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
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
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
Date: November 11, 2021
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s time to crown some new #1 contenders as we have a four way tag match to find the next challengers for the NXT Tag Team Titles. This show continues to follow the old NXT formula, which allows such a match to feel that important. That’s a heck of a trick and they’ve done it again here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Nathan Frazer vs. Mark Andrews

This should be good. Andrews takes over on the arm to start and Frazer can’t quite spin out of it yet. Back up and Frazer flips forward to stay on his feet but Andrews armdrags him down. That’s countered into a headscissors, setting up Frazer’s armdrag, which is countered into a headscissors for a standoff. Frazer snaps off a dropkick into a snap suplex for two but Andrews is back up with a running dropkick in the corner.

They fight over a double arm crank until Andrews northern lights suplexes him for two. The Iron Octopus has Frazer in more trouble but he comes back with a swinging suplex. Frazer Sling Blades him down and hits a running shooting star press for two. Andrews slides underneath a clothesline though and hits the enziguri.

The tornado DDT is countered though and a lawn dart sends Andrews hard into the corner. Andrews is able to head fake him to break up a springboard and Frazer is sent into the barricade. Back in and Frazer runs the corner for a springboard Spanish Fly (because he can do that) for two more. The Phoenix splash misses though and Andrews grabs the Stundog Millionaire. Fall To Pieces misses but Andrews manages to counter a cradle for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: B-. This was about having two exciting wrestlers go out there and tear down a good chunk of the house. Sometimes that’s all you need and both of them came out of it looking rather good. Frazer has kind of fallen back a bit after his hot debut, but it’s nice to see him getting to go out there and do his thing. The same is true for Andrews, who hasn’t done much since Subculture began, but at least he won here.

We look back at Rampage Brown answering Ilja Dragunov’s challenge and jumping him.

A-Kid doesn’t like what Sam Gradwell has been saying about him and wants to fight.

Pretty Deadly met the cast of the play version of Magic Mike and trained with them.

Kenny Williams gets caught writing something about Sha Samuels on a wall but gets chased off by a rather angry Saxon Huxley.

Dani Luna vs. Stevie Turner

Luna powers her into the corner without much trouble to start and then does it again for a bonus. For some reason Turner wants to try a test of strength and is taken down in a hurry. A Thesz press gets Turner out of trouble for all of two seconds before Luna spins her over into a powerbomb. Back up and Turner hits her in the face for two, setting up a Rude Awakening for the same. Luna isn’t having that and it’s a World’s Strongest Slam into a running clothesline in the corner. A pump kick into a snap suplex sets up a fireman’s carry flipped into a sitout powerbomb to finish Turner at 5:08.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what the deal is with Turner, as she seems like someone who is ready to become a star, but for some reason she has never really gotten out of the blocks. That being said, I can go with having Luna turning into a powerhouse who wrecks through some women. It’s what she did here and it worked out well enough. Maybe she can even get up towards the title picture down the line.

It’s time for the Nina Samuels Show where Aleah James interrupts her and doesn’t seem to like what Samuels has had to say lately. A match seems to be made for later.

Gallus is ready for Teoman and Rohan Raja…and the cops seem to pull them over.

Blair Davenport interrupts Subculture’s celebration and a match with Dani Luna seems set.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Moustache Mountain vs. Symbiosis vs. Oliver Carter/Ashton Smith vs. Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff

One fall to a finish for a future Tag Team Title shot. Starz and Seven start things off with an early rollup giving us a standoff. Some rolls have Seven a bit perplexed so Starz takes him down by the leg. That’s broken up so it’s off to Mastiff to run Seven over. For some reason Seven tries a slam, earning himself a large crash down onto his chest. Smith comes in to work on the arm until he kicks Seven into the wrong corner.

That means a tag from Primate, who gets caught by the arm as well. Smith comes in to stay on said arm but Mastiff tags himself in for the backsplash to crush Primate. Starz comes back in to knock a bunch of people off the apron until it’s Bate coming in for a headlock. Eddie Dennis gets caught interfering on the floor for an ejection, meaning he misses Tyson T-Bone fall away slamming Mastiff.

A double stomp gets two on Starz but Carter comes back in to pick the pace way up. Some kicks to the face send T-Bone into the corner, where Seven tags himself in. Everything breaks down again and it’s Bate and Carter slugging it out. Seven gets tossed off the top and onto a pile at ringside. Primate follows with a dive of his own but Bate rolls through a high crossbody to set up the airplane spin.

That’s not enough so Bate giant swings Starz at the same time (because that’s something he can do). Everything breaks down again and Carter manages to get Mastiff up in an electric chair for a springboard cutter from Smith. Primate’s top rope headbutt is good for the save and T-Bone powerslams Bate. Another top rope headbutt misses though, leaving Seven to hit the Seven Star Lariat for two on Primate. The torture rack/top rope knee is enough to finish Primate at 14:03.

Rating: C+. Normally I would say there was no doubt here, but there actually kind of was for a change. This time around you could have easily seen Moustache Mountain lose as their issues continue, but that’s not where they went this time. That made for a bit more drama than expected, which is a good little perk. At the same time, Starz and Mastiff continue to be a rather nice team and I could go for seeing more of them.

Pretty Deadly comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. What works here is there are different paths the main event could lead to. You could very well do the title change, but you could also have Bate and Seven fall apart. That’s a sign of a well put together story and NXT UK has figured that out. I’m curious to see where this and other things go, as this continues to be one of the best shows going today.

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NXT UK
Date: September 30, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to the show that just kind of exists but still does enough good things to be one of the best wrestling shows going. This time around we get a visit from one of the best tag teams the show has ever seen as Moustache Mountain is getting back together. Other than that, the road to the Heritage Cup #1 Contenders tournament continues, because it can never end. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Oliver Carter/Ashton Smith vs. Moustache Mountain

Tyler Bate slams Carter down to start and Trent Seven comes in for a spinning slam. Carter takes him down by the arm though and it’s off to Smith to work on the arm. Seven gets slammed down onto some raised boots and we hit the quickly broken chinlock. Back up and Seven takes over on Smith, allowing Bate to…miss the flipping splash off of Seven’s shoulders. Bate is back with the airplane spin and now the flipping splash from Bate’s shoulders connects for two.

Seven powerbombs Smith out of the corner and hits the Emerald Flosion for two more. It’s back to Bate for a German suplex but Smith flips out and hits a Lionsault to a standing Bate for another two. Bop and Bang drops Smith for two as Symbiosis comes out to watch. Bate gets backdropped onto the floor but here are Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff to cut Symbiosis off. Back in and a superkick gets two on Bate but Seven pulls Carter outside for a dragon suplex. That leaves Bate to hit an apron German suplex on Smith (geez), setting up the rebound lariat/dragon suplex combination to finish Smith at 9:59.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match that can help Carter and Smith go a long way, even in defeat. They made the famous team sweat and that is more than most teams can do. Moustache Mountain is in a weird place as they are too big of a deal to be a team without the title reign but no one can really come off as a threat to them. That leaves them as singles wrestlers, which isn’t going to be the best news for Smith. At least they’re good when they get together though, which was the case here.

Jinny and Joseph Conners don’t have much to say but Emilia McKenzie comes up. They run into Emilia McKenzie and Jinny mocks her, but McKenzie keeps training. Sounds like the next step towards McKenzie challenging Meiko Satomura for the Women’s Title.

Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff are interrupted by Nina Samuels who is trying to have her own talk show. They aren’t interested, but Samuels goes into a rant about Isla Dawn.

Dani Luna vs. Xia Brookside

They go with the grappling to the mat to start with Brookside having to slip out of a waistlock. Brookside tries to pick up the pace but her crossbody is caught in midair. A headscissors is countered into a faceplant though and Luna grabs a suplex for two. The armbar goes on to keep Brookside in trouble but she reverses another suplex into a small package for two of her own. Now it’s a crossface chickenwing to stay on Brookside’s shoulder but this time she fights up and hits a middle rope hurricanrana. Some running dropkicks put Luna in trouble for a change and a neckbreaker gives Brookside two. What looks like a Codebreaker is countered into a World’s Strongest Slam and a fall away slam. Luna flips a fireman’s carry into a sitout powerbomb for the pin at 5:37.

Rating: C-. This was power vs. speed and it worked well enough for a short match. Brookside’s downward trend continues but it is nice to see Luna getting somewhere. I’m not sure how much a win over Brookside really means, but a Brookside heel turn in the future would not surprise me. I’m jut not sure how well it would work.

Video on Blair Davenport being suspended but raiding the ring anyway.

Stevie Turner wants Davenport reinstated but Sid Scala will only think about it.

Sam Gradwell doesn’t like Mark Andrews, who comes in for the pull apart fight.

Josh Morrell vs. Charlie Dempsey

This is Dempsey’s debut (if you don’t count a one off match) and he is an old school technical guy. Dempsey takes him down without issues and works on the wrist in a variety of ways. After escaping a quick armbar, it’s a monkey flip to put Morrell down and we hit the pinfall reversal sequence. A Fujiwara armbar has Morrell screaming and Dempsey switches into a kneebar.

With that broken up, Dempsey sends him into the corner and comes out with a suplex for two. Morrell hits a kind of flipping powerbomb but Dempsey is back with a German suplex for two more. An armbar sets up…well it looked like a cover with Morrell’s head hooked but Dempsey bent the lower half of the bent knee down and grasped his hands, making it something like a cover into a surfboard? Either way, Morrell taps at 6:13.

Rating: C. It was a fine debut with some crazy good submission stuff, though I’m going to need a name for that finisher so I don’t have to try and describe it every time. They have something with the submission master in Dempsey, who looks just simple enough to seem like a threat. Nice start here, with the finish looking creative and deadly.

We get a sitdown interview between Ilja Dragunov and A-Kid. Dragunov talks about beating Walter but A-Kid talks about having experience. A-Kid isn’t interested in picking a fight and asks what would have happened if Dragunov had been forced to face everyone instead of one man. We get Shayna Baszler’s tap, nap or snap line and A-Kid talks about knowing that Dragunov is going to lose his temper. Dragunov promises to keep the title in two weeks.

Noam Dar and Wolfgang talk about what it means to win the Heritage Cup. Dar isn’t quite as serious. The tournament final is next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Joe Coffey vs. Jordan Devlin

Gallus is here with Coffey. Feeling out process to start with Devlin working on the wrist to limited avail. Coffey grabs a hammerlock so Devlin uses a flying mare to escape. A test of strength can’t keep Devlin down but he is shocked when Coffey flips over into the standoff. The headlock takeover works a bit better for Devlin but Coffey fights out in a hurry. Coffey hits him in the face and clotheslines Devlin outside.

Back in and Coffey gets two off a side slam before cutting off a comeback with a running elbow to the face. Devlin crotches him in the corner though and there’s a Backstabber to take him down. A running legdrop gets two on Coffey but he’s strong enough to block a backslide attempt.

Devlin is back with a release Rock Bottom into a standing moonsault but he takes too much time MOCKING THE GALLUS POSE, allowing Coffey to launch him into the corner. The springboard spinning crossbody gives Coffey two but Devlin counters All The Best For The Bells with a Spanish Fly. Mark Coffey offers a distraction though, allowing Wolfgang to grab Joe’s hand. The delay lets Joe score with All The Best For The Bells and the pin at 11:35.

Rating: B. The ending was a bit unnecessary but I guess they were going for the strength in numbers. That’s a little weird when Devlin was the heel the whole time and Gallus has been leaning face for weeks, but at least they had a good match to get here. I could go for more of this and there is a good chance that they aren’t done.

Devlin yells a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Another good show here as they had a pair of pretty awesome bookending matches, which is more than you should expect in an hour long show. The talent is here and they have set up the title match in two weeks, but it would still be nice to have SOMETHING to look forward to. Getting fans back will help, but a Takeover would help even more. Still though, another solid week, which isn’t even a surprise anymore.

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NXT UK
Date: September 9, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

Believe it or not we have a bit of a special episode here, which will feature the Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov rematch from Takeover, albeit with some additional insight, which sounds like talking heads throughout. Other than that, the tournament to crown a new #1 contender to the Heritage Cup continues. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a quick preview for the show.

Opening sequence.

Heritage Cup #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Sam Gradwell vs. Wolfgang

Gradwell doesn’t think Wolfgang is much about heritage and calls him a deep fried yogurt. Round one begins with both of them taking their time, including Wolfgang scaring him into the corner. A test of strength goes to Wolfgang and he takes Gradwell down by the wrist. Wolfgang shoulders him out to the floor but they switch places and Gradwell nails a running elbow off the apron to put Wolfgang down. The count is beaten though and the round ends.

Round two begins with Wolfgang kneeing him in the ribs and uppercutting away with the second one getting two. Gradwell drives some shoulders into Wolfgang’s shoulder and puts on an armbar. That’s broken up as well with Wolfgang hitting a backdrop to bang up Gradwell’s ribs. Hold on though as Wolfgang just stands there, allowing Gradwell to bail outside to end the round safely. Round three begins with Wolfgang unloading in the corner but Gradwell gets in a shot with the knee brace. A running STO gives Gradwell the first fall at 24 seconds of the round (7:25 total) to put him up 1-0.

Round four begins with Wolfgang favoring his shoulder so Gradwell goes straight after the arm and cranks away. That’s broken up so Wolfgang can hammer away on the ribs in the corner. Wolfgang grabs a weird suplex swung into a cutter (that’s a new one) for the pin at 1:49 (9:52 total) to tie it up. Round five begins with Gradwell going after the arm and dropping Wolfgang with a discus forearm for two. The ribs give out on a fireman’s carry attempt though and Wolfgang spears him down for the win at 1:19 of the round (11:47 total).

Rating: C+. They told a story here with the arm vs. the ribs, though I could go with Gradwell doing something other than losing all of the time. Wolfgang is the bigger name though and it makes sense to have Gallus represented going forward. Good match here, as the Heritage Cup rules continue to work.

Here are the semifinals:

Noam Dar
Kenny Williams

Wolfgang
Teoman

We look back at Blair Davenport attacking Nina Samuels last week.

Sid Scala announces that Davenport has been indefinitely suspended.

Video on Noam Dar vs. Kenny Williams in the Heritage Cup tournament.

Pretty Deadly defends the Tag Team Titles against the Coffey Brothers next week.

Gallus is excited and scare Jordan Devlin to make it better.

Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter/Saxon Huxley vs. Symbiosis

Primate hammers on Huxley to start so Huxley screams a lot and knocks him outside. Back in and it’s off to T-Bone, who gets caught in the wrong corner for some alternating beating. A belly to belly suplex sends Smith flying though and it’s Primate coming in to hammer away. Dennis’ swinging Rock Bottom is blocked though and it’s back to Carter to clean house. The numbers eventually get the better of him though and Primate sends him outside for a crash.

Back in and Dennis gets two, setting up T-Bone’s back to back backbreakers. A double stomp gets two but Carter comes out of the corner with a superkick. Huxley comes back in to wreck Dennis, including a top rope clothesline for two. Smith comes back in and gets sent face first into Dennis’ boots. Everything breaks down until we’re down to Carter vs. Primate. A missed charge into the corner sets up a doomsday cutter to finish Primate at 9:03.

Rating: C+. I can always go for a good six man tag and that’s what we got here, with two sides doing their thing for a little while. What matters here is giving everyone something to do and it isn’t like Symbiosis has that much to lose. It wasn’t a masterpiece or anything, but it was a good use of TV time on a random TV show.

Stevie Turner is ready to beat Meiko Satomura for the Women’s Title but Emilia McKenzie comes in to say she’ll be facing Turner first.

Pretty Deadly remembers when no one thought they could beat Gallus, until they did. Now it’s time to do it again.

With all that out of the way, here’s the UK Title match between Ilja Dragunov and Walter from Takeover 36. The match features some talking heads in kind of a mini commentary, but they are about ten seconds long each and talk about how hard they are hitting each other.

United Kingdom Title: Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov

Walter is defending. They start a bit slowly until Dragunov takes him up against the rope for the chops. Walter isn’t happy and chases him into the corner but Dragunov ducks away again to increase the frustration. They go to the mat with Walter taking over off the power. Back up and Dragunov hits a running shoulder, followed by something like a World’s Strongest Slam to pull Walter out of the air. Another headlock takeover puts Walter down and Dragunov rips the bandage off his own stitched head.

Back up and Dragunov forearms away before catching Walter’s chop. Dragunov starts cranking on the arm until Walter lifts him up onto the top. The BIG chop finally connects to put Dragunov on the floor and the apron powerbomb puts Dragunov in real trouble for the first time. Back in and Walter sends him flying with a suplex, setting up the Boston crab. Walter switches into an STF and then something like a bully choke. That’s broken up so they chop it out until a sleeper from Walter.

Dragunov slips out and manages a backdrop, followed by the running clotheslines. The Constantine Special is countered into a swinging Rock Bottom to give Walter two. Another big chop drops Dragunov and the referee has to check on him. The big boot rocks Dragunov again but he manages to get back up for the slugout. Knees to the chest and backfists to the head rock Walter but he manages to lift him up into a fireman’s carry. That’s broken up as well and Dragunov knees him in the head.

Dragunov tries something but Walter knocks him out of the air and scores with the lariat for two. Back up again and Walter’s chop to the back makes me cringe. It fires Dragunov to his feet though and a clothesline drops Walter. The German suplex puts Walter down again but he’s back up with a chop to Dragunov’s destroyed chest. A kick to the head staggers Walter and something like a t-bone suplex gets two. Dragunov goes up and Walter begs off, but Dragunov shakes his head no and hits a top rope seated dropkick.

The backsplash sets up Torpedo Moscow but Walter reverses into a sleeper and a sleeper suplex drops Dragunov onto his head. He’s right back up with Torpedo Moscow to the back of the head and they’re both down. Torpedo Moscow connects again for two and they chop it out. A chop to the leg staggers Walter, who is back up with a big chop for two. Walter goes up and gets superplexed back down, setting up a missile dropkick to leave them both down again.

Walter hits his own dropkick into the powerbomb and the stacked up cover gets two. Another chop off goes to Walter, who smashes him with a running knee. Another powerbomb sets up the top rope splash for the next near fall and they’re both down again. Walter’s sleeper is countered again so he kicks Dragunov in the face. Dragunov staggers to the corner and hits a middle rope headbutt to drop Walter.

The hard elbows to the back of the head set up a sleeper on Walter, who climbs to the middle rope and….well they kind of fall backwards for the break. Dragunov elbows away even more and grabs another sleeper as Walter can’t get rid of him. Walter dropping back can’t break the hold and he’s in trouble. The hold is broken but Dragunov hammers away at the back and grabs another sleeper for the tap and the title at 22:08.

Rating: A. This was about two things. First of all, they beat the heck out of each other and you could feel the physicality. That’s what the match was built up as being, but it also told an amazing story. The idea of the match was that Dragunov would not give up and was not going to stop. Ultimately he wanted it more than Walter and survived until the end, which is how this story should have gone. Excellent match and I loved every bit of it. I have no idea what is next for Walter, but hopefully it is a lot of ice.

Overall Rating: B. It was an odd show this week as about forty percent of the show was spent on one replay with some less than insightful commentary. It’s an excellent match, but it’s an excellent match I saw about two weeks ago. The rest of the show was decent enough, but you would be better off just watching Takeover again instead.

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NXT UK
Date: September 2, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

With the reaction to the UK Title change out of the way, it’s time to move forward around here. Now in this case, that makes me interested in where they’re going, as NXT UK has been quite the fun show for a rather long while now. That being said, there is always the chance that WWE pulls the plug around here and none of this matters again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Blair Davenport vs. Nina Samuels

Hold on actually as Davenport jumps Samuels before the bell and hits her with a Falcon Arrow. Officials, including Sid Scala, come out, with Davenport laying out Scala as well. No match.

We look back at Aoife Valkyrie beating Jinny last week in a heck of a fight. Valkyrie has injured her knee though and will be out of action for a “significant period of time”.

Jinny takes credit for injuring Valkyrie.

Symbiosis is ready for Saxon Huxley and whoever he can get to team with him.

Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff vs. Dan Moloney/Andy Wild

Wild can’t do anything with the much bigger Mastiff to start, including a headlock having no effect. Mastiff’s bridging northern lights suplex gets two and it’s off to Starz for the same. Moloney comes in to go after Starz’s arm but a standing armbar doesn’t get him very far. It’s back to Mastiff for the backsplash but a Wild distraction lets Moloney dropkick Starz to take over. We hit the nerve hold to keep Starz in trouble for all of ten seconds before Starz makes the tag back to Mastiff. House is cleaned and Moloney is tied in the Tree of Woe, with Starz adding a running headbutt. Into The Void finishes Moloney at 5:50.

Rating: C. Totally fine squash here with Starz and Mastiff as the latest oddball team, though they have played it straight so far. Starz has come a long way since being the whipping boy for new names and the team is doing well at what they’re trying. Nice opener here and I wouldn’t mind seeing Mastiff and Starz out there again.

Pretty Deadly danced in a fountain earlier this week, until Gallus shoved them into the water. Are they already out of challengers?

Amele vs. Emilia McKenzie

McKenzie takes her down into a leglock to start and goes with a variety of mat grappling. Back up and a running dropkick puts Amele down again and a neckbreaker gets two. Amele sends her to the apron though and a running kick to the face puts McKenzie on the floor. Back in and a corner clothesline gives Amele two and we hit the chinlock.

McKenzie’s comeback just frustrates Amele and she hammers away to drop McKenzie again. A cobra clutch sets up a running shoulder to give Amele two and McKenzie is in trouble. Amele’s shotgun dropkick into the corner sets up a running boot to the face….but McKenzie rolls her up for the surprise pin at 6:44.

Rating: C-. This was mostly a squash until the surprise ending, which will likely set up Amele to wreck McKenzie even more to set up her title shot. Amele did well here and had the aggression, though I’m not sure if she needed to lose here. It was certainly a surprise ending, though hopefully it doesn’t derail Amele’s momentum too badly.

We look back at Blair Davenport attacking Nina Samuels and Sid Scala.

Oliver Carter and Ashton Smith agree to team with Saxton Huxley next week. Carter: “I LOVE THAT MADMAN!”

Sam Gradwell and Wolfgang are ready to face each other in the Heritage Cup #1 contenders tournament.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including another look at the Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov rematch, with additional insight from legends and WWE stars. Could be interesting.

Heritage Cup #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Teoman vs. Nathan Frazer

Rohan Raja is here with Teoman. Round one begins with a fight over a lockup and they take it to the mat to make it more interesting. Teoman starts cranking on the arm by driving Frazer to the mat, complete with a knee in the shoulder. Frazer fights up and doesn’t care for being hit in the face, meaning it’s a slugout to put Frazer in control. A dropkick takes Teoman down to end the round in a hurry.

Round two begins with Teoman going after the arm but Frazer hits him in the face some more. Teoman is sent outside and Frazer’s suicide dive takes him down. That’s fine with Teoman, who sends Frazer hard into the steps. Back in and a sliding forearm gives Teoman the pin at 1:03 of the round (4:43 overall) to go up 1-0.

Round three begins with Teoman kicking Frazer down and a shot to the face gets two more. Frazer manages to headscissor him outside but Teoman ties him in the ropes and stomps away. Back in and Teoman misses another sliding forearm and gets crotched on top. A springboard super hurricanrana gets two on Teoman as time expires just before the three.

Round four begins with Frazer slugging away and driving him into the corner. That’s broken up and Teoman’s missile dropkick hits Frazer in the back of the head for another near fall. Back up and Frazer grabs something like a powerslam small package at 1:50 of the round (10:51 overall) to tie it up.

Round five begins with Frazer grabbing a fast Sling Blade for two but Teoman goes right back to the arm. Teoman grabs a spinout inverted DDT for two more but Frazer drives him to the floor. A suicide dive drops Teoman and a springboard elbow connects. Hold on though as a Raja distraction means the Phoenix splash completely misses, allowing Teoman to hit….kind of a dragon sleeper into Natural Selection for the win at 2:47 of the round (14:10 overall).

Rating: B. I was expecting good things here and it lived up to the hype, as Frazer seems incapable of having a bad match and Teoman is moving up the villains’ ladder. They put together a nice match here and I liked what we were getting throughout. Teoman is probably the favorite to win the whole thing and I could certainly go for his showdown with Tyler Bate.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, NXT UK is a good show and I don’t think that’s even a surprise anymore. The main event is by far the best thing on the card but the rest of it was far than bad. This show knows how to set something up and then knock it down, which is exactly what you should be able to do on a weekly show. It’s still mostly slow and steady and, again, it still mostly works.

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: August 26, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

We are officially in a new era around here, as Ilja Dragunov FINALLY defeated Walter to become the new United Kingdom Champion. The title change ends Walter’s reign at nearly 900 days, meaning it is time for something new around here. I’m not sure what that is, but it is almost hard to believe that the title change happened. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at the title change, like it could be anything else.

Opening sequence.

Jinny vs. Aoife Valkyrie

No DQ and Joseph Conners will be locked in a shark cage. Jinny jumps Valkyrie from behind to start but Valkyrie fights back and sends Conners into the cage. A hard whip sends Jinny into the barricade as the beating is starting before prior to the bell. We get inside to officially start the match and Jinny low bridges Valkyrie back to the floor. Some chair shots keep Valkyrie in trouble but she avoids the big chair shot, which hits the steps by mistake.

They go over the barricade with Jinny in even more trouble as Valkyrie starts in on her leg. Now it’s over into the tech area, where Valkyrie hits her with a laptop and trashcan, the latter of which is not the most fashionable. Back to ringside and an ax handle off the barricade rocks Jinny again and it’s time for the table (Conners: “REFEREE!!! TELL HER TO STOP!”).

Jinny manages a whip into the barricade of her own but she can’t quite kick her off the apron and through the table. Valkyrie kicks her onto the table but misses the apron ax kick. Back in and Jinny gets two off a Liger Kick and it’s time for the big right hands to the face. Jinny grabs a chair but the Valkyrie saves her leg from being Pillmanized. Valkyrie goes up top and, after cutting Jinny off, plants her with a sunset bomb. The bad leg gives out, though it’s fine enough to kick a chair into Jinny’s face. Valkyrie unloads on her with the chair and a pumphandle driver onto said chair is enough to finish Jinny at 14:29.

Rating: B-. This was a violent one and Valkyrie looks like a killer with the win. That’s what they have been needing to get out of Valkyrie for a long time now as she has seemed ready to move up to the next level. Beating Jinny might not be the greatest accomplishment, but it is the way that Valkyrie won that made it feel important.

Amale interrupts Emilia McKenzie’s interview to challenge Meiko Satomura to a title match. McKenzie gets between them and Amale is willing to take her down to get the title shot. Simple and to the point here.

Ilja Dragunov talks about how he gave everything he had and worked so hard to become NXT UK Champion. Good luck to anyone who wants to take the title from him and long live the Czar. This was a quick promo and not exactly the big first appearance as champion that was hyped up.

Heritage Cup #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Oliver Carter vs. Kenny Williams

Ashton Smith is here with Carter. Round one begins with Williams shouldering him down and putting on a quickly broken chinlock. Carter hammers back with shots to the ribs and then the face, setting up an armdrag into an armbar. That’s broken up as well but Carter is right back with another armbar. They trade rollups for two each until Carter misses a kick to the face to end the round with Williams hiding in the ropes.

Round two begins Carter charging into some forearms to the back to put him in trouble for a change. Williams hammers away on the mat and stomps Carter down in the corner as this is a completely dominant round so far. Carter fights back but gets rolled up to give Williams the pin at 2:17 of the round (5:50 overall).

Round three begins with Williams trying to bail to the floor to start a chase but Carter is right back up with a spinwheel kick in the corner for two. Carter is right back with a kick to the face into the ax kick to tie things up at 1:36 of the round (8:04 total). Round four begins with Carter hitting some clotheslines into a springboard moonsault press for two.

Williams takes the leg out but Carter is back with a small package for two. The superkick attempt fails as Carter’s leg gives out though and Williams goes for the turnbuckle pad. That’s enough to distract the dimwitted referee so Williams can get in a metal water bottle shot to the head for the pin at 1:43 of the round (10:17) for the win.

Rating: C. Not the greatest Heritage Cup match but they have done a good job of turning the idea into something that works rather well most of the time. That’s what we had here, as both guys were doing their thing well enough and I was curious about where the match was going. Williams winning is the right call by a mile here though, as he has seemed to be on the list of possible breakout stars for a long time now.

Nina Samuels goes in to see Sid Scala for a match and gets…Blair Davenport next week. Screaming is hard after Samuels leaves the office.

Isla Dawn finds a box in the woods and buries Dani Luna’s hair. She seems to be starting a collection.

Teoman and Nathan Fraser are ready for their Heritage Cup tournament match next week. That has me curious.

Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey

Submission or knockout only to win. Ring announcer: “The following contest is a knockout or submission match, where you can only win by knocking your opponent out or making him submit.” Well what else did they think the name meant? They go with the grappling against the ropes to start until Brown goes with a shot to the face. Back up and they hit the crisscross until Coffey hits a dropkick. A lockup sees them go the mat and then out to the floor for an exchange of shoulders.

Coffey gets the better of things by knocking Brown outside, setting up a dropkick from the apron. Brown gets sent into the barricade but backdrops Coffey back over for the big crash. Back in and it’s time for the required slugout with Brown starting in on the arm and hand. Coffey blocks an armbar and flips him over but can’t get the Boston crab. Another armbar is countered into the Boston crab to put Brown in trouble but Brown makes the rope (which shouldn’t count but that’s never going to be fixed).

The turnbuckle pad is taken off but Coffey manages a German suplex to put both of them down. Another German suplex drops Brown, though it leaves Coffey holding the bad hand. Coffey can’t drop him onto the turnbuckle but he can hit an electric chair to send Brown rolling outside. That’s fine with Brown, who gets in another shot tot he hand to take over again. The bad shoulder is rammed into the post and there’s a t-bone suplex back inside. An overhead belly to belly gives Coffey another breather and it’s time to slug it out from their knees.

Brown snaps off a powerslam for another double knockdown, allowing Coffey to get up again. A double springboard moonsault of all things drops Brown but he tries a second time, allowing Brown to catch him on top. That means a super backdrop driver to plant Coffey HARD but Brown can’t follow up.

They wind up sitting down back to back and saying they are going to finish this. The big slugout is on until Coffey punches him down. Coffey hits his running headbutt into the corner and All The Best For The Bells connects. It’s not a knockout though and Brown comes back with his swinging Rock Bottom. The Doctor Bomb knocks Coffey silly and Brown unloads with shots to the face until the referee says Coffey is out at 19:52.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a hoss fight and that is entirely what they were going for here. You take two big guys and let them beat the heck out of each other for nearly twenty minutes. What else do you need from a match like this? If nothing else, seeing Brown win was a little bit of a surprise but it is nice to set up someone else, perhaps as a challenger for Dragunov.

Respect seems to be shown post match as Coffey is checked on to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Another good show here, even if it felt like the Dragunov promo was probably added into this after the show was taped. It’s not a bad thing, but it also doesn’t exactly make things feel modern. That being said, this was another rather good show, as you have a good opener, a fine middle match and a hard hitting main event. I liked my hour and ten minutes here so at least things seem to be staying good around here.

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

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

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

In Memory Of Paul Orndorff.

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Ashton Carter/Oliver Smith vs. Teoman/Rohan Raja

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

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

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

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

Video on Aoife Valkyrie.

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

Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Amele

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

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

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

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

Heritage Cup: Mark Coffey vs. Tyler Bate

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NXT UK
Date: June 24, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s time for a big fight as we have a triple threat main event between Ilja Dragunov, Rampage Brown and Joe Coffey. That alone should be worth seeing, and it would be hard to imagine that the winner is not in line for the next shot at Walter. It isn’t like there is anyone else available to challenge for the title at the moment. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Coffey vs. Sha Samuels

They go with the power lockup to start and fight over a headlock exchange. Coffey’s elbow to the face drops Samuels and it’s an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Samuels hits a hard clothesline and then does it again to turn Coffey inside out. Coffey tries a comeback but runs into an even harder clothesline for two. The Butcher’s Hook is blocked though and Coffey suplexes him down. A middle rope bulldog gives Coffey two more and Samuels’ spinebuster gets the same. The Butcher’s Hook is countered again and this time it’s a running elbow to finish Samuels at 6:30.

Rating: C+. This was about two hard hitting power guys beating each other up and it worked well. These guys can work a physical style and they did so here, as Samuels continues to lose in almost any match that matters in the slightest. At the same time, I’m surprised that Coffey actually got a win, as that has not been his custom on his own.

Emilia McKenzie is happy to see Meiko Satomura win the Women’s Title. Isla Dawn comes in, complete with spooky lighting, and McKenzie leaves.

A woman named Mila is at the Performance Center but Aoife Valkyrie runs into the ring to start training. Jinny pops up to say it’s pitiful that Mila (whose last name is Schmidt) is just stuck watching. A match seems to be teased.

Subculture is proud of their win last week but Pretty Deadly pops in to seem unimpressed.

Stevie Turner vs. Laura di Matteo

Matteo is from Progress. Turner drives her into the corner to start and grinds away on a headlock. They fight over arm control until Turner sends her into the ropes. Some running shots to the head keep Matteo in trouble and a pump kick gives Turner two. The crossarm choke doesn’t last long as Matteo escapes and hits a dropkick. A missed charge cuts off the comeback though and a springboard Downward Spiral finishes Matteo at 4:15.

Rating: C-. Turner is certainly unique and it is nice to see someone with a different kind of gimmick out there. I’m not sure if she is exactly blowing away anyone in the ring but she is serviceable enough at what she does. Matteo being out there in little more than a jobber spot was weird as she is a big enough deal in Progress. Maybe she can stick around and get a bigger chance down the line though, which has been done before.

Gallus is happy with Mark Coffey’s win and are ready for the main event.

Kenny Williams interrupts Nathan Frazer at the Performance Center and a challenge seems to be accepted.

A woman opens a briefcase and signs a contract. Her name is Blair Davenport, and I would assume this is Bea Priestley.

Video on Tyler Bate vs. Jack Stars for the Heritage Cup. Starz talks about coming up on the summer camp circuit, just like William Regal. He is looking forward to fulfilling his dream and it starts next week.

Oliver Carter vs. Teoman

Carter is out for revenge for Teoman hurting his partner Ashton Smith. Carter starts fast by snapping off a headscissors and striking away, setting up some yelling in the corner. Teoman charges into a kick to the face to put him on the floor, where Carter sends him into the steps. That earns him an arm twist into the steps and it’s time to work on Carter’s arm back inside.

A running forearm to the back of the head cuts Carter down again and the Fujiwara armbar sends Carter to the ropes. Teoman misses a handspring elbow though and Carter hits a standing Lionsault for two. Carter’s superkick gets the same, followed by an ax kick for two more. Back up and Carter gets caught with a shot to the face, setting up Teoman’s middle rope DDT for two. With that not working, the Crossface makes Carter tap at 7:06.

Rating: C+. Teoman is starting to grow on me and there is always something to be said about someone working away at a limb until it is useless. Carter sold well here and you could buy that he was making a comeback. Surprisingly solid match here as Teoman gets to look better than usual here.

Post match the beatdown continues but Rohan Raja runs in….and turns on Carter. Teoman and Carter leave together.

Video on A-Kid vs. Jordan Devlin.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Joe Coffey vs. Rampage Brown

Time for a hoss fight and I’m trying to get my mind around Coffey’s weird green/white trunks. Brown drops Dragunov to start but gets suplexed by Coffey. It’s Dragunov getting back up to pull Brown to the mat for some elbows to the head. Coffey sends Dragunov outside before slugging it out with Brown. That means a Boston crab to Brown with Dragunov having to hammer away for a good while to break it up.

Brown is back up with a double clothesline to put the other two down, followed by a double suplex to send both of them flying. Coffey manages to backdrop Brown to the floor but Dragunov is back up with a bridging German suplex. Dragunov comes up holding his ribs as he goes up but has to fight Coffey off. That means Coffey goes crashing down, allowing Dragunov to jump over Brown into a backsplash for two.

Brown slams Dragunov onto Coffey for two but Dragunov gets back up to lose a slugout. A big lariat drops Brown though and Dragunov gets all insane again. Dragunov knocks Brown into the corner but Coffey hits his running tackle to send Dragunov into him. Coffey hits a big dive to take both of them out on the floor but Dragunov wins a slugout back inside. A second slugout goes to a draw to put them both down but Dragunov is up….and charges into a discus lariat. Brown knocks Coffey outside in a big crash but it’s Dragunov back up and striking away.

Some German suplexes rock Brown but he is fine enough to German suplex both Dragunov and the returning Coffey. An electric chair drop lets Coffey plant Brown and they all have to pull themselves up. They all collide for another knockdown but Brown is up first with a Doctor Bomb to Coffey. Dragunov makes the save and, after slipping out of another Doctor Bomb, hits a top rope Torpedo Moscow to finish Brown at 16:14.

Rating: B+. This was every single thing you would have expected from these three and that is a very good thing. They did nothing but hit each other really hard for a long time until one of them was left standing. Dragunov winning is the right call as he has the redemption story going so there isn’t even a complaint about the result. They had a hoss fight here and it was a very, very good one.

Post match here is Walter to hold up the title at Dragunov and then slap him down. Walter chokes him out and poses with the title to end the show. If they have a Takeover coming at any point in the next few months, they have the headliner right in front of them.

Overall Rating: B. Nothing on here was close to bad and the main event was a heck of a fight, with Walter showing up at the end to set the stages for the rematch making it even better. It was an awesome show from one of the best weekly series around today. Check out the main event if you have the time because it is one of the better fights I’ve seen from anything WWE related in a long time.

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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