NXT UK
Date: August 11, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studio, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

We’re in a new world around here as the United Kingdom Title is vacant and that means it is time for a tournament to crown a new one. Other than that, we have the usual issues to deal with, likely meaning an NXT guest star and some stuff in the pretty decent women’s division. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We recap Ilja Dragunov getting injured and the need for a title tournament.

United Kingdom Title Tournament First Round: Oliver Carter vs. Charlie Dempsey

The rest of Die Familie is here with Dempsey and Carter is coming in with a banged up knee. Both of them get inset promos promising to win. Carter isn’t having any of this Die Familie posing before the bell and jumps Dempsey to start fast. A clothesline puts Dempsey on the floor and there’s the slingshot dive, with the knee holding up well enough. Back in and Dempsey sends him hard into the corner so the leg hits the ropes.

Dempsey takes him down by the leg for some rather painful looking cranking. Carter fights up and tries a springboard, only to hurt his leg again. Of course Dempsey is fine with going after an injured limb, setting up a northern lights suplex for two. Carter kicks out of a kneebar attempt so Dempsey ties up the leg again and fires off some forearms to the chest.

A leg trap dragon suplex gets two on Carter but that’s escaped as well. Some forearms stagger Dempsey to start Carter’s comeback but his knee gives out again. A Rock Bottom gives Carter two so he tries the superkick, only to have his knee fail one more time. Another dragon screw legwhip sets up a half crab….which Carter reverses into a cradle for the pin at 9:11.

Rating: C+. Carter has come a long way and it is nice to see him getting a chance like this. He has no chance of winning the title but he got a win here and gets to keep going for one more match. It’s also weird seeing Dempsey get pinned, but he is the kind of guy who is going to be able to have a spot for as long as he wants as there is always room for a technical star.

After last week’s #1 contenders main event ended in a mess, Blair Davenport, Eliza Alexander, Amale and Isla Dawn had to be separated.

Tyler Bate is ready to be United Kingdom Champion again.

Eliza Alexander vs. Thea Hail

Alexander fires off forearms to start but gets flipped into the corner for her efforts. Back up and Hail hits a quick dropkick but gets sent hard into the corner. There’s a hair toss to start working on the hair and a camel clutch to work on Hail’s…..camels? Hail powers up and hits an enziguri but a standing moonsault hits raised knees. Alexander hits a running kick to the face for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: C-. Hail has a lot of energy and her charisma in the Chase U segments are great, but the matches aren’t quite clicking yet. It’s also a little weird to see her lose here when she’s treated as something of a project, especially to Xia Brookside’s enforcer. Not much of a match, with something of an odd result.

Amale is immediately interrupted by Nina Samuels, who calls Amale no hope to the French whatsoever. Amale rants in French before switching to English to say she’ll go through anyone to become champion, including Samuels.

Andre Chase finishes explaining why we don’t have a U in the word “color” but Eddie Dennis comes in to besmirch this university. Chase: “WHO THE F*** DO YOU THINK YOU ARE???” This is a TEACHABLE MOMENT and somehow Dennis gets a match with….Saxton Huxley? Dennis vs. Chase is as obvious of a path as you can get around here.

Teoman vs. Sam Gradwell

Rohan Raja is here with Teoman. Gradwell grinds away on a headlock to start but Teoman is back with a slap to the face. This goes as well as expected as Gradwell punches him in the face a few times, followed by a clothesline out to the floor. A Raja distraction lets Teoman sweep the leg on the apron though and we hit the chinlock back inside.

Gradwell powers up and tosses him away, with Teoman coming up holding his ankle. Even Gradwell doesn’t buy this but Raja grabs him from behind for a neck snap across the top. Teoman’s sliding forearm gets two so Gradwell fights up and slugs away. Raja gets caught pulling Gradwell off the ropes though and that’s an ejection. The distraction lets Gradwell hit a Samoan driver for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C. Commentary was putting over how far Gradwell has come and that is absolutely right. He has gone from little more than another person without much of a personality to being the one who stands up to evildoers. That is the kind of spot that could serve him well as he is intense enough to make it work, which is exactly what he is doing.

Mark Coffey is in Sid Scala’s office when Noam Dar comes in, saying they need to talk. Dar wants a rematch and that’s fine with Coffey, who tells Scala to make a rubber match. Scala will get on that.

United Kingdom Title Tournament First Round: Wolfgang vs. Trent Seven

They take their time to start until Wolfgang shoulders him down. An armdrag into an armbar has Seven in more trouble, followed by some shoulders driven into his shoulders. Wolfgang runs him over again and they head outside with Seven being whipped into the barricade. Seven cuts off a dive from the barricade though and the beating is on back inside.

We hit the chinlock with a knee in Wolfgang’s back until he powers up, only to have his ribs give out. The ribs are fine enough for a release German suplex, setting up a basement shoulder for a double breather. A suplex into a cutter gives Wolfgang two and a fireman’s carry gutbuster gets the same. Wolfgang knocks him off the top but the Howling only hits raised knees. The Birminghammer finishes for Seven at 8:56.

Rating: C+. Nice stuff here, as Seven gets a win to continue his run. He isn’t likely to win the title either but he is in a better spot than Wolfgang, who just lost his title shot. The match was good enough too, with Wolfgang getting to dominate until Seven caught him in the end.

Overall Rating: C+. The good thing about having a tournament is that you can have a good idea of how long it is going to run. Odds are this one is going to last for probably a month, which should give us some nice action and drama. Other than that, we had the usual nice show with a bit of everything mixed in. In other words, it was your run of the mill NXT UK.

Results
Oliver Carter b. Charlie Dempsey – Rollup
Eliza Alexander b. Thea Hail – Running kick to the face
Sam Gradwell b. Teoman – Samoan driver
Trent Seven b. Wolfgang – Birminghammer

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT UK
Date: August 4, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

Things should be getting a bit more energized around here as we had the big showdown for the United Kingdom Title last week. Ilja Dragunov is going to need a fresh opponent after dispatching Wolfgang and a bigger one would be nice. This week is a title week also, as we have Meiko Satomura defending the Women’s Title against Sarray. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov for a chat….and he’s on crutches. Dragunov says he suffered a severe ankle injury during his title defense last week (insert clip here) and that means he cannot defend his title. Therefore it has to be vacated, but he isn’t going to talk about how hard this is for him.

Everyone back there is fighting hard every day and there is nothing special about him. He doesn’t regret anything he did in the ring and when he looks around the ring, there are bits of his soul all around the canvas. All he wanted to do was show that he could do this and the only person who defeats him is himself. Dragunov promises to come back for his title before laying the belt in the ring and walking away. Gah that’s frustrating, as I was curious to see how they were going to get the title off of him otherwise.

Chase University has come to London and see the sights, with Bodie Hayward wanting to stay at the Tower Of London. Then they go to the important place: the NXT UK Performance Center, where they find Sha Samuels basically destitute outside. Hayward has this one and thinks Shaw could make it into Chase U. This sends Shaw into a rant and we might have a match, partially due to Hayward being called a “stupid mark”. Hayward to Chase: “That guy works here?”

Johnny Saint and Sid Scala announce an eight man tournament for the vacant United Kingdom Title, with participants being announced later tonight.

Oliver Carter vs. Rohan Raja

The rest of Die Familie is here with Raja. Carter doesn’t waste time and starts striking away, including a running dropkick to put Raja outside. A quick Charlie Dempsey distraction breaks that up though and Carter gets stomped down on the floor. Back in and a hard whip into the corner keeps Carter in trouble and we hit the abdominal stretch.

That’s switched into the same thing from Carter, which is broken up without much trouble. What looks to be a fall away slam is countered with a knee to Raja’s head and a springboard moonsault scores for Carter. There’s a dive to take out the rest of Die Familie, followed by the running spinwheel kick in the corner to finish Raja at 5:23.

Rating: C. Carter getting to shine while his partner is on the shelf is a good sign for his future and I’m curious to see what he gets to do until Ashton Smith gets back. Die Familie continues its up and down success, but they were never presented as some top team so the losses don’t have quite the same sting. This one didn’t change much, but Carter fighting against Die Familie is something for him to do.

Post match Die Familie comes in to beat Carter down.

Thea Hail is happy to be here but Eliza Alexander doesn’t like her. A match seems imminent.

Teoman is happy with what happened to Oliver Carter, because that was a win. Sam Gradwell comes in and implies he doesn’t like bullies.

Sha Samuels vs. Bodie Hayward

The rest of Chase U is here too. Samuels is so broke that he has all of his possessions in a bindle. He also apparently smells bad as Hayward shoves him into the corner. The fans want Samuels to take a shower as he gets hiptossed and clotheslined. A neck snap across the top gets Samuels out of trouble and he elbows Hayward in the face. There’s a kick to Hayward’s back but he’s back up with the running shoulders to Samuels’ legs. The splash gives Hayward two but he misses a charge into the corner, setting up a spinebuster to give Samuels the pin at 4:45.

Rating: C. Another just kind of there match, though I’m not sure I get why Samuels would win here. He is so down on his luck that losing to a student would make sense, though at least he might be able to get somewhere with a win. The down on his luck story is a fun way to go, even if Samuels isn’t that interesting in the first place.

Samuels is REALLY happy with his win.

Oliver Carter is banged up, but Sid Scala comes in to say he’s in the title tournament, with his first round match coming up next week. Carter is banged up but he can go with that.

We recap Ilja Dragunov vacating the title (in a full video package, which is all the more impressive/unnecessary when it was both on this show and earlier in the same show). Here are the tournament brackets:

Trent Seven
Wolfgang

Charlie Dempsey
Oliver Carter

Mark Andrews
Joe Coffey

Tyler Bate
Kenny Williams

Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Sarray

Satomura is defending, but hold on because here is Blair Davenport to interrupt. Apparently Satomura and Sarray aren’t here for some non-apparent reason. Davenport says Satomura keeps ducking her and the title reign is due to Davenport breaking her ankle months ago. Cue Amale to say hold on, with Eliza Alexander cutting them both off to complain about not getting the title shot. Davenport doesn’t want to hear this but Isla Dawn pops up behind her and says it’s her shot. Sid Scala says we still need a main event tonight so it’s Davenport vs. Dawn for the #1 contendership.

Blair Davenport vs. Isla Dawn

Dawn kicks her down to start and cranks on the ankle early on. Back up and Davenport manages some kicks into the corner, setting up the required leg choke. Davenport sends her to the corner where Dawn gets in a knee to the face for two, allowing her to flap her arms a bit.

A running knee to the face gives Dawn two more and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and they slug it out with Davenport getting the better of things. A basement dropkick gives Davenport two of her own but Dawn is back with a hard belly to back suplex for two more. Dawn hits a top rope Meteora for two, but Eliza Alexander pulls her out for the DQ at 7:12.

Rating: C+. This was one of Dawn’s better matches but they telegraphed that finish way too hard. It didn’t make sense for Alexander and Amale to just be ok with this being for the future title shot so having Alexander interfered at least makes sense. Then again Dawn won via DQ so she should get the title shot, but you know that isn’t where this is going. Anyway, best thing on the show so far, false advertising aside.

Post match Amale beats up Davenport and the huge melee has to be broken up to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I’m going to assume that everything was turned upside down by Dragunov’s injury and a lot of this was the fallout. The main event was a bait and switch but maybe they’re waiting for a show later in the taping cycle. This wasn’t a good show, but at least they had an excuse thanks to the Dragunov injury.

Results
Oliver Carter b. Rohan Raja – Running spinwheel kick in the corner
Sha Samuels b. Bodie Hayward – Spinebuster
Isla Dawn b. Blair Davenport via DQ when Eliza Alexander interfered

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT UK
Date: February 24, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for another title show as Moustache Mountain is defending their Tag Team Titles against Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter. That could be quite the showdown, as NXT UK tends to do rather well when it comes to title matches. I’m curious to see what else they have on the show so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the Tag Team Title match, as Smith and Carter are ready for their big shot at the gold.

Opening sequence.

Amale vs. Xia Brookside

They fight over wrist control to start with Amale taking her down into an armbar. Back up and a shoulder drops Brookside, who can’t believe Amale would do that to him. Amale tries to pull her out to the corner but Brookside says Amale can’t do that. Brookside: “I’M SPECIAL!” Amale counters a crossbody into a slam and a basement dropkick gets two. Brookside finally gets in a shot of her own and chokes Amale on the ropes before standing on her back for some screaming.

The armbar has Amale in trouble and the look on her makes would make you think she is being stabbed by a lightning bolt. Some elbows to the head have Amale in more trouble and Brookside mocks her again. Back up and Amale strikes away, including a running boot to the side of the head. Brookside forearms her back though and a kick to the head makes it worse. Amale isn’t having that though and sends her into the corner for a running boot to the face. The Hope Breaker gives Amale the pin at 6:17.

Rating: C+. Brookside is really starting to feel it with this stuck up brat daddy’s girl and that could suit her very well going forward. At the same time though, Amale continues to seem to be the future of the division and odds are she will wind up being the Women’s Champion one day. If nothing else, they are building her up some something and having her win matches over and over is the right way to go.

Sha Samuels and Noam Dar want to see Gallus suspended for stealing Supernova Sessions. Instead, Sid Scala is giving Joe Coffey a Heritage Cup shot. Mark Coffey can face Samuels too.

Pretty Deadly walks through a Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff interview. Mastiff tells Starz that he knows what to do. That brings us to Challenge #4: Bomber Initiative. Starz goes into Pretty Deadly’s dressing room and we cut to Pretty Deadly in their street clothes….which now have holes in the chest. Yelling ensues.

Rohan Raja vs. Danny Jones

The rest of Die Familie is here with Raja. Jones can’t spin out of a wristlock to start but some right hands in the corner work a bit better. A knee to the ribs takes Raja down and a boot to the face sends Raja outside for a Die Familie meeting. For some reason Jones decides to go outside after him and gets driven into the apron to put Raja back in control.

A running basement dropkick to the back of the head gives Raja two but his trash talk brings Jones back up. An enziguri into a belly to back suplex drops Raja again but it’s a rather slow near fall. Jones’ banged up back gives out though and it’s a Backstabber into a jumping Downward Spiral to give Raja the pin at 5:03.

Rating: C. It wasn’t a classic or anything but it was a way to have Jones get in some offense before going down to the bigger star. That was a nice rub to Jones, with is really just a guy in trunks, which makes it a little harder to find something for him to do. Not a bad match whatsoever, and Raja gave him a pretty good bit here.

Post match the big beatdown is on with Jones being left laying, though Charlie Dempsey didn’t seem sure about it at first.

Eddie Dennis whispers to Symbiosis about how an arrow has to be pulled back before it can go forward. The team looks ready to come back.

A truck driver is distracted by eating a hamburger and hits….what might have been a werewolf. The wolf/person is watching from the road as the driver looks at some fur on the road. I have no idea who or what this was supposed to be about and thought it was some weird commercial.

Sha Samuels runs into Mark Coffey for an exchange of insults before their match next week.

Die Familie again runs into A-Kid and stares at him. Charlie Dempsey calls the other two off and asks if A-Kid has something to say to him. A-Kid thought Dempsey was better than that and Dempsey says maybe.

Andy Shepherd brings out Meiko Satomura to honor her career. First up, we see a video on her title reign and Andy hands her a bouquet of flowers. Satomura says thank you but Isla Dawn pops up (with the camera going a bit wacky, like it’s in a weird world) to say she is distressed over not receiving an invite.

She thanks Satomura for giving us something to desire but now she needs her final trophy. At the moment, Satomura possesses it, so Satomura says if she wants a title shot, all she has to do is ask. Dawn says she takes things and kicks Satomura in the head. Then she takes and eats the flowers. So she’s Maleficent with a taste for flowers?

Sam Gradwell tells himself to get over having his hair being shaved but what gets to him is people, like his son, asking what happened to his mohawk. He can get over Kenny Williams doing that, but he doesn’t think Williams can get over what Gradwell is going to do to him.

We look back at Nathan Frazer challenging Ilja Dragunov for the NXT UK Title.

Ilja Dragunov accepts the challenge, even though he had to win a battle royal just to get a title shot. Then he failed, because he wasn’t ready yet. He knows how good Frazer is, but he also knows how great he can be. Frazer isn’t ready, but he’ll take his first step.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: Moustache Mountain vs. Oliver Carter/Ashton Smith

Moustache Mountain is defending. Bate and Smith lock it up to start with Smith having to bail to the corner to escape a takedown attempt. Carter comes in and gets taken to the mat as well but manages to pull Bate into an armbar. That’s broken up and Bate takes him down, allowing Seven to come in for an assisted twisting moonsault. Carter is able to forearm him into the corner and there’s an armdrag into an armbar.

Smith comes back in and gets chopped/slammed, allowing Seven to drop a leg for two. It’s back to Bate to grind away on a headlock before unloading with forearms to both of them. Smith gets in a shot of his own though and brings in Carter, whose springboard…is pulled out of the air. Bate swings him around to knock Smith down as well but it makes Bate dizzy too. That means Carter can kick Bate in the head before a hurricanrana out of the corner sends him flying.

Carter even knocks Seven off the apron before he can do anything about it but Bate is back up with a suplex. The running shooting star press looks to set up the Tyler Driver 97 but Carter backdrops his way out. Bate settles for the rebound lariat and it’s back to Seven, leaving Bate to knock Smith off the apron. Something like Private Party’s Silly String into a tornado DDT lets Carter hit a springboard moonsault for two of his own and Seven is in trouble.

Seven sends Carter outside though and hits the Seven Star Lariat on Smith. Emerald Flosion gets two with Carter having to make a save. Bate comes back in so Smith Blue Thunder Bombs him for two of his own. An assisted moonsault (how they won the tournament) gets two on Bate and Carter is down too. A Silly String moonsault is cut off by Seven so Smith goes with a top rope Rough Ryder for two on Bate.

One heck of a Doomsday cutter drops Bate again but this time it’s Seven making the save. Everyone is down for a much needed breather Smith knocks Seven’s right hand back into Bate but Seven and Carter are knocked outside. That leaves Smith to hit a great superkick on Bate but Bop and Bang into an enziguri knock Smith silly. Bate knocks Smith silly with a left hand and covers, with Smith getting his foot on the ropes….but Seven shoves it off so Bate (who didn’t seem to see what Seven did) can retain the titles at 13:12.

Rating: B. Action packed fight here as Moustache Mountain was stretched to their breaking point here, with Seven having to tease a bit of a turn to keep the titles. Smith and Carter were keeping up from these two every step of the way and that was an awesome thing to see. Pretty great main event here and I’m not sure who is going to be able to take the titles, but at least it will be fun to watch people try.

Overall Rating: B-. As tends to be the case, the main event carried this show as the other two matches were fairly skippable. The main event was worth seeing though and it made the show feel important. I’m curious to see where some of these stories are going and then you can expect some good matches to blow the stories off. Now just get some kind of a major show scheduled and we could get somewhere special. For now though, it just continues to be the best weekly WWE show.

Results
Amale b. Xia Brookside – Hope Breaker
Rohan Raja b. Danny Jones – Jumping Downward Spiral
Moustache Mountain b. Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter – Left hand to Smith

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT UK
Date: November 18, 2021
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

We’re back in England and on the way to a bunch of big TV matches since there has not been any mention of a Takeover in forever around here. The big story at the moment is the upcoming Rampage Brown vs. Ilja Dragunov United Kingdom Title match, which is coming at some point in the future. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

A-Kid vs. Sam Gradwell

They go with the grappling to start with A-Kid taking him down with the headlock takeover. That’s reversed into an armbar but A-Kid flips out and grabs a cravate. Gradwell can’t flip his way out so he goes with a knee brace to the eyes to escape instead. We’re off to a face pull on A-Kid, followed by a heck of a running elbow to the face. There’s an overhead belly to belly for two and Gradwell is getting cocky. The Boston crab goes on but A-Kid slips out and kicks him in the head.

A high crossbody gets two on Gradwell and it’s a double knockdown for a breather. Back up and Gradwell gets pulled down into an omoplata, which is muscled up into a suplex for another break. One heck of a discus forearm puts A-Kid on the floor and a suplex sends him flying again. That’s good for nine so Gradwell hits him in the face for two more. The frustrated Gradwell hits him in the face but A-Kid pulls him into a cross armbreaker for the tap at 10:43.

Rating: B-. The more I watch A-Kid, the more impressed I am. He’s one of those guys who can make anything look smooth and that is always fun to watch. Change his name to something that sounds a bit more impressive and they’ve got something. Gradwell is someone who has all kinds of charisma and somehow stays popular despite not winning much of anything. I could go with the latter changing, but that doesn’t seem likely.

Gradwell looks frustrated and A-Kid looks impressed.

We look back at Rampage Brown wrecking Flash Morgan Webster last week. Webster is on the shelf with a shoulder injury and it’s not clear how long he’ll be out of action.

Ilja Dragunov is ready for his title match with Rampage Brown. Yes Brown is a monster, but Dragunov embraces the pain. Legends are written about the people who make the monsters fall, so long live the Czar. The title match is in two weeks.

Aleah James vs. Nina Samuels

Samuels pats her on the head to start and gets headlocked for her condescending efforts. They trade wristlocks until James snaps off a hurricanrana. Samuels runs her over though and stands on James’ hair, which is not exactly that nice. Three straight backbreakers keep James in trouble and Samuels cranks on the leg so hard that James kicks herself in the back of the head. That’s enough to make James fight back up with some clotheslines and a dropkick but Samuels plants her with a reverse suplex. Back up and James grabs a quick small package for the surprise pin at 4:53.

Rating: C-. James is someone who could be brought up through the women’s division in a hurry and it seems that might be what is on WWE’s minds at the moment. Samuels continues to be one of the established stars who doesn’t actually go anywhere, but who still has enough status that beating her means something. It’s not a great match, but it could moves James forward and that’s what matters.

Sam Gradwell is mad but Noam Dar and Sha Samuels interrupt with their Heritage Cup victory celebration.

Aleah James is very happy with her win but Isla Dawn attacks her and steals something from her gear.

Saxon Huxley vs. Kenny Williams

Huxley throws him around to start so Williams grabs a less than successful headlock. That earns Williams a grab by the throat and some rams into the mat but Williams gets smart by going after the leg. Williams ties the leg in the rope for a running kick before cranking on both arms at once. Back up and Huxley sends him into the corner, setting up a running big boot to the face. A running crossbody against the ropes rocks Williams again so he crawls under the ring and slides back out to post Huxley from behind. Back in and Bad Luck finishes Huxley at 5:53.

Rating: C-. Another not so great match with the rather charismatic Huxley losing to Williams, who is quite the villain. That being said, Williams is currently going by the name The Cockroach and I’m not sure how much of a future that leaves him. He has done well on his own though so maybe he can keep moving forward well enough.

Xia Brookside doesn’t like being told that she is late for training but she has a note from her dad.

Mark Andrews is happy with his win over someone as great as Nathan Frazer. Jordan Devlin comes in and tells him to start acting like more of an ace.

Teoman/Rohan Raja vs. Gallus

Joe Coffey is here with Gallus. Wolfgang throws Raja into the corner to start and it’s Mark coming in for an armdrag into an armbar. A shot to the face allows the tag off to Teoman, who gets armdragged as well. Gallus cleans house with monkey flips to the floor but Teoman ties Mark up in the apron to hammer away.

The villains take over and start the alternating stomps, including a variety to the shoulder. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Teoman runs Mark over for two instead. There’s a kick to the arm to keep Mark down and Wolfgang gets knocked off the apron. Mark doesn’t seem to mind though as he ax handles Teoman down and brings Wolfgang back in to clean house.

Everything breaks down and an enziguri into a Backstabber gets two on Wolfgang. An assisted DDT gets the same but Wolfgang hits a double clothesline. The assisted powerslam is loaded up but here is Charlie Dempsey of all people to jump Joe Coffey. The distraction lets Raja hit a jumping Downward Spiral to finish Wolfgang at 9:31.

Rating: C+. There’s something about Teoman that gets my attention and I like the option of having Dempsey join in. Raja might not exactly be a star but he is a good enough choice for a third wheel. Gallus is going to be fine as they are long since established as stars, so it isn’t like this is some big devastating loss. The Dempsey stuff has my attention though and that’s a good sign for Teoman/Raja.

Post match Dempsey, Teoman and Raja lay waste to Gallus to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. You can kind of tell when the tapings are wrapping up as there isn’t much left to go with on this show. The main event angle was good, but it’s all about waiting for the big stuff to come in the future weeks. I’m looking forward to some of these things, but they need a fresh taping to breathe a bit more life into the show after this one. The good thing is that I fully believe that NXT UK can pull that off, which is very nice to see after so many other shows have no such luck.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Coffey vs. Rohan Raja

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

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

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

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

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

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

Myla Grace vs. Amele

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

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

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

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

Charlie Dempsey vs. Danny Jones

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

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

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

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

Heritage Cup: Tyler Bate vs. Noam Dar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

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:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Flash Morgan Webster vs. Wolfgang

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nina Samuels vs. Amele

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT UK
Date: July 22, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

This was supposed to be the big showdown between Walter and Ilja Dragunov but the injury bug struck, meaning the match has been postponed. Instead, we have to settle for Subculture challenging Pretty Deadly for the Tag Team Titles. I’d call it a downgrade but they can probably make it work. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video recaps the NXT Title match being canceled and a look at the Tag Team Title match.

Sid Scala opens things up and we go to William Regal (fine after being laid out on Tuesday), HHH and Shawn Michaels (the birthday boy), who announce Walter vs. Dragunov II will take place at Takeover 36 on August 22.

Eddie Dennis says Symbiosis is ready to destroy Moustache Mountain.

Laura DiMatteo vs. Nina Samuels

Samuels works on the arm to start but gets pulled down for a front facelock. That’s reversed back into a wristlock but Samuels reverses into a cradle, which DiMatteo stacks up for two of her own. Samuels takes her down and ties up the legs without much effort, setting up a surfboard of all things. With that broken up, Samuels hits a Hennig necksnap and pulls away at DiMatteo’s face.

DiMatteo reverses into a rollup for two and hits a dropkick for the same. There’s a sunset flip for the same but Samuels powers her into the corner without much effort. Back up and DiMatteo clotheslines her into an enziguri, only to get caught in a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. The over the shoulder backbreaker spun into a knee to the face finishes DiMatteo at 6:11.

Rating: C. This was more of a showcase for DiMatteo than anything else and that is not a bad thing. She has a certain spark to her and it makes for some entertaining matches. Samuels is someone who has always seemed primed to move up the ladder but it has never actually happened, though she was showing some more aggression today.

Teoman talks about how important his family is. Rohan Raja joins him to agree, plus a discussion on respect and fear. Family is everything.

Blair Davenport interrupts a Xia Brookside promo and says come talk to her when she has her own last name.

It’s time for Supernova Sessions with this week’s guest: Jinny, with Joseph Conners. Jinny isn’t pleased with the folding chair, so Noam Dar offers her a cushion. Dar talks about his fashion sense and declares himself boyfriend material. He asks if Conners and Jinny have a more personal relationship, which Jinny finds cheap. We get a video of Jinny and Conners living the good life as the two of them talk about being sick of hearing the same question. Dar goes to wrap it up but Jinny calls out Aoife Valkyrie for talking about her when she isn’t there. Come say it to her face. These things are still rather annoying as talk shows go.

Video on Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey, who are set for a hoss fight.

Joseph Conners vs. Tristan Archer

Jinny is here with Conners, who takes Archer down by the arm to start. Archer sends him into the corner though and grabs a headlock. Conners’ leapfrog is pulled out of the air and a hard clothesline puts him down again. That’s it for the surprise offense though as Conners hits a hard shoulder into a reverse Hennig necksnap (ouch). Some kneedrops gets two on Archer and a crucifix of all things gets the same.

We hit the chinlock with a knee in Archer’s back for a bit but he fights up and sends Conners into the corner. A springboard…I think Downward Spiral gets two on Conners and a small package gets the same. Archer hits a Michinoku Driver for two more and Conners is reeling. Conners is fine enough to slip out of a GTS though and rolls into a DDT to plant Archer. The Hierarchy (hangman’s Regal Cutter) finishes Archer at 6:03.

Rating: C+. This was a heck of a match and quite the surprise. Archer is going to get some attention out of this as he managed to get something good out of JOSEPH CONNERS. That’s a trick in its own right but they were starting to roll before the finish. Good match here and well done by both of them.

Post match, Aoife Valkyrie comes out for the staredown with Jinny and hands her a feather. That means a challenge for later.

Jordan Devlin is set for a thirty minute Iron Man match with A-Kid, showing that A-Kid is the dumbest man in NXT UK. Next time, Devlin will finish that knee off.

Jack Starz thanks Dave Mastiff for his inspiration, but Mastiff says there is more to come.

Moustache Mountain is ready to finish this with Symbiosis next week.

Tag Team Titles: Pretty Deadly vs. Subculture

Subculture (Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster), with Dani Luna, is challenging. Sam Stoker takes Webster up against the ropes to start but gets chopped back. A running armdrag takes Stoker down for a second but he snaps off a hurricanrana to get a breather. Webster is right back with a Hennig necksnap (third of some kind tonight) and it’s off to Andrews vs. Lewis Howley.

Andrews snaps off a running hurricanrana but Howley sends him flying without much trouble. Everything breaks down for a second and Howley teases decking Luna, earning himself a shot from Andrews. Back in and an assisted DDT plants Andrews to put the champs in real control for the first time. We hit the chinlock for all of a few seconds before it’s back to Howley for a kick to the ribs.

Andrews gets sent outside for a shot from Stoker, who gets to taunt Luna for a bonus. Back in and Howley has to cut off a hot tag attempt and it’s a splash/legdrop combination. The chinlock doesn’t last long again as Andrews fights up and collides with Stoker, setting up the hot tag to Webster. Everything breaks down and Angel’s Wings gets two on Stoker. Webster flips out of a German suplex and the Rude Boy Block hits Howley for two. There’s a headbutt to Stoker and a leapfrog over Andrews into a Canadian Destroyer gets two more on Howley.

An assisted Codebreaker hits Webster for two but Andrews is back in for the double Pele. Howley comes in off a blind tag though and Andrews is tossed into…something for another near fall. Stundog Millionaire hits Stoker and a poisonrana/running big boot combination connects as well.

Howley breaks up the cover so Stoker and Andrews can trade near falls before Stoker gets dropped again. Andrews loads up Fall To Pieces but Howley pulls Stoker out of the way to cause the crash. Webster’s flip dive is caught and countered into a toss over the barricade. Howley throws in a title for a distraction, setting up Spilled Milk to retain at 15:49.

Rating: B. This was WAY better than I would have expected as they turned it way up near the end, with the last few minutes being a sprint. Pretty Deadly is a team who should have no business being this good and yet they are pulling it off every time. Subculture have some credibility due to being former champions but Pretty Deadly should be holding the title for a fairly long time. Rather good match here and that was a great surprise.

Overall Rating: B. Now this was a heck of a show, with a very good main event and nothing bad. Throw in the big announcement at the start of the show and some things being set up for next week and you had an outstanding use of an hour. This show might actually be better than the regular NXT at this point, or at the very least it is better at being NXT than being NXT. Good stuff this week, because of course it was.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

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.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

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:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.