NXT UK – June 23, 2022: They’re Coming And They’re Here

NXT UK
Date: June 23, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

Things have gotten a little more interesting around here as Trent Seven has gone full evil and it should set up a heck of a personal feud with Tyler Bate. Other than that, Kenny Williams is still trying to figure out what is up with Tiger Turan and Ilja Dragunov needs something to do. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Moustache Mountain losing the Tag Team Titles and the official split last week.

Opening sequence.

Here are Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter to get things going, with Smith having his knee heavily braced and showing a limp. Smith talks about how he was going nowhere until Carter became his partner. Now he is a champion in WWE because they are the NXT UK Tag Team Champions. However, that makes what he is about to say next all the harder: he has ruptured his MCL and the titles have to be vacated due to his injury.

Smith apologizes to Carter, who says Smith didn’t let him down. Carter says he’s always there for Smith, who tells Carter to make a go of it while he’s out of action. Sid Scala comes out to accept the vacated titles, but does announce Smith and Carter as the champions one more time. Smith and Carter leave so here is Die Familie to interrupt. Those titles should be theirs but here are Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen, Jack Stars/Dave Mastiff and Mark Andrews/Wild boar to interrupt. No one says anything, but Scala makes a four way elimination match for the titles in tonight’s main event.

Sarray comes in to see Meiko Satomura and pays some respect. With Sarray gone, Meiko tells Emilia McKenzie that she gets to face Fallon Henley next week. Meiko wants some fighting spirit.

Sha Samuels isn’t happy with Sid Scala but Wolfgang interrupts and a match is teased.

Myla Grace vs. Isla Dawn

Grace takes her to the mat to start and spins around a lot, setting up the basement dropkick to the side of the head. Dawn isn’t having that though and kicks her down, setting up the chinlock. Grace fights up and strikes away before a tornado DDT gets two. A middle rope dive misses though and Dawn kicks her in the head. The half nelson slam finishes for Dawn at 5:05.

Rating: C. Not much to this one but Grace is someone who has been around a few times now and isn’t too bad. The division can always use some fresh blood and that is what we might be seeing here. She wasn’t squashed here but there is no shame in losing to someone who has been around as long as Dawn.

Tyler Bate has taken a leave of absence after Trent Seven attacked him last week.

Kenny Williams is still obsessed with Tiger Turan.

Noam Dar comes in to see Sid Scala and thinks he is going to have to retire as Heritage Cup Champion. Or maybe he’ll have one more match, for some money money.

Nina Samuels vs. Sarray

Sarray grabs the leg to start and the threat of a half crab sends Samuels over to the rope. Back up and Samuels cranks on the wrist until Sarray sends her into the corner. Samuels knocks her down though and ribs at the face in the ropes. That’s broken up and Sarray dropkicks the knee out before knocking her off the top. The running dropkick against the ropes sets up a high collar suplex to finish Samuels at 5:35.

Rating: C. I get the idea of Sarray, but the transforming thing is just a weird deal that doesn’t add anything and is weird throughout. I’m not sure what the point of the thing is other than to give Sarray something, but it isn’t exactly working. Samuels continues to be the person with a gimmick who you can put out there for loss after loss and not have her drop very far. That’s a good thing to have and NXT UK seems to know it.

Blair Davenport is back next week.

Xia Brookside and Eliza Alexander mock Sarray but Meiko Satomura comes in to scare them off.

Tag Team Titles: Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs vs. Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff vs. Wild Boar/Mark Andrews vs. Die Familie

Elimination match for the vacant titles with Charlie Dempsey in Die Familie’s corner. Starz and Andrews flip around to start so it’s Raja coming in, only to get sent into the corner by Boar. Jensen comes in to powerslam Boar so Teoman tags himself in and hammers away. A clothesline out of the corner gets Boar out of trouble and Mastiff brings himself in to start wrecking people.

Starz and Mastiff start double teaming Teoman, with Starz grabbing a chinlock. Mastiff comes back in and glares Teoman off, meaning Briggs comes in for the monster staredown. They knock everyone else off the apron first though and then clothesline each other down for a bit of a twist. Everything breaks down and Briggs chokeslams Teoman onto the pile at ringside.

Andrews adds the big dive before throwing Teoman back in to get beaten up as well. A running dropkick/German suplex combination sends Teoman into the corner for the tag off to Starz, who gets blasted by Boar’s lariat. Fall To Pieces hits Stars but Mastiff makes a save, allowing Starz to cradle Andrews for the elimination at 9:36.

Starz is banged up and the referee checks on him, only to have Teoman kick him in the bad knee. A dropkick out of the corner gives Starz a breather though and it’s Jensen coming in to fight Mastiff. That works for Mastiff, who crossbodies him down but a distraction lets Raja hit a jumping Downward Spiral to finish Mastiff at 12:15.

So we’re down to Die Familie vs. Briggs/Jensen for the titles with Jensen getting enziguried into a spinebuster for two. A belly to back suplex gets Jensen out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Briggs to really clean house. Dempsey’s distraction lets Teoman hit a Backstabber for two with Jensen making a save. Teoman stomps on Briggs’ back a few times, setting up a crossface. That’s broken up with a rollup and the second hot tag brings in Jensen to clean house. Teoman and Dempsey get kicked off the apron and it’s a high/low to give Briggs the pin and the titles at 18:16.

Rating: B-. The match was long and felt like a big deal, which is one of the best things that can be aid here. What matters here is that Briggs and Jensen won the titles, which may or may not be a good thing. It felt like a cool moment as the team finally wins something, but at the same time it is a bit much to have the Americans come over and win the titles over three NXT UK teams. Die Familie winning here might not have been as fun of a moment, but it would have made more sense.

Fallon Henley comes in to celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event was the big deal as NXT UK had to do something big to take care of a bad situation. That was accomplished, though the rest of the show wasn’t exactly great. What matters here is that they got the important part right, which is often a lot harder than it seems. Good enough show here, though the creeping factor of the lower NXT card coming over to NXT UK isn’t a positive sign.

 

 

 

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NXT UK – June 16, 2022: YOU WILL CARE!

NXT UK
Date: June 16, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s a fallout show, as the big story is finding out what is up with Treat Seven walking out on Tyler Bate and Moustache Mountain. That should be a heck of a promo as we get closer to what could be a heck of a showdown. Hopefully the rest of the show can live up to the hype so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tiger Turan vs. Josh Morrell

Turan takes him down with a hammerlock to start and grabs a wristlock. Morrell can’t flip out so Turan puts on an armbar to keep Morrell in trouble. That’s reversed into a wristlock but Turan flips him right back for a standoff. There’s a suplex to send Morrell down and a high crossbody gives Turan two….but Morrell is hurt and we’re going to stop it at 3:04. I’ll skip a rating as a good chunk of that was checking on Morrell and it was mainly a squash for Turan before the stoppage.

Blair Davenport is coming back from injury.

Myla Grace vs. Lash Legend

Grace hammers away to start and Legend charges into the general vicinity of Grace’s foot in the corner, then kind of rams her face into it. Legend drops her ribs first onto the top rope before ramming Grace’s head up and down between the top and middle rope. A gorilla press…does nothing as Legend puts Grace back down on her feet and then hits a forearm to the face.

Grace’s back is bent over Legend’s knee but she’s up with a hurricanrana. Not that it matters as Legend literally staggers forward instead of flipping, so Grace hits a tornado DDT for two more. With the match not really able to get worse, Legend kicks her in the face for the pin at 4:36.

Rating: F. I haven’t seen someone as bad as Legend in such a long time. She looks completely unnatural in the ring and like she has no idea what she can do. I know she has the size and the look but WOW she is terrible on another level. How can you screw up running into a boot in the corner? Put your face on the bottom of the shoe! Awful stuff, but it must continue because LASH LEGEND WILL BE A THING AND YOU WILL CARE!

Sarray is coming next week as NXT UK continues to turn into a storage closet.

Brooks Jensen, Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley will be here next week. The guys are getting a Tag Team Title shot next week.

Wolfgang/Damon Kemp vs. Sha Samuels/Noam Dar

Kemp takes Samuels down with no trouble to start so Dar comes in to try his luck. Dar gets taken down as well, setting up the rotating gutwrench suplex. Wolfgang goes after Samuels’ arm before handing it back to Kemp to roll Samuels on the arm. Dar finally manages to take Kemp into the corner, setting up a headlock. Some elbows to the chest let Samuels go after the leg, followed by Dar working on the arm.

Kemp gets double suplexed but comes back with a single suplex….only to have Wolfgang pulled off the apron. As expected, the tag goes through to Wolfgang a few seconds later. House is cleaned so Wolfgang and Kemp can pose together, leaving Wolfgang to spear Samuels for two.

Dar comes back in for a bunch of running kicks to the face until it’s Wolfgang in trouble. Everything breaks down and Kemp gets thumbed in the eye, only to have Wolfgang offer a distraction with a scarf. Kemp uses said distraction to grab a powerslam for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: C. Not much to see here, though it was nice to see Kemp getting a chance to showcase himself here. Kemp is clearly someone that NXT wants to do something with and having him get in more reps around here is a good thing. Seeing him win the Heritage Cup isn’t a bad idea, though it might already be time for him to head back to the regular NXT.

Post match Samuels tries to go after Kemp and Wolfgang, who take him down without much trouble.

Here is Trent Seven for his big explanation. Seven talks about how he had to sit at home and then he didn’t know what he was going to do. Then he and Tyler Bate won the Tag Team Titles and now he doesn’t feel the same way he used to. Seven invites Bate to the ring and sounds rather sad about what he did.

We get some reminiscing about their time in America and here in England, which Seven says will be memories for the rest of his life. It seems like Seven is done so we get the big hug…and Seven hits him low. Seven says he never needed Bate, slaps him, and hits the Birminghammer. Bate is down so Seven steps on him and does the Moustache Mountain pose before looking relieved to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This was a pretty terrible show and again, a lot of that comes down to the use of the NXT guest stars. Having to watch Lash Legend and then seeing that schoolgirl Sarray is coming doesn’t make me want to watch this show. All it did was make me glad that this show was shorter than the usual episode, because other than the main event segment, there was absolutely nothing worth seeing here.

Results
Tiger Turan b. Josh Morrell via referee stoppage
Lash Legend b. Myla Grace – Big boot
Damon Kemp/Wolfgang b. Sha Samuels/Noam Dar – Powerslam to Samuels

 

 

 

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NXT UK – February 17, 2022: The Midcard Express

NXT UK
Date: February 17, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

Things toned down a bit last week after back to back title match weeks. This time around seems to be more of the former as well, with the main event being a grudge match between Wolfgang and Jordan Devlin. Other than that, it’s hard to say what we might be getting around here week to week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Sam Gradwell vs. Kenny Williams

Hold on though as Williams, in street clothes, is out on crutches. There was a terrible accident so the match cannot happen. Hold on to that holding on though as Sid Scala pops up on screen to say there is no evidence of Williams being injured, so start the match. Gradwell pulls him in and hammers away to start as Williams is rocked early.

A forearm out of the corner staggers Gradwell and a rake to the eyes lets Williams hit a rebound lariat. The cravate goes on for a bit before Williams rakes at the back. Gradwell fights up and hits some clotheslines into a butterfly suplex, only to get rolled up for two. Back up and Williams tries a sunset flip but Gradwell sits down on him for the pin at 3:58.

Rating: C. Williams finally gets caught and oddly enough it’s in a wrestling counter, which was a nice change of pace after Gradwell being all intense most of the time. It’s nice to see Gradwell getting a win, even if it is a small one like this. Odds are the feud continues though and I’m not sure if that is the best thing, as it’s only so interesting.

Post match Williams jumps Gradwell with the crutch as this is indeed going to continue. Williams pulls out some scissors from underneath the ring and cuts off Gradwell’s mohawk to really make this personal. Gradwell is furious, though not quite furious enough to go after Williams, who is standing at the entrance.

We recap Gallus stealing Jordan Devlin’s sunglasses last week.

The Coffeys find this funny but Wolfgang takes it a bit more seriously.

Xia Brookside is very happy to have an interview but she freaks out when she is asked about Amale. Her daddy will be hearing about this!

We recap Jack Starz wanting to earn one of Dave Mastiff’s bomber jackets, meaning Mastiff has some challenges for him.

First up it’s Challenge #1: Bomber Physicality. That means an hour of free squats, but Mastiff forgets to check on him and comes back three hours later, with Jack mostly still squatting and a pool of sweat underneath him.

Challenge #2: Bomber Appetite. Starz has to eat a bunch of what looks to be cookies or crackers.

Challenge #3: Bomber Guts. Starz has to streak through the Performance Center but he can’t do it and runs off (censored) instead.

Sam Gradwell is furious and goes hunting for Kenny Williams.

Angel Hayze vs. Emilia McKenzie

McKenzie grabs a headlock to start but gets rolled up for a fast two. Hayze hiptosses her over for two more and it’s off to a front facelock. That’s eventually broken up with McKenzie powering her down for two of her own. There’s a forearm for two more and McKenzie grabs a chinlock.

This time it’s Hayze fighting up and hitting her own forearm for a breather. A running elbow in the corner sets up a Sling Blade for two as McKenzie is having to work here. McKenzie is right back with a fisherman’s neckbreaker into a belly to back suplex for a needed breather. A superkick gives Hayze two more but McKenzie grabs a wheelbarrow faceplant for the pin at 4:57.

Rating: C+. This was a back and forth match and much better than I would have expected. Hayze got in a ton of offense here and looked like a pretty solid prospect, making this a very nice surprise. The women’s division can always use some fresh stars and if that is Hayze, good for her.

Earlier this week, Nathan Frazer talked about how last week’s win over Teoman might shut up Die Familie for a bit. As for facing the Ring General (no name given), he was scared to death of what was in front of him and he didn’t know how he got there. Now he needs something new though, so he’s challenging Ilja Dragunov for the NXT UK Title. That’s a big step forward.

Die Familie is in their apartment, where Teoman says he’s ashamed of his loss. Rohan Raja says Teoman kept his promise of looking after his family, but Teoman says he will never be a loser, as long as the family wins. Charlie Dempsey says the loss might make the family come closer together.

Stevie Turner vs. Myla Grace

They fight over a lockup to start with Turner taking her into the corner. Grace armdrags her down into an armbar but Turner is back up with a Thesz press. A running boot to the face knocks Grace against the ropes for two and we’re off to the chinlock. Nigel tries to explain Stevie’s futuristic deal as Grace fights up, including a clothesline which is more like a punch to the stomach. Turner cuts that off without much trouble though and finishes with a Side Effect at 4:36.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what is missing from Turner but she has yet to click around here. Granted part of that is due to the still weird futuristic deal, which seems to involve her wearing slightly strange clothes. Grace was fine here, but didn’t exactly stand out for the most part.

Sid Scala announces that Meiko Satomura will be presented with a gift next week.

Moustache Mountain is very happy with their Tag Team Titles and now they’re ready to defend against Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter. Smith and Carter are ready too, with the title match coming next week.

Jordan Devlin vs. Wolfgang

Feeling out process to start with Wolfgang driving him into the corner. It’s time to work on the arm, including some driving shoulders to put Devlin down. Back up and Devlin’s running shoulder has no effect so Wolfgang shows him how it’s done, which bangs up the arm even more. Another shoulder puts Devlin on the floor but he pulls Wolfgang outside too. It turns out that it’s a bad idea to brawl with someone named Wolfgang, as Devlin is beaten up against the barricade.

Back in and the slingshot cutter is blocked, allowing Wolfgang to hit a delayed vertical suplex for two. It’s back to the armbar but Devlin knocks him outside. The Asai moonsault is pulled out of the air but Devlin manages to post him shoulder first for a breather. Devlin’s armbar is broken up as well but he kicks at the arm to cut Wolfgang down again. The arm is fine enough to hit a gorilla press drop, only to have Devlin get his knees up to block a moonsault.

Devlin gets a cross armbreaker but Wolfgang is in the ropes almost immediately. There’s a running kick to Wolfgang’s arm and another puts him down on the floor. Back in again and Devlin grabs a hammerlock before kicking at the arm again. Wolfgang manages a catapult over the top to send Devlin outside for a breather before hitting a top rope ax handle back inside.

The spear only hits buckle though and now the slingshot cutter gives Devlin two. Devlin unloads on him with shots to the head but Wolfgang hits a spear, which hurts his arm even more though. Wolfgang goes up top but gets caught with a super Spanish Fly….for two. That’s enough for Devlin, who hits the 450 for the pin at 13:43.

Rating: B. This was the kind of match where they didn’t have much of a build coming in (stolen sunglasses remember) but put together a good story with both of them having bad arms. Wolfgang looked solid in a rare singles match but there wasn’t much drama as Devlin needed to get a win after losing to Ilja Dragunov a few weeks back.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event is quite good but this show was really feeling the lack of star power. Maybe they front loaded these tapings too much or something but the last two weeks haven’t been as sharp as the weeks before them. I’m not sure what they are going to do next with with Satomura’s gift, though maybe it can lead to something bigger. Good show, assuming you don’t mind the midcard getting the focus.

Results
Sam Gradwell b. Kenny Williams – Rollup
Emilia McKenzie b. Angel Hayze – Wheelbarrow faceplant
Stevie Turner b. Myla Grace – Side Effect
Jordan Devlin b. Wolfgang – 450

 

 

 

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NXT UK – February 3, 2022: 34

NXT UK
Date: February 3, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the second title week in a row around here as we follow up last week’s United Kingdom Title match with a Women’s Title match as Meiko Satomura defends against Blair Davenport. At the same time, we have the finals of the #1 contenders tag team tournament, which could be a good one. I continue to have high hopes for this show and that isn’t something you get to say very often these days. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at the Japanese street fight between Meiko Satomura and Blair Davenport.

Opening sequence.

Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff vs. Oliver Carter/Ashton Smith

The winners get a future Tag Team Title shot at Moustache Mountain, who is on commentary. Carter works on Starz’s wrist but can’t get very far as Starz takes him to the mat. An armdrag into an armbar works a bit better on Starz as Nigel tries to drive some tensions among the champs over the Heritage Cup. Mastiff comes in for a big headlock on Smith but it’s right back to Starz.

This time it’s Carter headlocking him down but Starz isn’t having that either. Instead Mastiff comes in and shrugs off some dropkicks before missing a springboard moonsault press. Everything breaks down and Carter/Smith clear the ring so Mastiff takes a breather on the floor. Back in and Starz dropkicks Smith twice before being backdropped outside.

Something like Private Party’s Silly String into a moonsault gets two on Starz and Smith slams him down for the same. A Doomsday Device is loaded up but Starz fights his way off of Smith’s shoulders (that’s a new one). The hot tag brings in Mastiff to clean house but Starz already wants back in. Mastiff waves him off and hits a German suplex, only to miss the Cannonball. A shot to the face drops Mastiff and an assisted moonsault finishes for Carter at 12:32.

Rating: C+. The ending surprised me a bit as they had some out of nowhere issues between Starz and Mastiff. Starz seeming to want to prove himself to the much bigger Mastiff makes sense but they had been working very well together for a long time. That could be an interesting story, but what matters here is Carter/Smith. You need to build up some teams at some point and they are a good choice.

A-Kid is ready to team with Saxon Huxley but isn’t sure about his mind. Therefore, we see a montage of A-Kid working with Huxley on mat, chess and manners. This goes very badly (Huxley ate a chess piece).

Video on Ilja Dragunov retaining the United Kingdom Title over Jordan Devlin last week.

Nathan Frazer’s car won’t start as he is leaving the Performance Center. As he checks on the engine, Die Familie jumps him from behind.

Myla Grace vs. Isla Dawn

Dawn drives her into the corner to start but gets caught with a dropkick for a fast two. That doesn’t work for Dawn, who chokes on the ropes and hits a running knee to the face. A headscissors gets Grace out of trouble though and it’s a 619 to the ribs into a tornado DDT for two. Dawn is done with this though and hits a fireman’s carry spun into a side slam for the pin at 2:58. Grace got to show off a bit here.

Amale’s interview is turned into the Nina Samuels Show. That’s not cool with Amale, so a match is set for later.

Sam Gradwell doesn’t like Kenny Williams and violence seems to be implied.

Gallus tries to put a bet down on themselves with Sha Samuels but the store is closed at the moment.

Women’s Title: Blair Davenport vs. Meiko Satomura

Satomura is defending in a street fight. Davenport’s kendo stick is kicked away to start and they’re on the floor early, with Davenport missing a chair toss. A whip sends Satomura into the barricade but Davenport talks too much trash. The distraction lets Satomura chair her in the ribs and whip out some nunchucks.

That’s broken up so they head back outside for another whip to send Satomura into the barricade. A chain is pulled out but Satomura wraps it around her foot for a kick to the chest. Davenport canes her in the leg though (with Nigel getting in a Harry potter reference by saying “Enemies of the heir beware” in regards to Davenport).

Back in and Davenport pulls out an extra turnbuckle, only to get pulled into a failed STF attempt. Some kendo stick shots to the back have Satomura in trouble so she makes the rope. That doesn’t make a difference, but Davenport lets her go anyway. Satomura goes to the apron and Davenport goes up for a double stomp, only to land on the floor awkwardly. That’s enough for a referee stoppage to retain Satomura’s title at 9:42.

Rating: B-. The ending aside (because it wasn’t their fault), this was good but it was the second week in a row with some kind of violent, street fight style main event. There was more of a story here though and Davenport had brought the violence. I could go for Satomura fighting and winning in an environment that she didn’t know, though they got cut off before they could really get there.

Davenport is taken out on a stretcher as Satomura quietly celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show got in two big matches while also making Dawn feel like a bigger deal. They were coming off the big show last week and now we should be in for a pretty awesome tag match when they get around to it. Unfortunately the ending didn’t get to the real ending, but hopefully Davenport is back on her feet sooner than later.

Results
Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter b. Dave Mastiff/Jack Starz – Assisted moonsault to Mastiff
Isla Dawn b. Myla Grace – Fireman’s carry swung into a side slam
Meiko Satomura b. Blair Davenport via referee stoppage

 

 

 

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NXT UK – January 6, 2022: The Fight Before The Last Stand

NXT UK
Date: January 6, 2022
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

We’re in a new year over in England and that means it is time for a major title match. This time around that means we have the Women’s Title on the line, with Meiko Satomura defending against Blair Davenport. Other than that, we could be in for almost anything else. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Meiko Satomura vs. Blair Davenport.

Opening sequence.

Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter vs. Symbiosis

Eddie Dennis is here with Symbiosis. Primate drives Carter into the corner to start before cranking on the arm. Carter kicks his way to freedom and brings Smith in to flip T-Bone over by the arm for a change. A slingshot shoulder drops T-Bone again and it’s Carter grabbing the armbar. Smith comes back in for his own shoulder and Carter’s slingshot splash gets two as this is one sided so far.

T-Bone finally powers Carter over to the corner but Smith breaks up a double suplex attempt (though Nigel didn’t see a tag). A fireman’s carry is loaded up so Dennis offers a distraction…which doesn’t seem to matter as Primate elbows his way to freedom anyway. An assisted splash to the back hits Smith and Dennis is rather pleased on the floor.

The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a spear from Primate and a frog splash from T-Bone. Carter makes a VERY last second save, so late that Smith had to kick out and almost kicked Carter in the face. Smith fights up and brings in Carter to clean house as everything breaks down. Symbiosis is sent into each other and a doomsday cutter finishes Primate at 9:38.

Rating: C+. At some point, you have to build up another team and that is what they were doing here with Smith and Carter. They have been around for a long time now and while I’m not sure I can picture them being a real threat to Moustache Mountain, you have to have some kind of a credible threat to them. Then again there is a real chance that they lose to Die Familia on the way there.

Pretty Deadly doesn’t like the idea of the tournament to crown new #1 contenders when they never got a title shot. Sam Gradwell comes in to call them stupid and leaves. Pretty Deadly will deal with this.

Ilja Dragunov is training in Dresden by running up some steps and jumping ropes. He is fighting to keep what matters the most for him, meaning his family. We hear about Dragunov’s wife, who was the first person to accept him as he is. They had a son and he is perfect just as he is too. Sometimes he falls down and Ilja asks him why they fall. It’s so they can get back up again and that means something to Ilja. Then you have Jordan Devlin, who brought the family into this, and that isn’t going to work.

We look at A-Kid beating Nathan Frazer to become #1 contender to the Heritage Cup and Noam Dar.

Dar seems worried but he is so confident that he is going to let Sha Samuels pick the way he beats A-Kid. The worst odds are on Dar in the fourth round so we’ll go with that.

Die Familia wants the Tag Team Titles.

Myla Grace vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside isn’t happy that the ropes weren’t held for her but she gets in anyway. Grace’s wristlock has Brookside in the ropes in a hurry and she puts on a wristlock of her own, complete with a little dance. The fans ask Brookside who her daddy is before Grace takes her down in a hurry.

A hard forearm in the corner wakes Brookside up though and she really isn’t happy about the fans singing at her. That means a bunch of stomping on Grace’s back and a kick to the spine gets two. Grace fights out of a seated abdominal stretch and starts the clothesline comeback. Brookside pulls her off the middle rope though and Broken Wings finishes Grace at 3:48.

Rating: C. I’m starting to dig this heel Brookside as she kind of nailing the spoiled brat character. That’s quite the departure from what she did well for so long and it’s working rather well. Grace didn’t get to do much here but she had a bit of fire in defeat and that could be a lot worse.

A-Kid wants the Heritage Cup back.

Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff are ready for a great 2022 but Starz thinks Mastiff might want to kill him. Mastiff just wants the Tag Team Titles.

Amale says she is hope.

Amale arrived at the Performance Center when Angel Hayze comes up to say Amale’s video package inspired her. Jinny pops in to mock Amale before leaving, with Stevie Turner replacing her. Turner says Amale has a point and gets shoved up against a wall so Amale can yell at her in French.

Next week is Walter’s Last Stand in NXT UK, with his last match coming against Nathan Frazer.

Walter says he has dominated NXT UK and after a title reign of 870 days, he has brought dignity to this sport. Now he is ready to face Nathan Frazer but Walter is not impressed. Frazer will teach him next week and come out victorious.

Women’s Title: Blair Davenport vs. Meiko Satomura

Satomura is defending. They start slowly before going into the test of strength, with Satomura tossing her down. A headlock takeover sets up an armbar on Davenport, which is switched into a wristlock to keep her in trouble. Davenport fights up so Satomura kicks away in the corner. An attempt at a springboard is kicked down and Davenport lands face first on the apron.

Back in and we hit the double arm crank as this is all Satomura to start. Kicks to the chest and head get two on Davenport as the fans are behind Satomura. Davenport finally manages to score with a kick of her own and a hanging DDT from the apron plants Satomura hard. Another kick sends Satomura into the ropes for two more and we hit a neck crank.

That’s broken up as well and it’s a spinwheel kick to rock Davenport again. Satomura drops her hard with a suplex but the STF attempt is countered into an armbar. Davenport can’t keep her down though and Satomura is back up with a DDT for a break. Satomura’s Pele kick is countered into an STF, with Satomura fighting up again. Davenport knocks her into the ropes and a top rope double stomp puts Satomura on the floor.

Back in and Satomura counters what looked to be a knee to the face into a Death Valley Driver. Another Death Valley Driver gets two but Scorpion Rising misses. Now Davenport can knee her in the face for a close two and frustration is setting in. They go into a pinfall reversal sequence, with Satomura sitting down on a rollup to retain at 12:58.

Rating: B. This was good but never quite got all the way to the highest level. What we got was a pair of women beating on each other until Satomura caught her in the end rather than flat out defeating her. That makes for a good match, though it isn’t quite as definitive as I was expecting. Davenport is a good heel though and should be fine with whatever she does next.

Post match, Davenport is back up to knee the heck out of Satomura, meaning the feud will continue.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the kind of show I like from NXT UK, as they set up and delivered on the main event, while also doing some good stuff on the rest of the show. It flew by and left me wanting to see what happens next week, despite a lot of those people not being major players on this show. As usual, nicely done and that isn’t even a surprise anymore.

Results
Oliver Carter/Ashton Smith b. Symbiosis – Doomsday cutter to Primate
Xia Brookside b. Myla Grace – Broken Wings
Meiko Satomura b. Blair Davenport – Rollup

 

 

 

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NXT UK – October 28, 2021: It’s Actually Over

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

It’s time for another title match and this week that means the Heritage Cup is on the line. After spending what has felt like the better part of forever crowning a new #1 contender, it is time for Tyler Bate to defend the Heritage Cup against Noam Dar. Other than that, I’m not sure what really matters because I’m too relieved that the tournament stuff is finally over. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Coffey vs. Rohan Raja

Wolfgang and Teoman are the seconds. Coffey takes him down into the armbar to start but Raja reverses, meaning it’s time to go to the ropes. Raja Codebreakers the arm and the fans are not pleased, though Coffey taking him into the corner makes it a bit better. Not that it matters though as Raja goes right back to the arm and some knees in the corner get two.

The seated armbar goes on but Coffey comes back with a clothesline and middle rope bulldog. Raja isn’t having that and plants him with a sitout powerbomb for two more, followed by a Backstabber for the same. Back up and Coffey scores with a quick kick to the head, followed by a sliding forearm for the pin at 5:55.

Rating: C. The ending was really abrupt but this was the best performance from Raja so far. He looked like someone who could hang with a bigger star like Coffey and that is a good sign for his future. This is the kind of feud that could go on for a bit, though I’m a bit surprised that Teoman hasn’t taken off more than he has. Either way, not a bad match to start things off here.

Post match Teoman and Raja jump Gallus and leave them laying.

Sid Scala is making a triple threat match to crown new #1 contenders between Oliver Carter/Ashton Smith, Symbiosis and Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff.

Charlie Dempsey is ready for his match but Gallus storms in looking for Teoman.

Myla Grace vs. Amele

Amele takes her down to start and shouts a lot before grabbing a headlock. Grace is back with some rollups for two each but Amele stomps her out of the corner to take over again. A fisherman’s neckbreaker gives Amele one and we hit the chinlock. Cue Blair Davenport to watch as Grace fights up and hits a 619 to the ribs in the corner. A tornado DDT out of the corner gets two on Amele, but she is right back with the Hopebreaker for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C-. I get more out of Amele every time she’s on this show and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her moving up the ladder in a hurry. I’m not sure where Davenport fits into the whole thing but it could go somewhere in the future. Grace didn’t get to do much here but she showed off some skills while she had the chance.

Nina Samuels interrupts an Aleah James interview and makes fun of her for being short. James leaves and Samuels isn’t sure what went wrong.

Flash Morgan Webster comes up to Rampage Brown, who pins him up against the wall. If Webster wanted a match, all he had to do was ask.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Danny Jones

Dempsey takes him down in a hurry and works on a cravate with some grinding. Jones is back up with an uppercut and a backfist rocks Dempsey. That’s enough of being in trouble for Dempsey who goes for the leg and whips him face first into the middle buckle. A front facelock suplex gives Dempsey two as Nigel is rapid firing the British wrestler references. The rolling butterfly suplexes into the crossface chickenwing makes Jones tap at 4:48.

Rating: C+. This was a lot of fun as Dempsey is such a throwback to the old grappling style. That is something you can always use on any show because it is such a classic style of wrestling. Jones looked good in defeat here, but this was all about Dempsey, who isn’t the most impressive looking but can do some painful things in the ring.

Video on Meiko Satomura vs. Jinny before their title match next week.

Isla Dawn has her box of trophies but says she needs one more thing.

Heritage Cup: Tyler Bate vs. Noam Dar

Bate is defending and has Trent Seven in his corner while Dar has Sha Samuels. Round one begins with the two feeling each other out until Bate starts working on the arm. Dar’s twisting of the arm doesn’t last long so it’s a standoff until Bate takes him down by the head. Back up and Bate drives him up against the ropes but the round ends.

Round two begins with Bate taking him down by the foot and cranking away on the leg. That’s enough for Dar to need a breather in the ropes and they fight over the arm some more. Dar avoids a charge but has to slip out of the airplane spin. A double clothesline rocks both of them and they fight over an aggressive lockup as the round ends. Round three begins with Bate dropkicking him to the floor and then going after him. That’s enough for Dar to knock him outside with Bate hurting his knee. Back in and the Nova Roller gives Dar the first fall at 59 seconds of the round and 8:06 overall.

Round four begins with Dar throwing a rocked Bate down and taking his turns on the limbs. Bate manages a DDT but the knee is too banged up to do anything about it. The northern lights suplex drops Dar and Bate nips up, setting up a heck of a clothesline. The Tyler Driver 97 ties things up at a fall each at 2:03 of the round and 10:42.

Round five begins with Bate grabbing a dragon screw legwhip but Dar does the same to bring him off the ropes. Dar kicks him down for two but Bate is back up with a Birminghammer attempt. Samuels offers a distraction though and Dar slips out, only to miss the Nova Roller. Bate pulls him into a kneebar and they slug it out with the hold still on as time expires.

Round six (the final round, with Bate retaining in a draw) begins with another slugout until Dar kicks out the leg. Bate catches him on top with a t-bone superplex so Dar rolls outside for a breather. You don’t do that to Bate, who takes Dar out with a dive. Back in and Bate hits the rolling Liger kick but gets caught in the Champagne Super Knee Bar (I’m not sure if that is clever or not).

That’s broken up with a rolling German suplex to put both of them down but cue Pretty Deadly to go after Seven. The brawl is on as the knee bar goes on again….and Seven’s towel winds up in the ring, which is enough to make Dar champion at 2:45 of the round and 17:35 overall.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as some of the other tournament matches but what matters it they went with the right winner. After that never ending tournament, they more or less had to put the title on Dar. Bate having issues with Seven could be the start of something great, but the towel accidentally being thrown in is not the greatest. Still though, good enough match and the ending sets up some stuff.

Bate isn’t happy with Seven as Dar and Samuels celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty solid show again this week, as they manage to turn the midcard title match into an event, which is a pretty impressive feat. I’m still enjoying this show every week and having fans back has made it feel that much better. More good stuff this week as things continue chugging along.

 

 

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

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AND

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