to normal. Starz was never going to win here but it was a fine example of looking good in defeat. That seemed to be what Bate had in mind when he made the challenge, so well done on setting things up and then making them work.

Post match, Wolfgang and Mark Coffey come out for some mock praise.

Pretty Deadly is having a photo shoot when Sid Scala interrupts. The champs don’t like being interrupted but Scala has news: next week it’s Lewis Howley vs. Mark Andrews. If Andrews wins, Subculture gets a title shot. Short and to the point here.

Here is Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura for a chat. The title is one of the few things she had never accomplished but now NXT UK is her home. Cue Nina Samuels to congratulate her on the, but now Satomura needs a win over a star to establish her reign. Amele runs in to jump Samuels and say she wants a title shot. Satomura may be the final boss, but Amele doesn’t play games. That’s fine with Satomura, who knocks her down and grants the title match.

After last week’s triple threat, Joe Coffey sat down next to Rampage Brown and respect seems to be shown.

Blair Davenport is here and as all but already known, it’s Bea Priestly.

Mila Smidt vs. Aoife Valkyrie

Smidt seems to have an amateur background and stays low to the mat to start. They trade takedowns until Valkyrie starts in on the arm. A running dropkick sets up another armbar as we hear about Smidt training for the Olympics. Valkyrie strikes away until Smidt suplexes her down for two. Cue Jinny to watch as Valkyrie kicks Smidt down, setting up the top rope ax kick for the pin at 3:41.

Rating: C. This was a double shot as Valkyrie gets back on track with an impressive outing, which Smidt also got her first chance to shine. Valkyrie winning isn’t a surprise but they did a nice job of making you buy Smidt having a tiny chance. Smidt’s amateur background can get her pretty far and this kind of a match suggests she is going to get at least one chance.

Post match, Valkyrie stars Jinny down.

An intense looking Kenny Williams is ready for Nathan Frazer next week.

Trent Seven is answering questions when Eddie Dennis interrupts. Dennis asks how it feels to always be a bridesmaid but never a bride. Seven reminds him of the Burning Hammer through a table to destroy Dennis’ shoulder, which gets him to back off.

Jordan Devlin vs. A-Kid

Devlin takes him down by the arm to start until Kid reverses into a headscissors. They continue the reverses on the mat until Kid’s near fall gives us a standoff. Kid flips over him a few times and tries what looks to be a monkey flip, only to be shoved off the top and down to the floor in a nasty crash. That’s almost enough for a countout so Devlin grabs a belly to back suplex for two more.

We hit the neck crank for a bit before Devlin drops down onto Kid’s banged up back. Kid comes back up with a dropkick but Devlin snaps off a cutter for a double knockdown. A fisherman’s suplex gives Kid two and he grabs a guillotine to put Devlin in real trouble. That’s escaped with a suplex and an exchange of rollups gets two each. A triangle choke puts Devlin in trouble again, with a rope grab getting him out of trouble this time.

Devlin snaps off a Spanish Fly but Kid pulls him into the modified Rings of Saturn. Another rope grab breaks it up and they slug it out with Devlin getting dropped for two more. Some rolling German suplexes rock Devlin, who comes back with a headbutt to knock himself outside. Kid hits a dive to drop him again but Devlin snaps the rope into his face for a clever counter.

Devlin drops him knee first onto the steps but the Devlin Side is countered into a sunset bomb. A half crab goes back to the knee and they go into an exchange of submission attempt until Devlin BENDS KID’S LEG AROUND for the tap at 15:23. Kid was laying face down on the mat and Devlin pressed the leg so far that it bent around so that it was laying on the mat, foot up.

Rating: B. The ending alone makes this worth seeing (assuming you don’t have a weak stomach) but this was a heck of a technical showdown for the most part. They were trading holds back and forth until Devlin had to cheat with the steps. Devlin has cooled off a bit in recent weeks and this is the kind of win that could bring him back a bit. Now it’s Kid needing a win, which is weird after a nice title reign.

Medics come out to check on Kid immediately as Devlin celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The long main event is the boost that the show needed as it was only so good going into it. Just like NXT though, one of the best things to be said about NXT UK is they know how to make something out of not much. They didn’t have the top names featured this week and the show worked anyway. That’s a good sign for the show and it is a sign we have seen a lot more than once now. NXT UK is on solid footing and that’s more than most shows can say these days.

Results

Emilia McKenzie b. Isla Dawn – Running knee

Tyler Bate b. Jack Starz 2-1

Aoife Valkyrie b. Mila Smidt – Top rope ax kick

Jordan Devlin b. A-Kid – Knee crank

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

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

Subculture is ready for Jinny and Joseph Conners next week.

Jordan Devlin vs. Saxton Huxley

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

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

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

Symbiosis vs. Andy Wild/Dan Moloney

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NXT UK
Date: April 29, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s time for a cool but also odd match as Meiko Satomura will be facing Aoife Valkyrie. That could go in a few different directions but it is a great test for the so far impressive Valkyrie. Other than that, we could be a long way off from the next main event story around here, but you never know with NXT UK. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Rohan Raja vs. Teoman

This is Raja’s, who previously wrestled as Gursinder Singh in Impact Wrestling, debut. Raja takes him down to the mat to start so Teoman is straight over to the rope. Back up and Teoman starts cranking on the arm but a neckbreaker gets Raja out of trouble. There’s a slap to Teoman’s face so he elbows Raja down and kicks him in the face.

The neck crank doesn’t last long and Raja is back up with more shots to the face. Teoman dropkicks the leg out though and a quick DDT sets up the Crossface. They roll back into the middle and Teoman cranks on it even harder, eventually snapping Raja’s arm. That’s enough for the referee to stop it at 6:03.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have the time to go very far but it did a good job of making Teoman look like a bigger danger. Raja was built up a bit to make him seem like someone worth beating, which is better than having Teoman in there beating up a jobber. I’m curious to see more of Teoman, who has a long way to go but this helped him a bit.

Post match we see the replay and you can hear the snap when Teoman cranks back on the Crossface.

Video on Flash Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews and Dani Luna, all of whom enjoy skateboarding and being around graffiti. Their new name seems to be Subculture, though I’m not sure they need their own name.

Dave Mastiff interrupts an Ilja Dragunov promo and a match seems to have been made.

Sid Scala brings out Kay Lee Ray for a chat. Ray wants a better introduction than that, because she has beaten everyone Scala and Johnny Saint has thrown at her. Scala agrees, so it is time to have a gauntlet match for the #1 contendership. That will include Jinny, Isla Dawn, Xia Brookside, Dani Luna and Emilia McKenzie. Ray says it doesn’t matter because none of them are beating her. This was less than three minutes. If it had been on Raw, it would be pushing fifteen.

Video on Pretty Deadly making media appearances as champions.

A-Kid is ready to defend the Heritage Cup against Tyler Bate in their rubber match in three weeks.

Levi Muir vs. Sha Samuels

Muir actually shoves him away to start and a crossbody cuts Samuels off again. Samuels isn’t having this and runs him over, setting up some arm cranking. The Butcher’s Hook is broken up and Muir makes the clothesline comeback. A torture rack is loaded up so Samuels rakes the eyes to escape, setting up a spinebuster to finish Muir at 3:58.

Rating: C. Muir got in a lot more than I was expecting here and that was nice to see for a change. Samuels winning is a good way to get he and Dar back on track but it was a surprising change to have him actually break a sweat her for a change. It wasn’t competitive, but it was entertaining in the short form.

Trent Seven says he is a founding father around here but Sam Gradwell pops up to say they signed on the same day. So why is Gradwell not as revered around here? Seven isn’t on Gradwell’s level.

Meiko Satomura vs. Aoife Valkyrie

Valkyrie is undefeated and bows to Satomura to start. The lockup sees Satomura driven into the ropes so she grabs a headlock and they roll around on the mat a bit. Satomura works on the arm but Valkyrie pulls her into a rollup for two. This time it’s Valkyrie working on the arm but getting sent into the corner for a running elbow. Valkyrie is back up with an enziguri to the floor, setting up a quick dive. Back in and Valkyrie slaps on a full nelson with her legs but Satomura slips out and starts kicking at the leg.

A reverse Figure Four sends Valkyrie very slowly to the ropes so Satomura kicks her in the head. Back up and Valkyrie nails another enziguri, followed by a sunset bomb for two. Satomura suplexes the heck out of her for another two but the Scorpion Kick is countered into a kick to the face. The moonsault gives Valkyrie two but Satomura is back up with a DDT. A running moonsault knee to the back rocks Valkyrie again and Scorpion Rising finishes Valkyrie at 10:37.

Rating: B. I’m not sure if Valkyrie should have been losing here but it was a heck of a match as Satomura continues to get the best out of people. Valkyrie is someone who has been built up well and if she isn’t going to win or even for the title, feeding her to Satomura for the first big win is not a bad idea. It isn’t like losing to someone built up as the best ever is going to hurt her, so this was more a delay than anything else, assuming there are plans for Valkyrie.

Video on Kenny Williams vs. Amir Jordan before their Loser Leaves Town match last week.

Symbiosis vs. Gallus

Symbiosis would be Eddie Dennis/Primate/Tyson T-Bone. Dennis bails away from the idea of having to fight Joe Coffey so it’s off to Primate. Joe is taken into the corner and the alternating beatdown is on, including a few shots from Dennis. An elbow to the face cuts him off though and Wolfgang comes in to work on the arm a bit. T-Bone tags himself in though and drives shoulders into Joe’s ribs in the corner and Primate adds a springboard ax handle.

The rapid fire stomping is on and it’s back to Dennis for a boot to the face. Joe manages to kick Primate and T-Bone down but Dennis is back in to cut him off. The Severn Bridge is escaped and Joe grabs a neckbreaker for a double knockdown. Wolfgang comes in off the hot tag and it’s time to clean house.

T-Bone manages a fall away slam so it’s Mark Coffey coming in to wreck a lot of people. Primate escapes a chokeslam and clotheslines Mark in the back of the head, allowing Dennis to grab a lifting Downward Spiral and spin him into a slam. Everything breaks down and Wolfgang spears T-Bone to the floor, leaving Joe to hit All The Best For The Bells to pin Primate at 9:27.

Rating: C+. Nice job of getting Gallus back here, though having Symbiosis being called Symbiosis and then losing was a little weird. Either way, I’m not sure I can imagine them being as big of a deal as Gallus so putting them over to build them back up makes more sense. It helps that Gallus is a good trio, with Joe becoming one of the most reliable people around here.

Overall Rating: B-. Good grief this show is fun and easy to watch. When you consider what Raw puts us through every week, this is absolutely awesome by comparison and I had an easy time sitting through the hour plus show. The women’s match was very good and then the main event gives Gallus a nice boost back up. Another nearly great show, which is taking place more and more around here.

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NXT UK: Prelude
Date: April 8, 2021
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

I’m not sure what the deal is with this one as the show has a fancy title but it seems to just be a beefed up episode of the show. What matters most here is that Walter is defending the United Kingdom Title against Rampage Brown, which should be a heck of a hoss fight. This show does have some potential so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video talks about how this is Wrestlemania weekend but you need a big way to start. That is where this show comes in, including a pretty big United Kingdom Title match.

Opening sequence.

Noam Dar vs. Tyler Bate

Heritage Cup rules and the winner gets a shot at A-Kid. Trent Seven is here with Bate while Sha Samuels is with Dar. Before the match, A-Kid pops up on screen to say he’ll be watching. Round One starts with an exchange of missed strikes so Bate tries a backslide, only to be driven into the corner. The second attempt at a backslide works a bit better for a near fall, only to have Bate grab a rollup for the first fall at 1:15.

Round Two begins with Bate taking him down by the arm but Dar reverses into a leglock. A takedown by the leg hate Bate in a bit of trouble but he pops back up to grab a cravate. Dar takes him down again and an elbow to the head gets two but Bate is back up with a dropkick. They fight over a test of strength and the round ends.

Round Three begins with Dar hitting a shot to the face for a surprise knockdown. Bate has to shake his head on his way back up and then it’s an even harder shot to put him down again. That’s good for two and Dar seems to get a bit cocky but comes back to reality to kick Bate in the knee. Seven is seeming a bit nervous as Dar grabs a belly to back suplex for two. Bate gets in a shot in the corner though and a middle rope elbow connects, only to damage the knee a bit more. The airplane spin goes on, with Bate turning him around and around for nearly thirty seconds until the round ends.

Round Four begins with Dar rather dizzy so Bate picks him up with the airplane spin all over again. Bate finally drops him but can barely stand himself. He’s fine enough to hit the rebound lariat but Dar is right back with a sliding lariat for his own two. Bate manages to use his legs to tie up the arm though, setting up a hard shot to Dar’s face. Back up and they trade the big strikes, including Dar kicking the knee out. Bate smacks him in the face and the round ends with both of them in pain.

Round Five begins with Dar going straight to the knee. Bate misses a shot and gets taken down, setting up a kneebar for the tap at 40 seconds (13:18 overall) of the round to tie it up at a fall apiece. Round Six (the final round) begins with Dar going after the knee again but this time Bate manages to try the Tyler Driver 97. That is broken up but the seconds get in a fight on the floor. Somehow Bate manages a dive onto all of them for a huge knockdown. Back in and the Nova Roller misses, allowing Bate to hit the Tyler Driver 97 for the pin at 1:34 of the fall (15:33 overall).

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but that is kind of the point of a match like this one. Bate winning is the right call as he is a far bigger star, along with being a much stronger challenger to A-Kid. Throw in the stories of him trying to find himself and not being in the tournament for the inaugural championship and it makes a lot more sense. These two beat each other up here and it was nice to see a match that felt like it could go either way while being put together well. Nice job here, as the Heritage Cup tends to go.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews are training in the Performance Center with I believe Dani Luna.

Video on Ilja Dragunov going a bit nuts after his loss to Walter, including him snapping on Sam Gradwell.

Piper Niven continues to train Jack Starz to be more aggressive. Niven: “ARE YOU READY???” Starz: “I’M READY!!!”

Jordan Devlin is on his way back after he’s done in Orlando.

Meiko Satomura/Emelia McKenzie vs. Isla Dawn/Kay Lee Ray

Dawn headlocks McKenzie to the mat to start but McKenzie reverses into a cradle for two. That’s too much for Dawn so it’s off to Satomura vs. Kay instead. Ray manages to get her down in the corner and unloads with kicks, allowing Dawn to come in for the same. Satomura gets back up and drives over to the corner, allowing McKenzie to come in for a double kick to Dawn.

McKenzie grabs a suplex and then spears Ray down for two but Dawn pulls Satomura off the apron, meaning no tag. Instead, Dawn snaps off a Saito suplex for two. McKenzie gets in a few forearms of her own though and the hot tag brings in Satomura to start striking away. Ray gets kicked down in a hurry, setting up Satomura’s own Saito suplex for two.

Back up and Ray grabs a Gory Bomb for two, with McKenzie making the save. Ray superkicks McKenzie outside but Satomura pulls her into the STF. The rope breaks gets Ray out of trouble so she suplexes Satomura down. The two of them fight to the floor, leaving McKenzie to small package Dawn for the pin at 9:03, with the threat of Satomura preventing Ray from making a save.

Rating: B. They got rolling with this one and I wanted to see how it was going to end. You don’t get that feeling very often in a regular TV match but they made it work here. Ray has turned into a heck of a champion and I never would have bet on that at most points in her title reign. For someone who has held the title for over a year, she still has a lot of challengers waiting on her and that is pretty impressive.

Post match Aoife Valkyrie comes out, stares at Satomura and McKenzie, and pulls out a feather to leave for Satomura. It’s about time.

A-Kid is looking forward to defending against Tyler Bate so he can prove that he is the best technical wrestler around.

Amir Jordan storms into the building, screaming for Kenny Williams. Sid Scala says Kenny isn’t here but they can face each other next week. That seems good enough for Jordan.

Kenny Williams is sick of Jordan and is ready to prove that he carried him for two years.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Video on Walter vs. Rampage Brown.

United Kingdom Title: Walter vs. Rampage Brown

Walter is defending and drives him into the corner to start. Brown blasts him with a shot to knock him down though and a big shoulder puts Walter on the floor for a change. The fight heads outside where Walter drops him onto the apron and takes it back inside to tie Brown in the ropes. That means the big forearms to knock Brown free, setting up the big boot to rock him again. The chops put Brown down and a kick to the back makes it even worse.

Walter slaps on the Boston crab but Brown powers his way out for a breather. They strike it out until Walter knocks him down with a chop for two. We hit the chinlock for a bit but Brown is back up again, this time managing to knock Walter down for a change. They trade clotheslines but Walter gets the sleeper on to put him in trouble again. Brown breaks it up again and slips out of a powerbomb, setting up a heck of a clothesline. The Doctor Bomb is blocked and Walter gets the sleeper but Brown slips out again.

Walter blasts him down though and now the powerbomb can connect for two. With nothing else working, Walter goes up top but Brown powerslams him right back down. Brown gets a very delayed cover and nails a clothesline, setting up the Doctor Bomb. Walter is smart enough to roll to the ropes though and the delay means no cover. Instead Brown clubs him in the face but can’t hit another Doctor Bomb.

The chop takes Brown to his knees and a knee to the chest takes him down again. The big clothesline barely keeps Brown down and a second only gets two. Brown breaks up the sleeper so Walter suplexes him into the powerbomb for two more. Walter is done with this and the top rope splash retains at 13:44.

Rating: B+. Walter is almost becoming a victim of his own success as it is almost impossible to imagine him ever losing the title. It was hard to believe that Brown was going to take it from him here, but they beat the fire out of each other in a heavyweight slugfest. That’s what is so great about Walter’s matches: every single time he is in there it feels like an absolute war. We got it here again and this was a heck of a fight, as you knew it would be. I’m not sure who takes the title from him, but dang it is going to be a moment when they do.

Overall Rating: A. This was a heck of a show with all three matches working and the main event being even better than the other two. NXT UK is pretty easily the best weekly show going today and my goodness it is fun to watch Walter hit people really hard. Awesome stuff here and absolutely worth going out of your way to see, as nothing is less than very good.

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: April 1, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for NXT UK: Prelude, which does look like a pretty solid card. I’m not sure what else we can expect here other than the hard sell for the show, but Pretty Deadly are having their first Tag Team Title defense. Other than that, hopefully we are in for another nice week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Aoife Valkyrie vs. Stevie Turner

Turner is described as futuristic and says she has a bad habit of taking things to the next level. Valkyrie grabs a headlock and then does it again for a bonus. Turner takes her down into a headlock on the mat of her own before winning a battle over a top wristlock. An armbar keeps Valkyrie down and Turner picks up the leg for some kicks to the thigh.

Turner pulls her out of the corner for a crash and a near fall but Valkyrie is fine enough to get to the middle rope for a jumping kick to the ribs. An enziguri gets two on Turner but she grabs a Backstabber out of the corner for two. Back up and Valkyrie blocks a kick to the ribs and hammers away at Turner’s face. The top rope ax kick finishes Turner at 4:47.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and Turner got to showcase herself rather well in her debut. The women’s division has been needing some fresh blood for awhile now so maybe Turner is someone who could make a bit of an impact. Granted that might be a long time off, but you have to start somewhere. Or maybe they could have Valkyrie do anything other than beat up one woman after another.

Video on A-Kid, who has wanted to be a wrestler since he was fifteen. Now he has become a star and he wants to be a role model for the next A-Kid. Now he is ready to defend the Heritage Cup against either Noam Dar or Tyler Bate and he wants to find out who it is.

Piper Niven comes in to see Jack Starz, who is ready for a workout, but Piper says there is more to training than exercise. She gives him a training session in intensity, which could go somewhere interesting.

Teoman vs. Josh Morrell

Teoman goes for the arm to start and gets Morrell to the mat in a hurry. Back up and Morrell flips his way to freedom but Teoman slaps him in the face. It’s time to start stomping on the ankle, followed by a running shot to the face to knock Morrell silly. The neck crank goes on, followed by a running elbow to the face.

Back up and Morrell wins a slugout, followed by a twisting backflip over Teoman out of the corner. A hiptoss takes Teoman down but a standing moonsault hits raised knees. Teoman hits a missile dropkick to the back of the head and it’s a running double stomp to crush Morrell again. The Crossface finishes Morrell at 5:22.

Rating: C. Teoman is someone who seems to have a lot of potential but there is something missing from his big offense. A missile dropkick into a Crossface looks good but it isn’t the most impactful sequence. That being said, there is a certain aura to him and hopefully that can go somewhere in the near future. Morrell is kind of generic, but he is starting to develop a bit of a reputation.

We get a sitdown interview between Walter and Rampage Brown. Walter talks about how he is the most dominant champion in NXT UK history but he does not respect Brown. That’s fine with Brown, who says he beat Walter the first time he came from England. Walter asks what he has done since then. Brown talks about being the one who did this before Walter, which sends Walter into a rant about how Brown will never understand what it means to be a champion. This should be a heck of a hoss fight.

Gallus is training, including Joe Coffey having to box right handed due to an arm injury. They leave the gym and go beat up a guy in the street.

Here’s Kay Lee Ray for a chat. She talks about wanting and getting competition, including beating the legendary Meiko Satomura. Get used to the sight of her as champion….but here is Amelia McKenzie, who has not been here for two years. Amelia wants to beat the best and their paths will cross one day. Ray says they can cross right now but here is Isla Dawn to jump McKenzie from behind. The beatdown is on but Meiko Satomura makes the save.

Video on Noam Dar vs. Tyler Bate, who are in a #1 contenders match for a shot at the Heritage Cup next week. Bate says he is a tidal wave so Dar better bring his lifeboat. Dar on the other hand is feeling dangerous.

Kay Lee Ray and Isla Dawn aren’t happy but here is Sid Scala to put them in a tag match against Amelia McKenzie and Meiko Satomura next week. Dawn stares at Scala.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan vs. Pretty Deadly

Williams/Jordan are challenging and after the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Howley works on Jordan’s arm to start and it’s off to Stoker in a hurry. A shoulder puts Jordan down but he is right back up with some dropkicks into a backslide for two. Howley and Williams come in with Howley working on the arms to keep control. Williams is back up with a leg crank and a foot on Howley’s face to make him scream.

That’s broken up and it’s back to Stoker for two off a double hiptoss. Williams armdrags him into an armbar though, setting up a tag back to Jordan. The alternating arm cranking has Stoker in trouble and a double dropkick from Jordan takes down both champs at once. Stoker and Howley are sent outside, with McGuinness being happy with the stall to cut off the momentum. Back in and Stoker makes a blind tag, allowing him to blast Jordan with a clothesline to take over.

We hit the chinlock until Jordan fights up with a neckbreaker but the hot tag attempt is cut off in a hurry. Another shot to Howley lets Jordan dive over but a tackle cuts if off again. The third attempt allows the hot tag to Williams though and the pace picks up in a hurry. A springboard double back elbow drops both champs as everything breaks down. Stoker drops to his back and kicks both of them in the face for a pretty sweet counter.

Jordan is back up with a wheelbarrow faceplant into a Swanton from Williams but Stoker makes another save. Williams hits a tornado DDT for two on Howley but he’s back up with a jawbreaker. Jordan springboards in, only to get caught by Stoker’s DDT. The referee gets bumped though and Williams grabs a title belt. Jordan insists that they don’t need to cheat….so Williams hits him with the belt instead. Spilled Milk retains the titles at 15:29.

Rating: B-. They took their time to get into a groove here but then it wound up working out well in the end. This was a formula tag match with an angle in the end, though I’m not sure how much interest there is in Williams turning on Jordan. Williams has been the bigger star since the team formed, but they still had a chance to win here before the screwy finish. Good match, but Pretty Deadly is a lot better with their vignettes than in the ring.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m running out of ways to say that NXT UK is a nice show with a bunch of good things every week. It might not be the show filled with star power or big angles, but it is a perfectly watchable wrestling show and that is all it needs to be. They are building up to a big show next week and they have set it up well enough. Another rather nice show this week and that’s a nice thing to look forward to every time.

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

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

AND

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