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.

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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.

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NXT UK
Date: March 25, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to England and things are continuing their slow and steady process around here. I’m not sure what that is building towards as there is no Takeover in sight, leaving us with a bunch of featured television matches again. This time around that would be Ilja Dragunov in a rematch against Sam Gradwell. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with Supernova Sessions with Noam Dar talking about how he is facing Tyler Bate in two weeks for a shot at the Heritage Cup. For now though the guest is Trent Seven, who came just short in his shot at the Cruiserweight Title. Dar wants to know Seven’s secret to the weight loss, with Seven saying he never worked so hard in his career.

Dar cuts him off and says he has been around WWE for five years and has performed on every brand in the company. He’s the original gangster of the relaunch of the cruiserweight division but Seven gets up and calls himself one of the Founding Fathers of NXT UK. Cue Sha Samuels, who is going to be in Dar’s corner against Bate. Seven volunteers to be there to even things up. I’ve heard worse ideas.

Sid Scala tells Jinny that she and Piper Niven are banned from ringside tonight when Joseph Conners faces Jack Starz. She storms off, albeit fashionably.

We hype up NXT Prelude, which looks like a decent card.

Video on Walter vs. Rampage Brown, who are having a title match at Prelude.

Joseph Conners vs. Jack Starz

Conners grabs a cravate to start and Starz is out just as fast. The same is true of a wristlock but Conners tries it again and takes him down by the wrist. Back up and they hit the pinfall reversal sequence until Starz uppercuts and dropkicks him to the floor. That means a big dive from Starz, followed by a crossbody for two back inside.

Conners hits a double stomp out of the corner though and a backbreaker sets up some near falls. A clothesline gives Conners two more but Starz is back with a suplex for a breather. Starz hits a running uppercut to the back and a backdrop makes it worse. A rollup gives Starz two but Conners grabs a DDT and a neckbreaker to finish Starz at 7:53.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that I would have expected to be absolutely nothing but it wound up being a pretty fun one, which works well in a story that has no business being overly interesting. Neither of them have anything going on so putting them into a story is a nice idea. It’s certainly better than having them sit in catering for five months.

Pretty Deadly are rather excited about their first Tag Team Title defense next week, to the point where they speak in unison.

Piper Niven gives Jack Starz a pep talk after his loss.

The Hunt vs. Danny Jones/Josh Morrell

It’s the new Hunt (though still with Eddie Dennis) with T-Bone taking Wild Boar’s place. T-Bone unloads on Morrell in the corner and Primate comes in for his own shots. It’s off to Jones, who gets his arm worked on by both monsters. Jones does manage a Backstabber on Primate though and the hot tag brings in Morrell to start cleaning house. That earns him a hard shot to the face and it’s back to T-Bone for a backbreaker. Everything breaks down and Jones hits a step up enziguri, only to get kneed in the face. Primate adds the top rope headbutt for the pin at 6:29.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what they were going for here but this didn’t make me think much of the new Hunt. This felt like it was almost about bringing both of them up, which should not be the idea in a match like this one. The Hunt needed to look dominant and while their stuff looked good, it doesn’t matter all that much when two jobbers are surviving and even hanging in there for a bit. Just let it be about the Hunt and squash these guys.

Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams are training at the Performance Center and everything seems cool. For now.

Aleah James vs. Isla Dawn

James takes her down by the arm to start and hits a dropkick to send Dawn into the corner. Dawn comes out with a kick to the face and then hammers away, only to get small packaged for two. A Saito suplex sets up a weird standing double underhook stretch to keep James in trouble. That’s broken up and James hits a dropkick, followed by a crossbody for two. Dawn suplexes the heck out of her though and a bridging half nelson suplex finishes James at 4:17.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and I’ve always liked Dawn, so it’s nice to see her getting a push for the first time in a good while. They have hyped her up as the white witch over and over again so having her actually do witchcraft stuff makes sense for a change. It’s not like there is anyone else to go after Kay Lee Ray (save for Xia Brookside) anyway.

Xia Brookside makes Nina Samuels clean the bathroom.

Kay Lee Ray comes up to Isla Dawn in the back, so Dawn makes the lights flicker. That’s enough for Ray, who walks off.

Sam Gradwell vs. Ilja Dragunov

No DQ. Gradwell throws his jacket at Dragunov to start and hammers away but Dragunov is right back up with a forearm to the face. A kick to the face sends Gradwell outside and there’s a dropkick through the ropes. Dragunov picks up a chair but throws it down and takes things back inside instead. The Constantine Special drops Gradwell but Dragunov has to stop himself from going too nuts. Gradwell goes outside where Dragunov gets a big running start, only to have Gradwell blast him with the bell (it looked like in the head at first but Dragunov is holding his arm so well done on the head fake).

Some cord whips to the back keep Dragunov in trouble and a shot to the mouth makes it worse. Back in and a butterfly suplex onto a chair gets two on Dragunov. Gradwell pulls off some turnbuckle pads and, after powering out of a guillotine attempt, crotches Dragunov on top. Dragunov shoves him off but gets rammed into the buckle. Gradwell knocks him off the top and they head outside, with Dragunov hitting a heck of a clothesline (which hurts his damaged arm).

The steps are picked up so Gradwell begs off, only to get German suplexed on the floor. Dragunov chops away at the back of the neck so Gradwell begs off again, saying he is a dad too. This time he suckers Dragunov in for something like an AA onto the steps. That makes Dragunov scream in agony but it’s only good for two back inside. More chairs are piled up but Dragunov fights out of another AA.

Dragunov sends him into the exposed buckle to knock him silly and it’s time to go back up. The top rope backsplash only hits chairs though and Gradwell chops him in the back…..which sends Dragunov over the edge (Gradwell knows he’s done too and the facial is perfect). Dragunov hammers away and kicks him in the face, followed by a bunch of chairs to the back. A bunch of forearms to the face are enough for the referee to stop it at 14:48.

Rating: B. The storytelling was what mattered the most here, though they beat the heck out of each other for a good while. Commentary did a great job of pointing out the chops sending Dragunov back to the match with Walter, which sent him over the edge. Throw in his background of dealing with bullies and trying to find an outlet for everything and Dragunov going insane at such a thing makes a lot of sense. That’s the kind of depth you don’t get very often in something WWE related and I want to see where it goes. Gradwell deserved attention as well, as he has gone from nothing to looking great, so more of him too.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event carried this one but it’s another good example of the promotion being able to build a show up without most of their top stars around. That’s a really good sign, because they are showing the ability to build people up rather than just going with the same people over and over. WWE could use a lesson from them, but that has never stopped them before. Good main event to a pretty nice show with some impressive character development.

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

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NXT UK
Date: February 11, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

This week is about revenge as Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews are facing the Hunt, after the monsters attacked them more than once over the last year. That makes for one of the better built feuds around here in a long time and hopefully the match lives up to the hype. Other than that, Meiko Satomura is making her debut in something that is likely to feel a bit more awesome. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the Hunt, guided by Eddie Dennis, attacking Webster and Andrews but not being able to win the Tag Team Titles. They have taken out their aggression on Webster and Andrews again, setting up tonight’s street fight.

Andrews and Webster have attacked Wild Boar, meaning Dennis will be taking his place.

Opening sequence.

Meiko Satomura vs. Isla Dawn

So Dawn gets to be designated victim #1 of “Japan’s Final Boss/The Best In The World”, which is one heck of a pair of great monikers (ignore the likely Shane McMahon lawsuits). Satomura grabs a headlock to start to take Dawn down as Kay Lee Ray is watching from a distance. Back up and Satomura kicks her down, setting up a wristlock.

Some knees to the ribs don’t have much of an impact though as Dawn snaps off a suplex for two. Dawn goes up but gets superplexed back down, followed by a shot to the face for two more. A quick Saito suplex gives Dawn her own two but Satomura is back with a cartwheel kick to the head. Scorpio Rising (kind of a step up ax kick) finishes Dawn at 5:22.

Rating: C. That’s all it needed to be as Satomura shrugged off everything Dawn threw at her and then won in the end with a cool named finisher. Having Ray out there made sense too as there was no reason to act like Satomura isn’t going straight to the title picture. Great debut here, with Satomura feeling like the star she is supposed to be.

Earlier this week, Rampage Brown and Joe Coffey sat down at the Performance Center. Johnny Saint popped in on a screen to make a match between the two of them at some point in the future.

Video on Dani Luna, who is really strong.

Video on Aoife Valkyrie, who has feathers.

Meiko Satomura is ready for Kay Lee Ray.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions, with Noam Dar talking about how he says he’s great because he knows he’s great. The guest this week is Sha Samuels, who Dar describes as his lifelong friend. Samuels seems to agree but goes into a rant about how NXT UK made him into someone else instead of being himself. After Samuels cuts off Dar from telling a story, Sid Scala comes out to interrupt. Samuels doesn’t think much of him but Dar has a suggestion: Samuels getting a shot at the Heritage Cup. That will be taken under advisement but Dar still can’t tell that story.

Nina Samuels (no relation to Sha….at least I don’t think) accepts Xia Brookside’s challenge for a rematch, but if Xia loses, she is Nina’s assistant for a month.

Video on Trent Seven trying to lose weight to get his Cruiserweight Title shot.

Amale vs. Piper Niven

Niven ax handles her in the chest to start and hits a low crossbody. Cue Joseph Conners for a distraction though and Amale is able to get in a kick to the head. That’s not going to work either though as Niven sends her into the corner for the Cannonball. The Piper Driver finishes at 2:20.

Gallus has signed to defend the Tag Team Titles against Pretty Deadly in two weeks.

Ben Carter is back next week, plus Sha Samuels gets a Heritage Cup shot and Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey.

Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews vs. Primate/Eddie Dennis

Street fight but hold on as the fight has started in the back with the Hunt and Eddie Dennis attacking Webster and Andrews. With Andrews having been crushed by an anvil case, Webster is brought to the ring but says ring the bell anyway. Webster jumps over Primate and sends Dennis outside, where Webster gets whipped by Dennis’ belt. Primate rips at Dennis’ face as they fight up towards the entrance…..and Andrews moonsaults off the set onto all of them.

They wind up back at ringside with Andrews being dropped onto the barricade. Primate adds a diving clothesline and it’s time to head back inside, with all four having a chair. Andrews gets hit in the knee but Webster grabs his helmet to clean house for two on Dennis. Primate is back in to beat on Webster, allowing Dennis to miss a kendo stick to Andrews.

The Stundog Millionaire drops Dennis but Primate gets in a stick shot to Andrews’ bad knee. Webster is down on the floor so Primate sends Andrews knee first into the chair, setting up a leglock from Dennis. The chair to the knee is loaded up but Webster takes it away and starts the big comeback. A sunset bomb plants Primate on the floor and Dennis can’t quite get to one of the weapons. Webster and Andrews can though and it’s a big beatdown with the sticks to the back.

A table is sent in and set up but Andrews dives onto Primate instead, banging up the knee in the process. Webster dives onto Dennis for two with Primate making a save this time. Andrews has to save Webster from being sent through the table but dives into a spear to put him down in a hurry. Primate misses a spear to send himself through the table though, setting up a Swanton and shooting star press to give Andrews and Webster the stereo pins at 16:02.

Rating: B. That’s the kind of brawl they needed to have and it’s great to see a team like Andrews and Morgan have another signature win after they lost the Tag Team Titles. So many teams will lose the belts and then fade away, which seemed to be what was happening with them. This helped a lot and while it would have been better with Wild Boar in there instead, they did what they needed to do and the match worked better than I would have bet on.

Overall Rating: B-. Above all else, this week felt important and that isn’t something you can say around here very often. The main event came off as a big deal and Satomura felt special, which is exactly how they should have gone. Throw in setting up a pretty stacked card for next week and a title match for the week after and this was a rather nice use of an hour. That has been the case more often than not lately around here as NXT UK is becoming one of the more consistent shows around.

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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IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: November 5, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the week after the big showdown and I’m not sure where to go from here. At the end of the day, Ilja Dragunov and Walter beating the fire out of each other isn’t exactly easy to follow and I’m curious to see where it goes. The Heritage Cup is still running around as well so they have a few things to do. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s epic title match with Walter surviving Dragunov to retain. They were both banged up after the match.

Opening sequence.

Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly/Sam Gradwell

Mark Coffey throws Sam Stoker around to start so Wolfgang comes in to work on the arm. Stoker’s dropkick allows the tag off to Lewis Howley, who is taken down by the arm. Joe Coffey gets to come in and crank on the arm as well with Howley not even being able to nip his way up to freedom. Back up and Gradwell gets the tag so Joe slaps on a headlock in a hurry. Everything breaks down for a bit so Gallus clears the ring without much trouble. We settle down to Gradwell slapping Joe and diving over for the tag back to Howley.

Wolfgang comes in but gets caught in the wrong corner. He doesn’t seem to mind as house is cleaned in a hurry, allowing the tag back to Mark for a headlock to Stoker. Back up and Stoker grabs a DDT for two on Mark and it’s Howley coming in to work on the arm. Gradwell is back with a quickly broken chinlock but a little too much trash talk lets Mark get over for the hot tag to Joe. That means even more of the house can be cleaned as everything breaks down. All The Best For The Bells finishes Gradwell at 9:47.

Rating: C. This was the welcome home match for Gallus and that worked out just fine. It also seemed to be the trio being full on faces, which they were around the time of the hiatus but it’s nice to get a reminder. They are good as a trio and that is the kind of star power that you need around here. Good enough match here, though little more than a symbol.

We look at how A-Kid and Noam Dar advanced to the Heritage Cup Tournament semifinals.

We look back at the Hunt turning on Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster while aligning with Eddie Dennis.

Earlier today, Rampage Brown came to the NXT UK Performance Center and seemed impressed.

Jinny vs. Aleah James

Jinny shoves her into the corner to start so James shoves her right back. James’ armbar only lasts so long as Jinny takes her into the corner for a stomping. A dropkick works a bit better for James but another kick is blocked and Jinny puts on a straitjacket choke with her knees in the back. That’s broken up so Jinny hits a rolling Liger kick for the pin at 3:47.

Rating: D+. Another match designed to make Jinny look good and it worked well enough. I’m not sure how far she is going to go while Kay Lee Ray is Women’s Champion but it makes a lot of sense to build someone else up. The fashionista thing is little more than a nickname as she doesn’t do much with fashion, and that might be the best course for her.

Post match Jinny grabs the mic and says that’s the killer instinct she can have. People like Piper Niven need to learn that so here’s Niven to interrupt. Hold on though as Kay Lee Ray comes in and slides a chair inside. She wants to see the two of them fight so Niven headbutts Jinny down and Michinoku Drivers James. Jinny is planted onto the chair and it’s Niven chasing Ray to the back.

Eddie Dennis, with the Hunt, talks about Mark Andrews exploiting him for years. Flash Morgan Webster is no better and now it’s payback time. What an odd combination which seems to work.

During the break, Niven caught Ray and took the title from her. I could go for a more aggressive Niven getting the title shot.

In two weeks, Niven gets a title shot.

Video on Rampage Brown.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We go over the Heritage Cup rules.

Heritage Cup Semifinals: Noam Dar vs. A-Kid

They start rather fast with the rolling grappling into a standoff. Dar gets him down with a wristlock on the mat but Kid is right back with a headlock takeover. Back up and Dar sends him outside as the first round ends. Round two begins with an exchange of snapmares until Kid takes him down by the wrist. Dar is back up with a shot to the leg before going right back to the arm. The very spinning backslide gives Dar two but Kid reverses into a Crossface until time expires.

Round three begins with Dar hitting the stall button to take away the momentum in a smart move. Dar takes him down with some more strikes though and nails a running forearm to the back of the head for two. Some more shots to the head set up an Oomaplata to make Kid tap at 2:04 of the third round (9:27 total).

Dar stays on the arm to start round four and it’s time to pick the Kid apart. Some kicks and knees have Kid down but Dar talks a little trash, allowing Kid to take him down and bridge into a rollup to tie the match at one fall each at 1:27 of the round (11:42 total). Kid strikes him down to start round five but gets sent to the floor so Dar can kick the leg out. Dar follows him to the floor for a kick to the chest but Kid kicks him down for nine. Back in and Kid hits a running kick to the chest for two so it’s a high crossbody for the same. They go with the rapid fire slugout until the round ends.

It’s an exchange of kicks to the head to start round six and then it’s another pinfall reversal sequence. Kid’s kick to the ribs is blocked though and it’s a discus elbow to the face. The Nova Roller doesn’t work though as Kid pulls him down into the Rings of Saturn with his legs to finish Dar at 2:12 of round six (18:08 total).

Rating: B. This was a different kind of match as they were almost carving each other up with the strikes and submissions. That made it more of a match where they were trying to survive and catch the other and that worked out well. Kid is starting to shine like a big deal and if he happens to win a title as a stepping stone, good for him.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event is certainly the best part but this was a pretty skippable show otherwise. It’s certainly a watchable show though and at less than an hour, it’s a completely easy sit. One place where NXT UK needs some work are the shows where they don’t have the heavy hitters included and that was the case again here. Pretty good, but nothing you need to see.

Results

Gallus b. Pretty Deadly/Sam Gradwell – All The Best For The Bells to Gradwell

Jinny b. Aleah James – Rolling Liger kick

A-Kid b. Noam Dar 2 to 1

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 1, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s tournament time as we are starting up the Heritage Cup. This is a special one as we are going to be seeing a tribute to the old British rounds system. That could go multiple ways and we’re going to have Pete Dunne as a special guest referee. Other than that, we are continuing to build up the United Kingdom Title match between Walter and Ilja Dragunov. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Heritage Cup Qualifying Match: Kenny Williams vs. Ashton Smith vs. Amir Jordan

The winner gets the Wild Card spot. Williams and Jordan seem surprised to see each other. Smith misses a double clothesline and the regular partners dropkick him down. That leaves Jordan and Williams to shake hands and then go to the grappling, with Jordan popping up for a pose. It doesn’t work out that well though as Smith comes back in with a double clothesline to take them both down.

They trade rollups for two each before it’s time to double team Smith again. That doesn’t work overly well as Smith suplexes Jordan down but Williams dropkicks Smith to the floor. Smith pulls his dive out of the air so Jordan hits his own dive to take Smith down. Back in and Smith can’t hit a superplex on Jordan, allowing him to try a sunset bomb. Jordan can’t get him down, so Williams comes in off the top with a back elbow to finally put Smith down.

Smith is back up again to slug away at both before ducking a clothesline so that Jordan hits Williams. Jordan knocks Smith out to the floor and grabs a rolling Downward Spiral on Williams for another near fall. With Smith down, Williams and Jordan slug it out until Jordan is knocked outside. A hurricanrana drops Smith for two and Jordan adds a Swanton for the same. Smith gets knocked down and it’s Williams running in for a tornado DDT to pin Smith at 8:45.

Rating: C+. They did something interesting here by not having the monster Smith winning here and going with half of the tag team instead. I liked what we got here too as Smith and Williams looked very good while Jordan’s dancing was kept to a minimum. It was a rather nice match and Williams gets a push, as he probably should have a good while ago.

Video on Jinny.

Eddie Dennis is ready to be our teacher.

We look at Mark Andrews being attacked.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews are ready for Webster to win the Heritage Cup. Andrews doesn’t get to say much.

Jinny vs. Xia Brookside

Jinny grabs a headlock to start and gets taken down into an armbar. Back up and Jinny grabs a wristlock so Brookside does her rope grab flip. That earns her a hard toss into the corner but Xia comes out with a hurricanrana and La Majistral gets two. Brookside grabs a leglock but Jinny breaks it up and palm strikes away. That earns her a hurricanrana and Xia puts her on the top, only to have Jinny snap her throat across the top. Jinny grabs a cross between an STF and a crossface chickenwing for the tap at 6:33.

Rating: C. I’m not wild on the fashionista deal but Jinny is growing on me. There is something about her that makes her seem evil and that’s not something every heel has. Brookside might be the most adorable person in WWE today and it’s hard not to like her. Now move one of them closer to the title picture and we might get somewhere.

Post match Jinny says no one has seen her best side yet. Just wait to see how ruthless she can be.

Video on A Kid.

We go over the Heritage Cup rules:

• Six three minute rounds
• 20 seconds break between rounds
• Each match is 2/3 falls
• You can win a fall by pinfall, submission or countout
• The round ends on a fall
• DQ/Knockout ends the match
• Whoever leads after six rounds wins

Heritage Cup First Round: Alexander Wolfe vs. Noam Dar

Pete Dunne is guest referee and Wolfe has a modified version of the Imperium theme. They go to the mat to start with Wolfe scaring him into the corner. The grappling goes to Dar as he takes Wolfe down by the arm. Back up and it’s Wolfe grabbing his own armbar while pulling at Dar’s face at the same time. They get up again and Dar bails into the corner as the first round ends.

The second round begins with Dar trying for something like a Crossface to no avail. Wolfe tries a test of strength to keep Dar’s shoulders down but he’s right back up. That earns him a headlock takeover before Dark grabs a very spinning backslide for two more. With that broken up, Dar grabs a rollup and lays on Wolfe’s legs to win the round at 2:49 (8:13 total, counting breaks.

Round three begins with Wolfe taking him straight down but Dar starts pulling at the leg. Wolfe reverses into some kicks to the face and suplexes him down for another two. Dar cranks on both arms at once before it’s time to slug it out. Neither gives an inch as the round ends, though Wolfe does get in a cheap shot to knock Dar down between rounds.

Dar is still getting up as round four begins but manages a kick to the face and a running clothesline to the back of the head. The Nova Roller misses though and Wolfe kicks him in the face, setting up a bridging German suplex to tie it up at 58 seconds of the fourth round (10:59 total).

Round five begins with Dar trying a rollup but Wolfe knocks him down again. Some more kicks to the head from the mat rock Wolfe though and Dar pulls on a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up as well and they strike it out until Dar gets another armbar. Wolfe fights up again and grabs a kneebar until Dar snaps the finger. Dunne is checking on Wolfe and Dar hits the Nova Roller for the winning pin at 2:56 of round five (14:20 total).

Rating: B-. I’m really not sure what to think of this as it’s so different than what you are used to seeing. They did something interesting here and it was a big change of pace, mainly in a good way….I think. It was not boring and the system was easy enough to understand. I had to look back at the rules a few times to make sure I was understanding everything but nothing was too complicated. It’s just a system I’m going to need to see more of to get used to, but I do want to see more of it so they’re off to a nice enough start.

Post match Wolfe blames Dunne for the loss and gets destroyed. Cue Walter before the Bitter End can hit though and you know Dunne is down for that. Wolfe sneaks in for the cheap shot and feeds Dunne to Walter for the powerbomb. Ilja Dragunov runs in for the save before Dunne gets planted though and Imperium bails to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. It was a good enough show overall and the Heritage Cup is off to a nice start. Again though, this whole show changes when Walter comes out there. He was in workout gear here and even then you could feel things getting bigger. They’re setting things up well enough here and I want to see more of the tournament style matches. It was a really fast watch here too so they’re doing something right.

Results

Kenny Williams b. Ashton Smith and Amir Jordan – Tornado DDT to Smith

Jinny b. Xia Brookside – Crossface chickenwing with a leg trap

Noam Dar b. Alexander Wolfe 2 – 1

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: September 17, 2020
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepard, Nigel McGuinness

We are FINALLY back with the first new show in over five months. There are no fans in attendance but that is going to be the case throughout WWE for a long time to come. I’m not sure what to expect here, but we have some big matches to set up over the coming weeks. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the move over to BT Studios in London and some of the bigger names in the promotion. Makes sense for a way to bring people back in.

Opening sequence.

The arena looks rather cool.

Sid Scala is in the ring but here’s Ilja Dragunov to cut him off in a hurry. The rather intense Dragunov says he has waited for six months for a fight but here’s Noam Dar to say Dragunov needs anger management. The fight is on in a hurry with the 6 1 Line taking Dar down. Referees break it up but Scala makes Dar vs. Dragunov tonight.

Gallus vs. Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan

Non-title and hopefully Jordan isn’t as annoying as he was before. Coffey shoulders Jordan down to start but Jordan is up with a dropkick. Williams comes in for a headlock and an armbar but it’s quickly off to Wolfgang for his own armbar. A heck of a clothesline drops Jordan and Coffey runs him over for a bonus. The armbar goes on again to keep Jordan on the mat and it’s off to the cravate.

Jordan gets sent into the corner and then flipped back out but manages an enziguri, allowing the hot tag to Williams. A slingshot hurricanrana sends Wolfgang into the corner and a running dropkick puts Coffey on the floor. Some more kicks to the face drop Wolfgang for two but he plants Williams for a suplex. Williams gets in a shot of his own to Coffey and Jordan comes back in with a Swanton for two. That’s enough for Coffey though as he runs over both guys and hands it back to Wolfgang. The enziguri into the powerslam finishes Jordan at 10:53.

Rating: C. I’m not sure if this was the best way to bring things back to life around here. Jordan and Williams are fine for a low to mid level team but they aren’t exactly major threats to a team like Gallus. The match was far from bad, but this wasn’t exactly a great restart for the show.

Post match most of the tag team division comes out to stare Gallus down. Imperium is shown watching on a monitor.

Saxon Huxley is going to be back next week to destroy things.

Here’s Kay Lee Ray for a chat. It’s time for the longest reigning NXT UK Women’s Champion to be back in the ring and she is going to be defending the title. She and Piper Niven defined women’s wrestling in the UK but here’s Niven to interrupt. If Ray likes to talk so much, why not talk about how many times Niven has beaten her in Japan and in the UK? Next week Ray gets to show how great she is and Niven should know better. Ray takes a swing but winds up bailing.

Video on Isla Dawn and Aoife Valkyrie.

Isla Dawn vs. Aoife Valkyrie

Valkyrie grabs a headlock to start but gets shoved away for an early standoff. Back up and a spinwheel kick puts Dawn down and it’s right back to the headlock. This time Dawn escapes with a belly to back suplex and it’s off to a double arm crank. Dawn unloads on her in the corner and puts on the arm cranking again, only to have Valkyrie fight up with a spinning kick to the face. A running Blockbuster gets two and a spinning kick to the head drops Dawn again. The top rope ax kick gives Valkyrie the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C. This was a bit better with Valkyrie beating Dawn down and finishing her with the devastating big move at the end. Dawn is someone who can put anyone over and still be fine so the result worked out well. Valkyrie seems to be someone who they want to push as a big deal in the division and getting her out here like this makes sense.

Video on the Heritage Cup, including a quick bio on everyone involved, or at least the seven entrants we know of so far.

Pete Dunne will be here to draw the brackets for the tournament. That’s rather interesting.

Noam Dar vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov takes him down and hammers away before dropping him with a right hand. Some knees to the ribs set up a running shoulder to put Dar down and Dragunov hits a running backsplash. Dar bails to the floor to cut off the beating before heading up top on the way back in.

Dragunov gets his knee kicked out and Dar’s bridging northern lights suplex gets two. There’s an elbow to the head and a snapmare into the ropes keeps Dragunov in trouble. Some shots to the face just annoy Dragunov and he muscles Dar up with a suplex. One heck of a clothesline takes Dar’s head off but he tries to pull Dragunov into an armbar. That’s broken up though and Dragunov stomps him down.

Now the 6 1 Line gets two but Dar breaks up a second one. A running dropkick puts Dragunov on the floor but he comes back in to knock Dar silly again. Dar elbows him in the head but Dragunov wins a slugout with quite a bit of effort. Cue Alexander Wolfe for a distraction but Dragunov sends Dar into him. Torpedo Moscow gives Dragunov the pin at 11:49.

Rating: B-. This was designed to showcase Dragunov as a machine and that’s what they did rather well. He plays the part as perfectly as can be done with the insane eyes and unique movements so I don’t know how much complaining can be done when he is beating up Dar. Dragunov vs. Walter sounds amazing and the sooner we get to it, the better.

Post match here’s Walter for the showdown with a fired up Dragunov to end the show. It’s amazing to see how much the show picks up when he is involved.

Overall Rating: C+. They had a bit of a rocky start here with the tag match not being the most thrilling but it picked up a bit after that when we got into the showcases. I want to see both singles title matches and the tournament could be interesting assuming Pete Dunne is the final entrant. NXT works best with its top level star power and having Walter appear was the best thing they could have done in that regard. This wasn’t the best, but it got better as the show went on.

Results

Gallus b. Amir Jordan/Kenny Williams – Powerslam to Jordan

Aoife Valkyrie b. Isla Dawn – Top rope ax kick

Ilja Dragunov b. Noam Dar – Torpedo Moscow

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: August 6, 2020
Host: Andy Shepard

It’s more of the same around here as the vault stays wide open. That usually doesn’t mean much with this show as they have to be running out of interesting things to show. I’m not sure if WWE is ever going to do anything about that as this show isn’t very high on their list of priorities, but it is still working well enough at the moment. Let’s get to it.

Andy does his usual welcome.

Kenny Williams takes us back to NXT UK, July 24, 2019.

Kenny Williams vs. Noam Dar

Grudge match after a few weeks of issues. Feeling out process to start with Dar taking him down by the arm and grabbing a front facelock. That’s escaped in a hurry for a standoff and some nice applause. They grapple a bit more until Dar tries a school boy, only to have Williams be ready for it and ruffle his hair. Dar bails to the floor and catches Williams with a shot to the head to take over for real this time.

Vic thinks punching Williams in the face to take over was the turning point of the match as we hit the chinlock. Williams gets back up and hits a superkick to start the comeback. Dar is sent outside for the suicide dive and a top rope back elbow to the face keeps Dar in trouble. The springboard spinning crossbody misses though and Dar grabs a fisherman’s buster for two.

The ankle lock is broken up and Williams nails a rebound lariat for a double knockdown. Williams tries to hit the ropes but gets pulled down into the kneebar. That’s broken up as well in a bit of a surprise and Williams loses his shoe. With the referee getting rid of it, Dar kicks him low and nails the Nova Roller for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C+. I liked this one more than I was expecting to as Williams looks to have the skills to go somewhere and Dar feels like a star. This was a good way to continue the feud and I wouldn’t complain about seeing them fight again. If nothing else, this was a good way to have a story going without a title, which the smaller shows tend to be a lot better at than the major shows.

Kay Lee Ray talks about her reign becoming even longer during the lockdown. Her record will continue when things are back to normal and she will prove herself again.

Toni Storm talks about her history with Dakota Kai and sends us to NXT UK, November 7, 2018.

Toni Storm vs. Dakota Kai

They lock up to start with Kai driving her into the corner for a clean break. A handshake seems to suggest that things are ok but they both try kicks to the ribs, both of which are caught. Kai kicks her down for two but Storm is right back with an uppercut as we hear about Storm’s time in Japan. An STF goes on for a long time until Kai makes the rope and gets back up for another slugout.

Stereo headbutts give us a double knockdown but Kai is there with two more kicks. A snap German suplex sends Kai into the corner but she runs to the other corner for a kick to the head. The bicycle kick rocks Storm, who shrugs it off for some running knees in the corner. Storm Zero finishes Kai at 7:17.

Rating: C. The ending wasn’t exactly in doubt as Kai never wins anything and Storm is likely to be one of the big stars of the division. Storm has some of the best star power I’ve seen in a good while and it makes sense to have her win in the first match. Just get her some competition though, as it’s not like there isn’t a full tournament roster to pick from.

They shake hands post match.

Sam Gradwell says you might not remember him because he has been gone with knee injuries but he’s back. The storm is coming to NXT UK.

The Grizzled Young Veterans talk about returning to Zack Gibson’s home in Liverpool and moving to the top of the division. Here they are dealing with potential spoilers from NXT UK, January 9, 2019.

Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews vs. James Drake/Zack Gibson

The winners get Moustache Mountain on Saturday. Drake and Andrews start things off but it’s quickly off to Gibson to knock Webster off the top. A Doomsday Device gets two on Andrews and we’re only about 45 seconds in. That’s followed by a middle rope elbow/backbreaker combination on the floor as Andrews is still in serious trouble. Back in and we hit the chinlock, followed by a heck of a chinlock from Drake.

Gibson grabs another chinlock but Andrews finally kicks the villains into each other, allowing the hot tag to Webster. That brings the fans right back into it and Webster clotheslines Drake down to hammer away. A running flip dive drops Gibson on the floor, followed by the Baba O’Reilly Buster for two on Drake. Gibson counters a monkey flip with an armbar but Webster knocks him outside without much effort.

An assisted standing 450 gives Andrews two on Gibson but Webster gets pulled to the floor. Ticket to Ride is good for two on Andrews, who hurricanranas Drake into Gibson for a breather. Webster comes in with a Swanton to both guys and a reverse hurricanrana gets two on Drake. That puts everyone down and the fans are very pleased. Gibson heads outside and catches Andrews’ dive, reversing it into Helter Skelter on the ramp. Back in and another Ticket to Ride finishes Webster at 8:19.

Rating: B. This was looking pretty boring to start but my goodness it picked up steam as they got going. I was expecting Webster and Andrews to just be the spunky challengers who were little more than a roadblock for Drake and Gibson but they turned it into a rather good match with everyone working hard and giving us the obvious ending, but not before a great effort.

Overall Rating: C+. The action was mostly good but you can feel the level of importance going further and further down every week. There has to be something else they can dip into other than the same rapidly depleting bag of matches, but for now they can keep going with this for the time being. If nothing else just have Gibson talk about how great he is for the entire show.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: July 30, 2020
Host: Andy Shepard

The barrel scraping continues as we look for some more content to fill in time until they can do some fresh tapings. I’m not sure more they can do in this situation but it might be time to look at some other NXT content, or even content from somewhere else. Hopefully we get something good here so let’s get to it.

Joseph Conners sends us to the Download Festival on June 26, 2019.

Mark Andrews vs. Joseph Conners

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

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

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

So Conners picked a match where he lost. I knew he was kind of dense.

A Kid is ready to come back because he has been studying everyone in NXT UK.

Isla Dawn wants to clip Xia Brookside’s wings. From NXT UK, January 9, 2019.

Isla Dawn vs. Xia Brookside

We actually get a handshake to start as the fans aren’t sure who they like more here. A wristlock gives us a standoff so Dawn takes her down into a quickly broken armbar. Dawn slips out of a headscissors and works on the legs, which just seems to annoy Brookside. Back up and Brookside dances out of a crossarm choke to put Dawn in one of her own. Dawn reverses into the same thing before it’s off to a pinfall reversal sequence for some near falls each. Brookside tries a victory roll but Dawn uses the Owen Hart counter by sitting down on it for the pin at 4:59.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have the time to go anywhere but Brookside continues to be all kinds of charming and adorable while Dawn is the kind of person who could be built back up into something bigger down the line. They’re going to need some fresh challengers after Takeover and while Dawn has already lost a shot, it’s not like they have any better options at the moment.

Dani Luna is ready to show us another side of herself.

Noam Dar is waiting on his birthday wishes and has a present for us. From NXT UK, October 17, 2018.

United Kingdom Title: Pete Dunne vs. Noam Dar

Dar is challenging and General Manager Johnny Saint is in the ring for the introductions. Dunne gets a hero’s welcome, as you had to expect. Feeling out process to start but hang on because the fans need to sing Happy Birthday to Dar. That’s not cool with Dunne so he blasts Dar with a clothesline, which is fine with the fans as well. Dar sends him outside for a hard soccer kick to the arm and Dunne in in some sudden trouble.

Back in and Dunne hits a quick X Plex for a breather and unloads in the corner. Dar kicks him with the face so Dunne flips out of a German suplex and gets two off a powerbomb. A northern lights suplex gives Dar the same so Dunne goes for the fingers like a true villain who the fans cheer anyway. Dar is right back with a release fisherman’s suplex onto the apron and they’re both down. Stereo dives beat the count at nine as the fans declare this awesome.

Dunne goes to the fingers again so Dar spins around into an elbow to the face. A leglock is reversed into a cross armbreaker but Dar reverses that into an ankle lock. Dunne staggers him with an enziguri so Dar forearms him in the back of the head for the double knockdown. Dar kicks the leg out but the Nova Roller is forearmed out of the air. The Bitter End is reversed into a kneebar with Dunne having to dive for the rope. That’s enough for Dunne, who bends the fingers back again and stomps on the arm, setting up the Bitter End to retain at 11:35.

Rating: B. This didn’t have the drama or the emotion (or the time) that a lot of Dunne’s matches have but Dar more than showcased himself here. They’re doing a very good job of having Dunne get closer and closer to losing the title but surviving in the end. Whoever eventually figures out the puzzle is going to look like a star and that’s the point of such a long title reign. Good first main event here.

Post match Dunne offers a handshake but the injured Dar sticks his pinkie up, which Dunne seems fine with as he returns the gesture and smiles.

Overall Rating: C. I was getting flashbacks to the old days of the show here and not just because they had so many older matches. This felt like a show from their formative days, with two nothing matches and then a good main event to bail it out. I’m getting worried about how bad things are going to get, if nothing else due to having the Best Of be people picking matches where they lose. They don’t have anything better than that?

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: July 16, 2020
Host: Andy Shepard

We’re still doing the Greatest Hits deal this time around, which has been the case more often than not over the last few weeks. There isn’t much else that can be done, though we have been seeing some promos and vignettes thrown in. They aren’t anything great, but it gives me some hope that things could be getting back to normal sooner rather than later. Let’s get to it.

Andy gives us a quick intro.

Zack Gibson introduces us to our first match.

From NXT UK, October 31, 2018.

Zack Gibson vs. Noam Dar

They fight over arm control to start with Dar getting some very early control. The fans sing some more but Dar stops to mock Gibson’s boots in a weird moment. Gibson’s headscissors doesn’t get him anywhere so Dar goes for the leg and tries to take the boot off. I’m still not sure what that’s about so Dar just cranks back on the leg instead. Gibson’s armbar works a bit better as Dar can’t even roll his way out. The break finally has Gibson annoyed so Dar grabs some rollups for two each.

Another kick to the knee stops Gibson again and they head outside where yet another shot to the knee cuts Gibson down. Back in and a belly to back suplex gives Dar two but Gibson goes right back to the arm. The fans sing something else that I’m assuming is anti-Gibson, though it’s not always easy to tell. Gibson hits a few clotheslines for two and we hit the chinlock. There’s the stomp on Dar’s arm, which has become almost a requirement in arm work today.

A wristlock suplex keeps Dar in trouble but he’s right back with a few shots to the face. Dar gets two each off a pair of suplexes so Gibson gets his own near fall off a middle rope Codebreaker. The Shankley Gates is broken up and they head outside again with Gibson powerbombing him onto the ramp for a very painful sounding crash. That gives us the dive in at nine and the Shankley Gates go on.

Since that move only works in matches that aren’t incredibly important, Dar dives over to the rope for the break. Dar fights up again and kicks the knee out but the Nova Roller misses. Gibson can’t follow up so Dar heads up and hits a top rope double stomp to the knee. They get in a fight over arm cranking and knee kicks until Dar slaps on a kneebar, which is broken up as well.

Gibson’s Backstabber is countered into an ankle lock with a grapevine but that’s STILL not enough as Gibson punches his way out, including grabbing Dar’s ear. Dar misses a middle rope stomp to the knee and hurts his own knee in the process. Helter Skelter (a lifting spinning suplex) finishes Dar (with Gibson raising the bad leg) at 21:10.

Rating: B-. Well that was rather long, though it was also pretty good. Dar is SO much better as a face than a heel that it’s almost funny, while Gibson is a rather strong heel who has turned into one of the better villains on the show. This could have been five minutes shorter (it would have kept the show under an hour) but it was still an entertaining match that didn’t feel as long as it was.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews had a big 2019 and they’re ready to find out who jumped Andrews from behind and then get their titles back.

Kay Lee Ray has our second match.

From NXT UK, June 19, 2019.

Battle Royal

Xia Brookside, Jinny, Jazzy Gabbert, Kay Lee Ray, Piper Niven, Isla Dawn, Nina Samuels, Killer Kelly, Candy Floss, Rhea Ripley, Rhio, Kanji

The winner gets a future Women’s Title match. Everyone but Jazzy go to the ropes to start before three of them go after Jazzy instead. That means Rhio and Kanji being tossed out, followed by a Dominator to Floss. Jinny gets rid of her and the ring has cleared out in a hurry. Ray is sent outside (not over the top) and comes up holding her knee. Niven picks Jazzy up and puts her on the apron, allowing Brookside to get in a sliding dropkick for the elimination.

That leaves Jinny surrounded so it’s a triple team from Brookside, Dawn and Niven. Jinny is thrown over the top but Jazzy catches her and slides the boss back in. Jazzy is ejected so Xia gets rid of Jinny a few seconds later. Ripley muscles Kelly out and we’re down to five. Brookside and Dawn go after Ripley but Xia gets tied in the Tree of Woe for her efforts.

There goes Dawn and it’s the Ripley vs. Niven showdown. Hang on though as Samuels is tossed and it’s Ripley, Niven, Brookside and Ray on the floor. A Cannonball crushes Ripley but she shoves Ripley over the top to the apron. Niven pulls her out with her and Brookside eliminates them both with a dropkick. The celebration is on but Ray comes back in and dumps Brookside for the win at 8:40.

Rating: C. It’s the right end result and the match was well paced but STOP WITH THAT STUPID ENDING!!! It feels like every other battle royal has that same exact ending and it’s so overdone these days. As soon as Ray was seen on the floor, you knew where this was going because that’s how so many battle royals go these days. Ray winning is fine, but come up with a better way to do it.

Jinny has shown her dominance before and is ready to do it again.

Ilja Dragunov wraps us up with this.

From NXT UK, January 2, 2020.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Alexander Wolfe

No DQ with Gallus and Imperium barred from ringside. Dragunov comes to the ring but sneaks through the dark arena to attack Wolfe during his entrance in a smart move. The fight heads to ringside with Dragunov getting the better of it, only to have Wolfe post him. Dragunov is fine enough to hit a spinning chop into a backsplash, setting up a big ax handle out to the floor to knock Wolfe silly.

Wolfe is right back up to disarm Dragunov of a kendo stick so Dragunov says bring it on and goes for the stick, only to get kicked in the face. Some stick shots to the back have Dragunov screaming but he blocks the big shot to the head. Wolfe is back with a kendo stick legsweep into a backbreaker for two, followed by the stick going across the mouth. That’s broken up as well and Dragunov starts striking away with the cane as well. Dragunov hits a heck of a shot to the chest on the floor, meaning it can be table time.

The table is set up in the corner and Dragunov kicks him down to the floor again. Wolfe is right back up with a chair shot though, setting up a Death Valley Driver onto the apron for the big knockdown shot. Dragunov hits a quick enziguri and shakes his head as Wolfe goes for the chair. Said chair is put onto Wolfe’s face in the corner for a Coast To Coast and a near fall, only to have Wolfe come back with a chair shot of his own.

Wolfe can’t follow up though so Dragunov throws in a bunch of chairs of his own. That takes too long so Wolfe grabs a German suplex and a DDT onto the chair for two. A chair gets sent into Dragunov’s throat but Dragunov gets up and says bring it. That’s what Wolfe does, by slamming the chair around Dragunov’s hand. Wolfe does it to the other hand as well but Dragunov is back with a clothesline and a running Death Valley Driver through the table. Torpedo Moscow finishes Wolfe at 14:52.

Rating: B+. They beat the fire out of each other here and this was the kind of match that shows Dragunov’s incredibly high potential. He could be a top star around here in a heartbeat because of his insane facials alone but when you throw in his ability in the ring, the star power is even stronger. Heck of a match here and I had a great time with it.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event was good but it is becoming a little more obvious that this show doesn’t have the history to keep airing so many greatest hits show. You would think that they might find another place to go for some more matches, like say that huge vault of theirs, but NXT UK alone isn’t going to cut it much longer. I’m not sure when they’re going to have fresh content, though things are starting to get thin.

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

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

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

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