NXT UK
Date: June 2, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for another title match as the Tag Team Titles are up for grabs, this time in a triple threat. Moustache Mountain will be defending against Die Familie and Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter, the latter of whom has been on quite the roll lately. Other than that, we could be in for a bit of anything 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 and how the teams all want to leave with the belts.

Opening sequence.

Sam Gradwell vs. Von Wagner

Wagner gets the better of a slugout to start and some elbow drops have Gradwell breathing rather deeply. A fall away slam drops Gradwell again as commentary puts over Wagner as much as they can. The crossface chickenwing is broken up so Wagner knees him in the back to cut him off again. Gradwell fights out of a bearhug but gets put right back in it just a few seconds later. The second comeback works a bit better but Wagner plants him with a lifting Downward Spiral. Back up and Gradwell tries a sleeper, which is powered up into the fireman’s carry neckbreaker to give Wagner the pin at 6:49.

Rating: C-. The NXT UK push for the lower NXT card continues, even if Wagner still isn’t anything more than another muscle guy. Gradwell might not be a top star and him losing here isn’t the worst thing, but I haven’t cared about wagner since he debuted and that isn’t going to change. It’s a shame that WWE has remembered this place exists, because it is making things worse.

Xia Brookside arrives and Amale pops in to yell at her.

Video on Ivy Nile.

Mark Andrews seems to catch Kenny Williams trying to steal his tires and a fight breaks out in the parking lot.

Angel Hayze vs. Stevie Turner

Hayze armdrags her down to start so Turner throws an armband in her face to take over. A running dropkick gives Hayze two but Turner’s running knee gets the same. Turner adds a running boot to the face and a neckbreaker drops Hayze for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Hayze is up with the comeback, including some running forearms. Back up and Turner kicks her in the face, setting up Mass Effect for the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C-. Turner continues to be just kind of there and that is not a good sign for her future. I don’t think I can see her going very far around here, even if she has a unique idea of a gimmick and a pretty good look. There is nothing to suggest that she is going to be going anywhere anytime soon but at least this gives her a little something.

Emilia McKenzie apologizes to Meiko Satomura for the loss but Satomura, seeming to understand, tells her to train harder.

Sha Samuels and Noam Dar are ready to set the odds on Damon Kemp vs. Wolfgang, but talk about haggis instead.

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

Moustache Mountain is defending and this is one fall to a finish. Carter, Bate and Teoman start things off and it’s an exchange of rollups and various broken up offense to give us a standoff. Teoman gets sent outside, leaving Bate to take Carter into the corner for the tag to Seven. House is cleaned until Seven and Smith are tied up in the ring skirt for a beating from Familie.

Back in and a powerbomb gets two on Smith with Carter too down to make the save. A suplex gets two on Seven but he enziguris his way to freedom, allowing the hot tag off to Bate. There’s a middle rope elbow to Rajah and a t-bone suplex gets two on Smith. Bate kicks Teoman in the head but it’s Carter springboarding in with a double dropkick to the two of them. Seven is back in with a suplex but Smith clotheslines him down and is rather fired up.

Bate hits the handspring lariat to cut Smith off but Teoman pulls him into a Crossface. Back up and Seven hits a super swinging slam for two on Smith before elbowing Carter out of the air. The torture rack/top rope knee combination hits Carter for two, with Smith making the save. Die Familie tries to use a title but gets knocked outside, leaving Seven to pick up the title. Bate takes it away from him, allowing Smith to grab a rollup for the pin and the titles at 14:18.

Rating: B-. This was the longer form sprint with all six working hard the whole way. At some point you had to give Smith and Carter the big win though and that’s a good sign to see the button finally pressed. Seven and Bate can go do their thing while Smith and Carter get to be champions for a bit, likely facing Die Familie sooner rather than later.

Post match Seven yells at Bate and leaves on his own to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. That main event bailed out a pretty lackluster show otherwise so take what you can get here. I like that they did the title change they needed to do, but that was the only thing on the show worth seeing. This was one of the middle of the road star power shows and while it was a problem, the main event pulled it out, which is not the worst place to be.

Results
Von Wagner b. Sam Gradwell – Fireman’s carry neckbreaker
Stevie Turner b. Angel Hayze – Mass Effect
Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter b. Die Familie and Moustache Mountain – Rollup to Seven

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NXT UK
Date: April 21, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s another title week this time around as Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter are getting a rematch against Moustache Mountain. This is a 2/3 falls match though and that should make for a pretty awesome showdown between two great teams, even though Moustache Mountain is teasing a move to the dark side. 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.

Opening sequence.

Sam Gradwell vs. Kenny Williams

Back Alley Brawl, meaning street fight and Gradwell starts the fight in the aisle before the bell. The beating is on with Gradwell grabbing a trashcan but getting it knocked away. Williams manages to knock him down but we have a masked man looking at Williams from somewhere near the entrance. They go inside with Williams pounding away but Gradwell grabs some backbreakers.

The fight heads back outside where Gradwell gets in some more trashcan shots, only to get sent into the post. A lame fire extinguisher blast gets Williams out of trouble and he puts Gradwell on the steps for some stomps onto a chair onto Gradwell. Back up and Gradwell slams him onto a trashcan, meaning a table can be loaded up.

As is almost always the case, that takes far too long and Williams chairs him down to take it back inside. Williams gets sent hard into the corner but he comes back with a shot to the leg. The belt is removed to whip Gradwell in the back but that isn’t going to work for him as he whips Williams instead. Gradwell is sent to the apron, where he catches Williams on top for an AA off the apron and through the table. Back in and Williams is done at 9:43.

Rating: C+. NXT UK doesn’t do this kind of match very often and that means it has a bit more impact when the do one. Gradwell getting a win is a nice touch and I can always go for a masked man running around. It wouldn’t shock me if it’s Williams’ old partner Amir Jordan, though you never can tell around here. That’s a good thing and I’m curious about where this is going.

Post match the masked man chases Williams to the back.

Video on Symbiosis vs. Mark Andrews/Wild Boar, with Eddie Dennis issuing the challenge for the tag match.

Stevie Turner vs. Emilia McKenzie

Turner backs her into the corner but gets shoved away as McKenzie isn’t having that. Some forearms stagger Turner but she’s right back with a bicycle kick to take over. Another running kick gets two and the chinlock keeps McKenzie down. That’s broken up without much trouble and, after ducking another kick, McKenzie hits the spear for the pin at 4:43.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, which tends to be the case when Turner is involved. I’m not sure what has gone wrong with her but she has an interesting look and idea behind the character but nothing has ever come close to clicking. McKenzie isn’t exactly great, but a student vs. teacher showdown for the Women’s Title could work well, as it almost always does.

Isla Dawn is ready to put out Meiko Satomura’s flame and win the Women’s Title.

Some American NXT stars are coming, including Von Wagner, who Saxton Huxley refers to as STUPID MAN.

Xia Brookside is ready to batter someone next week.

In three weeks: Ilja Dragunov defends the United Kingdom Title against Jordan Devlin on the 200th episode.

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

Moustache Mountain is defending and this is 2/3 falls. Bate starts with Smith, who can’t shake off the early wristlock. Smith’s reversal is reversed so Bate can hit some running shoulders and armdrag him into an armbar. Seven comes in but his assisted moonsault is countered into a rollup for two so Smith can take over. It’s off to Carter to work on an armbar of his own, which doesn’t last long as Seven is back with a legdrop.

Smith saves Carter from a double suplex though and the champs are sent outside. Back in and Bate snaps off a dropkick for two on Smith and it’s Seven coming back in for a kick between the shoulders. The seated full nelson goes on but Smith ducks a clothesline and dives over to bring Carter back in. A release German suplex gets two on Bate, who grabs a victory roll for the same. Seven’s assisted powerbomb gets two on Carter as everything breaks down. Back to back kicks and clotheslines drop the champs and an assisted moonsault gives Smith the pin on Seven for the first fall at 9:57.

There is no break between falls so Carter kicks Seven in the face for two. Private Party’s Silly String into a splash connects for two more as Seven stays in trouble. Seven finally gets in a shot to the face out of the corner but a missed enziguri means no tag. Carter’s kick to the head gives Smith two but Seven grabs a DDT.

That’s enough for the tag off to Bate and the pace picks way up. Smith saves Carter from a middle rope elbow to the face so Bate suplexes Carter for two instead. It’s back to Seven and stereo Tyler Driver 97s get two on Smith and Carter. With that not working, Bate hits the running clothesline into Seven’s dragon suplex for the pin on Smith at 16:28 to tie it up.

Bate punches Smith back into the corner but Seven gets Blue Thunder Bombed for two. Another assisted moonsault is broken up with Bate pulling Seven out, only to have Carter moonsault onto the two of them outside instead. Back in and Bate has to springboard in with a knee for the save and they’re down again.

Seven and Smith strike it out until the Seven Star Lariat drops Smith for a close two. The top rope knee into the Birminghammer gets two more with Carter making the save for a good false finish. Bate is sent into Seven so Smith can grab a rollup for a VERY near fall so Seven sends Carter into Smith. Seven is evil enough to put his feet on the ropes though and that’s enough to retain the titles 2-1 at 21:39 (Bate is NOT pleased).

Rating: B+. I got way into this one and some of the near falls near the end were great. They didn’t bother doing anything cute here and went with straight action, including some cool looking double teams. In the end, Seven gets to keep cheating and driving a wedge between himself and Bate, which is starting to give me Sting/Lex Luger vibes. Granted Moustache Mountain is a better team, but it’s a good story that could get interesting in the long run.

Bate (begrudgingly) celebrates with Seven to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. That main event is more than enough to carry the show and that shouldn’t be a surprise around here. NXT UK has a tendency to be mainly in-ring focused but the stories are enough to make things feel all the more interesting. It was on display in the main event as they had me wondering how it was going to end, which is not a feeling you get on a lot of WWE shows. Good stuff this week and one of the better NXT UK shows in a bit.

Results
Sam Gradwell b. Kenny Williams – AA through a table
Emilia McKenzie b. Stevie Turner – Spear
Moustache Mountain b. Oliver Carter/Ashton Smith 2-1

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NXT UK
Date: April 14, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

We’re in an interesting place here as this is one of the few shows without a title match over the next few weeks. Instead we have A-Kid vs. Teoman in a match that should be worth a look and some other stuff that should work out as well. This kind of show tends to work well for NXT UK so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Coffey Brothers vs. Dave Mastiff/Jack Starz

Joe and Mastiff collide to start but the shoulders don’t send either of them anywhere. Mastiff tries it again to some more success before bringing in Starz. This doesn’t go as well as Joe takes him into the corner for the tag to Mark and some arm cranking. A double atomic drop sets up a backbreaker for two but Starz manages a dropkick. Joe gets driven into the corner for a change and the tag brings in Mastiff.

That actually doesn’t go well at first as Joe tries a slam, only to have Starz hit a dropkick to the back to knock Mastiff onto him. A slingshot splash gives Starz two, with Nigel wondering how Joe isn’t spitting up Irn Bru. Joe finally gets up and sends Starz at Mastiff, which is enough for a tag and another splash crushes Joe again. With the power not working, Joe gets in a shot to the face and hits a middle rope missile dropkick for the needed breather.

The hot tag brings in Mark to clean house and a middle rope bulldog gets two on Starz. A half nelson suplex is broken up though and Starz gets in a much needed backdrop. Mastiff comes back in but gets enziguried, only to have Joe tag himself in. Joe tries to get the pin himself but the delay lets Mastiff knock him silly. Starz’s powerbomb finishes Joe at 8:32.

Rating: C+. This got a bit of time and the story continues to be the issues between Gallus. They can’t win a match at the moment and I’m curious to see if it leads to a heel turn, a split or both. Starz has come a LONG way since he was the designated victim and this big guy/little guy team with Mastiff is working. The result was a bit predictable but I liked the match.

Post match the winners are happy and the losers aren’t. Wolfgang comes out to calm things down but Joe yells about how Mark and Wolfgang are the team and walks off.

Video on Ilja Dragunov retaining the United Kingdom Title last week over Roderick Strong.

After the match, the two of them met up in the back, with Strong saying Dragunov is special but they’ll see each other again. They shake hands but Jordan Devlin comes in to say he’s the Irish Ace. Dragunov sneers a bit.

Video on Kenny Williams vs. Sam Gradwell, as Williams keeps pushing Gradwell, who seems ready to push back. They’ll be having a back alley brawl, which Williams says is a mistake for Gradwell. This gets some time and they make it look a good bit bigger than it had been coming in.

Here is Meiko Satomura for a chat about wanting her title back. Satomura wants Isla Dawn out here with the title right now so here is a laughing Dawn to respond. The lights dim and the camera gets a bit weird as Dawn talks about getting attached to the title. They have a future together, but she is willing to hand it back over on one condition: a rematch, under Dawn’s own chaotic rules. Dawn throws the title down and stares at her as the rematch is accepted. That works for Dawn, who mists Satomura and says she’ll get the title back in a world of darkness.

Amale will be watching Eliza Alexander’s match and says she is still full of rage. It is a matter of time before she gets her hands on Eliza and Xia Brookside.

Gallus argued during the break and Joe Coffey left.

Mark Andrews says he and Wild Boar have been friends for fifteen years. The only time that hasn’t been the case was when Eddie Dennis got involved. Boar promises to hurt Dennis as soon as he gets the chance. Andrews holds up a chair and Boar says Symbiosis is the hunted.

Eliza Alexander vs. Angel Hayze

This is Alexander’s in-ring debut and Xia Brookside is in her corner. Alexander grabs a headlock to start as we hear about Brookside’s father training Alexander when she was 13. Hayze grabs a rollup for two but gets taken down with a clothesline to the back of the head. There’s a kick to the back and the fans aren’t pleased with Alexander. The slow beating continues with Alexander dragging her around by the wrist but Hayze gets in some shots of her own. A Sling Blade gives Hayze two but Alexander cuts her off with another clothesline. One heck of a running knee knocks Hayze silly for the pin at 3:09.

Rating: C. That knee alone is going to get Alexander noticed as she blasted Hayze with that thing. Other than that, you had little more than a squash here, as Alexander toyed with her for a few minutes before getting serious to finish it off. Good debut here, though there is only so much to get out of something like this.

Emilia McKenzie talks about training hard and being successful thanks to coaching from Meiko Satomura. Stevie Turner pops in to say Satomura is helping McKenzie because Satomura doesn’t see her as a threat. McKenzie seems to think about it.

Moustache Mountain is ready for their 2/3 falls Tag Team Title defense against Oliver Carter/Ashton Smith. This includes Trent Seven being a good bit more nefarious lately as he has to keep the titles.

Teoman vs. A-Kid

The rest of Die Familie is here with Teoman. Feeling out process to start with A-Kid taking him to the mat. That doesn’t last long so let’s have a standoff. Teoman gets in a kick to the chest out of the corner but A-Kid seems pleased that things are picking up. A headlock takeover puts Teoman down but he switches into a headscissors. That’s reversed into a bow and arrow but Teoman slips out to land on top for a quick two.

A-Kid starts cranking on the ankle, which is reversed into a crossarm choke. With that not working either, A-Kid pops up for a dropkick to stagger Teoman again. Charlie Dempsey offers a distraction though and Teoman hits a dropkick down to the floor. Back in and the chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a forearm to the back of A-Kid’s neck. A slam cuts off a comeback attempt but Teoman hurts his own knee to slow things back down.

The delay lets A-Kid fight up and chop away and a loud kick to the chest gets two. There’s a fisherman’s suplex for the same but Teoman is back with a kind of brainbuster onto the knee, setting up a sliding forearm for two of his own. A cross armbreaker is blocked as Teoman rolls over to the ropes, sending both of them to the apron. Teoman misses a sliding forearm and goes into the steps so A-Kid moonsaults onto the rest of Die Familie. The distraction lets Teoman hit a reverse flipping DDT for the pin at 11:12.

Rating: B. I keep going back and forth on both of these guys as they both seem ready to move up to the next level but it never seem to happen. Teoman does seem like the leader of the team, though Charlie Dempsey gets my attention every time he’s in there. As for A-Kid, he seems to be falling further and further down each week, even after that random NXT cameo. At least they had a good match here though, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Teoman yells about the Eye seeing everything to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. They had a series of good matches this week, though it is kind of interesting that we seem to be getting back to Jordan Devlin as the challenger for the United Kingdom Title. I have long since thought that Devlin would be getting the title, though I’m not sure if Dragunov is anywhere close to being ready to lose the belt. Other than that, this was a show about moving stories forward and as usual, NXT did it fairly well.

Results
Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff b. Coffey Brothers – Powerbomb to Joe
Eliza Alexander b. Angel Hayze – Running knee
Teoman b. A-Kid – Flipping reverse DDT

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

We have a guest start this week as Roderick Strong is coming over from NXT. That isn’t something that happens very often and I’m curious to see where it leaves. It very well may be a one off match, but it’s a little weird to see WWE suddenly caring about this show after years of indifference. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Scott Hall.

Opening sequence.

Oliver Carter vs. Tyler Bate

Ashton Smith and Trent Seven are here too. Bate works on a wristlock to start but Carter slips out and grabs one of his own. They go to a quick pinfall reversal sequence and it’s off to an early standoff. Carter takes him down with an armbar and then does it again to show off. Back up and Bate hits a running dropkick out to the floor for a crash.

Bate starts in on the ribs but gets taken down by a quick crossbody. That doesn’t see to bother Bate, as he is right back with the airplane spin into a gutbuster for two. An abdominal stretch with an elbow in the ribs has Carter in trouble and Bate turns it into an octopus to make it worse.

Carter falls down for the escape so Bate small packages him for two. A half nelson backbreaker gives Carter two of his own and they trade strikes to the head. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a hurricanrana for a VERY close two and the seconds get in a fight on the floor. The distraction is enough for Carter to backslide bate for the huge upset at 10:11.

Rating: B-. Now that is an upset and they actually surprised me with the clean (enough) finish. Beating Bate means a lot more than beating Seven so this is the way to go if you want to make Carter and Smith feel like a threat. If nothing else, Seven has been paranoid about keeping the titles and the loss might have Bate doing the same, which could get interesting.

A-Kid asks a raving Saxon Huxley to be his tag partner against Die Familie and gets a shouting yes.

Wild Boar looks at a mask and says he blames Eddie Dennis for everything that happened to him last year. Vengeance is sworn.

Nina Samuels vs. Emilia McKenzie

Samuels slips out of a headlock to start and they trade wristlocks. Some armdrags put Samuels down and McKenzie goes up for a middle rope hurricanrana. A slam cuts McKenzie off though and things slow down. Samuels kicks her into the corner to set up the chinlock, which is broken up as per expected.

McKenzie hits some clotheslines and a belly to back suplex and Samuels is sent outside. That means a big suicide dive to knock Samuels into the barricade for the crash and they’re right back in. McKenzie goes up but gets pulled off the top (by the hair, to make it even worse) for two and Samuels is frustrated. Samuels misses a moonsault though and McKenzie hits a quick spear for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: C+. McKenzie continues to be good for some nice performances and beating Samuels is a solid win for her. I don’t know if she goes anywhere with Meiko Satomura as champion but building for the future is a wise move. Samuels continues to be herself: a character that is easy to dislike who has been in the same place on the card for years now.

Mark Coffey leaves Sid Scala’s office and has gotten himself a Heritage Cup Title shot. Joe Coffey seems happy for him.

Someone, possibly Sam Gradwell, has left Kenny Williams a note saying he has made a lot of enemies. Williams isn’t too worried, but does seem a bit nervous when someone shuts the locker behind him.

Symbiosis comes in to see Sid Scala, as Wild Boar wants a match with Eddie Dennis. That’s not going to work for Dennis, who suggests Primate instead and then leaves before Scala can make a decision. Scala has to make a call as I try to get my mind around the idea of someone named Wild Boar making a formal request.

Aleah James vs. Stevie Turner

They fight over wrist control to start until Turner shoulders her down and glares a lot. A running headscissors gives James two but Turner hits a boot to the head. Another running kick to the head and a forearm get two more and we hit the chinlock with a knee in James’ back. James finally fights back but a Side Effect gives Turner two more. Back up and James grabs an O’Connor roll and bridges back for the pin at 4:11 for the clean pin.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure what they’re doing with Turner, who seems like she should be a bigger deal than she is and just never gets there. James is hardly a star and she beat Turner clean without as much as a fluke mishap. Maybe James is on her way up, but Turner seems to be falling lower and lower with every match.

Sha Samuels is now taking bets on Mark Coffey vs. Noam Dar. Someone calls in and Coffey takes a bet on Coffey…..at nearly 1700-1. Oh this isn’t going to end well.

Video on Meiko Satomura vs. Isla Dawn, who meet for Satomura’s Women’s Title next week. Dawn looking more and more insane makes her feel extra evil.

Roderick Strong vs. Wolfgang

Strong gets a nice reaction and there are no seconds here. Wolfgang powers him to the apron to start so Strong goes for the leg. That just makes him have to bail back to the floor as they’re firmly in first gear to start. Back in again and Strong goes after the arm but gets reversed into a headlock. Wolfgang lifts him up by the arm but Strong gets it back to the mat and grabs a chinlock.

That’s broken up and Strong is sent outside, where Strong drops him onto the barricade. Strong takes it into the corner back inside and strikes away, only to stop to yell at some chanting fans. Wolfgang gets taken down into a reverse chinlock but fights up and drives in some shoulders to the back in the corner. A powerslam gives Wolfgang two and the Caber Toss sends Strong flying again. The spear only hits buckle though and Strong scores with a jumping knee for the pin at 9:51.

Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as it wasn’t exactly a barn burner. Strong is a much bigger star and there wasn’t much drama, which left Wolfgang feeling like he was just there to take a fall. Odds are Strong has a big match before heading back stateside and that is a good use for someone who has more star power than most of the NXT UK roster.

Post match Strong, who is bleeding from the eye, challenges Ilja Dragunov to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The slightly disappointing Strong match aside, I had a good time with this show as the other matches were entertaining. It continues to be a positive sign that NXT UK can put on engaging shows without a lot of its top stars around. I’m curious as to why Strong was brought over though, as NXT UK has been almost completely isolated for the better part of ever and now, here’s a guest star. Just please don’t let the people with authority remember this show exists. I can’t take another loss.

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NXT UK
Date: March 10, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for another title match as Noam Dar will be defending the Heritage Cup against Joe Coffey in the main event. The other big match will see A-Kid facing Charlie Dempsey in what could be a spectacle of technical wrestling. This show is such a breath of air compared to the main roster stuff so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at the Heritage Cup Title match.

Opening sequence.

Charlie Dempsey vs. A-Kid

During his entrance, Dempsey says he’s doing this himself, without Die Familie. Dempsey’s early cravate is escaped with a cartwheel and they stare at each other a bit. A-Kid gets taken down by the arm but reverses into a headlock. That is countered into a headscissors as they stay with the technical stuff to start. They go to the test of strength and flip around a bunch, with Dempsey bridging up on his neck.

A-Kid can’t break it down no matter what and gives up, looking a bit disturbed as a result. With that not working, it’s time to slug it out until an Octopus sends Dempsey to the ropes for the break. A-Kid starts twisting on the ankle instead but has to fight out of a kneebar, instead kneeing Dempsey in the head. Back up and Dempsey goes right back to the knee before switching things up with Cattle Mutilation. Dempsey switches to an armbar but A-Kid slips out so Dempsey grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two.

A-Kid is back with his own suplex for his own two but can’t get an arm crank. Instead he settles for an enziguri to drop Dempsey, which draws out Rohan Raja for a distraction. That’s enough for Dempsey to grab Checkmate (Where he ties up the head and leg so that A-Kid is almost kicking himself in the back of the head. It’s almost like he is covering and hooking the leg backwards.) for the tap at 12:34.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of technical exchange that is always going to be entertaining. Dempsey is quite the savage on the mat and knows how to make it look like he is destroying people. A-Kid is awesome, and now he might be on his way to the regular NXT, which should be quite good for everyone.

Sid Scala announces that an American is on his way here…but Wolfgang interrupts. That’s perfect for Scala, who gives Wolfgang a match with Roderick Strong next week.

We look back at Isla Dawn attacking Meiko Satomura last week to interrupt her special ceremony. The title match is in two weeks.

Aleah James is asked about the Women’s Title match but Stevie Turner interrupts to ask why we should care what James thinks. James walks away from her chattering.

Danny Jones/Josh Morrell vs. Symbiosis

Primate hiptosses Morrell over to start but gets caught with a pop up dropkick. T-Bone comes in so Jones does as well, setting up an exchange of shoulders. Jones takes over on the arm and it’s Morrell coming in with a top rope stomp to the arm. T-Bone pulls Morrell into the corner though and the beating is on, including Primate coming in off the middle rope with an ax handle to the back.

Morrell shrugs it off though and the hot tag brings in Jones to start cleaning house. T-Bone gets knocked down and Morrell climbs on top of Jones’ shoulders, setting up a Spiral Tap for two. That’s enough for T-Bone though, who is back with a powerslam and brings in Primate for a top rope headbutt and the pin at 6:04.

Rating: C. Jones and Morrell continue to be some of the more promising guys around here and it is nice to see them getting their chance here, even if they lose to a bigger team like Symbiosis. I don’t know if Symbiosis is going to the title scene, but they could make for some good challengers for Moustache Mountain. Not a showcase for either of them, but it did well enough.

Post match Symbiosis celebrates but Wild Boar runs in for his return and clears them out with a chair.

Nina Samuels mocks Emilia McKenzie, who steals the mic and asks how Samuels must feel to be this desperate for attention.

Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter think Moustache Mountain is trying to get out of the Tag Team Title rematch but Trent Seven tells them to earn it in a pair of singles matches. We’ll start next week.

Heritage Cup: Noam Dar vs. Joe Coffey

Coffey is challenging and has Mark Coffey to cancel out Sha Samuels. Round one begins with Dar circling around him before his leg dive attempt is thrown away. Coffey cranks on a wristlock before taking him to the mat. A Boston crab is escaped so Coffey goes after the leg again, only to have Dar grab the ropes as the first round ends.

Round two begins with Coffey grabbing a headlock takeover and grinds away for the first minute. Dar slips out and kicks away at the ribs but Coffey snaps off a hard German suplex. A running shoulder in the corner gives Coffey the pin at 2:25 of the first round and 6:11 overall.

Round three begins with Dar having to pull himself up so Coffey knocks him right back down. A top rope spinning crossbody gives Coffey two but Dar is back with a kick to the head. The kneebar doesn’t work for Dar so he rolls Coffey up to tie the score at 1:49 of the round and 8:35 total.

Round four begins with Dar going to the arm to cut off the slugout but stops to yell at the camera. Dar kicks him down and stays on the arm but Coffey gets to the apron for a hard slingshot shoulder. They’re both down for a bit until Coffey gets the Boston crab, sending Dar straight to the rope as the round ends. They fight to the floor between rounds though and Dar gets in a cheap shot.

Round five begins with Dar running over a staggered Coffey in the corner. The Nova Roller is cut off by a flying headbutt/shoulder though and they’re both down again. Coffey hits a clothesline for a knockdown but Dar is back up to badly lose a slugout. All The Best For The Bells knocks Dar silly but Samuels puts the foot on the rope. The distraction lets Dar hit the Nova Roller for the pin at 2:54 of the round and 15:45 total to retain.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t a bad match but it was the kind that came and went. Dar might have felt like he was in a bit of danger but it was nothing serious, even if Coffey winning the title could have been interesting. They seem to see something in Dar holding the Cup for a long time and I could go with that, but this was only a pretty good match.

Overall Rating: C+. In something I’ve said before about other promotions, they’re going to be fine if this is one of their bad ones. The star power wasn’t really around this time and they focused on the midcard guys, which worked out fairly well. You can’t have the big names on every week so it isn’t some horrible idea. Good enough show, though they have had better ones.

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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: January 13, 2022
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the end of an era as we are going to see Walter’s final match around here. Walter is one of the people who has made this show feel special every time he appears and while it will be great to see him moving up the ladder, he is going to be missed around here. Hopefully there is a nice tribute to go with the match, so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video looking back at Walter’s time in NXT UK. No one brought the big fight feeling like he did.

Opening sequence.

Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff vs. Die Familia

Charlie Dempsey is here with Die Familia and the winners face Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter for the #1 contendership. Raja muscles Starz up to start and throws him away without much effort. They fight over a lockup but Raja throws him off a front facelock. Starz can’t take him down by the leg but he can take him down with an armbar. A headlock gives Starz two and some dropkicks send Raja into the corner.

That’s enough for Raja to need a breather so it’s off to Mastiff vs. Teoman. Mastiff doesn’t mind, as he runs both of them over and hands it back off to Starz for the elbow between the shoulders. Mastiff’s backsplash into a slingshot crossbody gets two on Teoman, meaning it’s finally time for Dempsey to offer a distraction. Starz gets tied up in the ring skirt as a result and the big beating is on to put the villains in control.

The armbar goes on and it’s back to Raja to work on both arms and a leg. Starz isn’t having any of this switching limbs/ignoring his other leg and fights out of the corner, allowing the diving tag off to Mastiff. House is cleaned in a hurry, including a suplex to Raja and a toss over the top to send Teoman to the floor. Dempsey tries to get involved again but here is Gallus to take care of them. Mastiff German suplexes Raja for the pin at 9:48.

Rating: C. Totally watchable tag match with a lot of people involved to give us a surprising result. Die Familia seemed to be the perfect choice for the title match and they will probably get one in the future, but Mastiff and Starz are doing well as the big/little team. If nothing else, it is great to see some fresh teams in the division so let’s see what they can do.

Video on Walter’s path of dominance through NXT UK, with wrestlers talking about how awesome he is. Shouldn’t be hard to figure out something to compliment him on.

We look at Meiko Satomura retaining the Women’s Title over Blair Davenport last week, but Davenport laid her out after the match. The feud will continue.

Video on Jordan Devlin who wants the United Kingdom Title for the fame, while Ilja Dragunov wants to keep it to make things better for his family. The title match is in two weeks.

Amale vs. Stevie Turner

Jinny is on commentary. They strike it out to start but Amale sends her into the corner for a running clothesline. Turner kicks her in the face but gets knocked into the corner in a hurry. A running boot misses Turner so she takes Amale down to hammer away. There’s a knee lift for two and it’s time to work on both of Amale’s arms at once as we look at Jinny. Amale is back up with some clotheslines and a dropkick into the corner. Now the running boot connects, setting up a kind of Rock Bottom spinebuster for the pin on Turner at 4:00.

Rating: C-. Amale is still a bit of a work in progress but it is clear that she is one of the projects around here. Between the French Hope deal and Jinny focusing on her, there is something worth trying out here. It wasn’t a very good match, but it got Amale a win and that is what she needs most at the moment.

Pretty Deadly comes in to Sid Scala to complain about Sam Gradwell. Next week, they get to face Gradwell and a partner of his choosing. Scala doesn’t seem pleased.

Video on Walter’s dominance as the NXT UK Champion…until he met Ilja Dragunov for their pair of classics.

Video on A-Kid vs. Noam Dar for the Heritage Cup. Kid wants the title back, but Dar wants revenge on Kid for eliminating him from the original Heritage Cup tournament. Now it is time to fight, because they both want something.

Amale is happy with her win but here is Jinny to mock her for being weak. Jinny gets shoved and they shout at each other a lot, with security breaking it up.

Walter vs. Nathan Frazer

This is Walter’s Last Stand and my goodness does that entrance still work. The WALTER chants begin and Frazer starts to realize he’s in trouble. Walter throws him down to start and Frazer looks terrified. An armbar takes Frazer down and Walter isn’t having any of this flipping stuff for an escape. A dropkick staggers Walter so he puts Frazer on the apron and pats him on the head.

Frazer snaps into reality and starts striking away, earning himself a slam onto the turnbuckle. Walter chops him on the chest and steps on his face (geez), sending Frazer crashing down to the floor. Back in and a hard slam takes Frazer down again, setting up the sleeper. That’s broken up and Frazer scores with some running forearms….until Walter kicks him in the face. The double arm crank with a knee in Frazer’s back goes on, followed by a hard fist to the chest.

It’s off to the chinlock for a change before Walter starts yelling at him. Frazer fires off some chops of his own and Nigel knows what’s coming. One Walter chop has Frazer looking like he has been shot but he manages to counter a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. Back up and Walter misses a dropkick, allowing Frazer to hit a running shooting star press. Frazer strikes away but has to flip out of a German suplex attempt.

Another boot rips Frazer’s head off but he is still able to counter another powerbomb into a Code Red for two. Frazer kicks away at the leg some more and some superkicks stagger Walter again. A Nightmare on Helm Street sends Walter outside, where Frazer hits a shotgun dropkick into the barricade.

Back in and Frazer kicks away some more, setting up a running chop block. A springboard takes too long though and Frazer gets chopped out of the air. The powerbomb is countered again and a low superkick rocks Walter. Seth Rollins’ (Frazer’s trainer) stomp sets up a frog splash for two but the Phoenix splash is broken up. Now the powerbomb can finally connect to finish Frazer at 14:01.

Rating: B+. They told a great story here with Walter having the game plan of trying to get to the powerbomb over and over again while Frazer was doing everything he could to get out of it. Frazer was trying to hang in there as well as he could and finally got caught, but he gave it a great ride on the way there. I didn’t think Walter would lose in his last match for NXT UK but they made you believe there was a chance, and that is better than I would have bet on. Heck of a match.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event blows everything away but at least they were trying to do something with the other two matches. The women’s match was only ok at best, but they have a point to what they’re doing there. That being said, this is all about Walter and there is nothing wrong with focusing on the most successful star the show has ever had as he is leaving. Check out the main event for sure and the rest if you have time, as this is still the most well put together show going today.

Results
Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff b. Die Familia – German suplex to Raja
Amale b. Stevie Turner – Spinebuster
Walter b. Nathan Frazer – Powerbomb

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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: October 14, 2021
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

It’s championship week as Ilja Dragunov is back to defend the United Kingdom Title against A-Kid. That has all the makings of a great match, but more importantly, there will be a crowd here for the first time in WAY too long as the United Kingdom has started to lighten their Coronavirus restrictions. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence, with a new song.

The fans are back!

Blair Davenport vs. Stevie Turner

Davenport jumps Turner before the bell as we start fast. That’s fine with Turner, who fights back at the bell and scores with a Thesz press to hammer away. Some right hands in the corner don’t work out so well as Davenport drops her face first onto the turnbuckle and scores with a basement dropkick to the back of the head. Turner is back up with a running boot to the face and some neckbreakers get two. Davenport BLASTS her with a kick to the head for two more but Turner is back with a Side Effect for the same. That’s enough for Davenport, who knees her in the face and hits a Falcon Arrow for the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C. This was short and to the point, as Davenport shrugged off Turner’s offense and pinned her in short order. You can tell that Davenport is likely the next big thing and eventually the top star in the division, but we still have a little while before we get that far. They had another good step here though, as it is nice to have Davenport back in the ring.

Sha Samuels commandeers a birthday party and gives it to Noam Dar instead. Samuels isn’t happy with the banners but Dar says this can be a warmup for the real celebration when he wins the Heritage Cup.

Rohan Raja makes excuses to Teoman for the Heritage Cup tournament but Teoman promises that the family will grow soon.

Sid Scala has a match to announce when Jinny and Joseph Conners come in. As luck would have it, the match was about her, as Jinny challenges Meiko Satomura for the Women’s Title in three weeks. Jinny’s advice to Scala: burn his clothes.

Flash Morgan Webster vs. Sha Samuels

Webster dodges to start and scores with some right hands in the corner. A few fast chops annoy Samuels, who takes Webster’s head off with a chop of his own. Some hard kicks to the back give Samuels two and a shoulder to the ribs in the corner gets the same. They head outside with the fans chanting for Webster, who is dropped face first onto the apron.

Back in and Webster suddenly picks up the pace, including a middle rope standing moonsault. Samuels is sent outside for a change and that means a suicide dive from Webster. They head back inside where Webster scores with a running kick to the face for another near fall, setting up a heck of a top rope flip dive to the floor. Back in again and Webster scores with a headbutt but walks into a spinebuster to give Samuels the pin at 8:16.

Rating: B-. They were starting to rock here with that Webster comeback being a standout highlight. This was a rather fun edition of power vs. speed and that is going to work every single time. Webster doesn’t get as much attention as Mark Andrews but he showcases himself well when he gets the chance.

It’s time for another Nina Samuels Show, with Xia Brookside not realizing she is the guest. Brookside calls over Leah James and gets a match with her instead. End of show.

We recap Dave Mastiff/Jack Starz cutting off Symbiosis’ attempt at interfering in a recent tag match. They’re facing off next week as a result.

Gallus interrupts Jordan Devlin’s meeting with Sid Scala. Devlin doesn’t want to hear this and threatens to take Joe Coffey out soon.

United Kingdom Title: A-Kid vs. Ilja Dragunov

A-Kid is challenging and circles around the champ to start until a headscissors pulls him to the mat. They go with some grappling until A-Kid rapid fires kicks to the leg. That earns him a big chop but he nips up and kicks at the leg some more. Dragunov checks one though and snaps off a German suplex, sending us back to the grappling. That’s broken up so Dragunov snaps off the rebound lariat, only to hurt his own arm in the process.

Now it’s Dragunov’s turn to crank on the leg but A-Kid chops his way out of a leglock. The leg gets cranked back again though and it’s time to chop A-Kid in the corner. Dragunov gets two off something like a powerbomb but A-Kid kicks at the bad arm to get a breather. The good arm is fine enough to blast A-Kid….who responds by kicking Dragunov in the face. The kicks to the chest (with the bad leg) don’t do much to Dragunov, who catches the leg and sends us back to a strike off.

A kick to the head sets up a fisherman’s suplex (with the bad leg being raised) for two on Dragunov, who is right back with an STO. Dragunov takes him down with a hard knee to the ribs and the rolling German suplexes, though A-Kid cranks on the arm to escape. Some elbows to the head set up another suplex for two on A-Kid as the fans (accurately) deem this awesome. Dragunov misses a top rope backsplash and gets pulled into a sleeper. With that broken up, A-Kid scores with a running kick to the chest.

An armbar over the ropes has Dragunov hurt again but he drops A-Kid again. Torpedo Moscow is cut off with a kick to the face though and they’re both down one more time. They slug it out with A-Kid getting the better of things and Dragunov not being able to powerbomb his way out of a cross armbreaker. He can however flip out of an Oomoplata, setting up Torpedo Moscow to the leg. Another Torpedo Moscow retains the title at 19:25.

Rating: A-. This was excellent stuff and the two of them beat the fire out of each other. That is what you should be expecting to see from Dragunov these days and A-Kid was able to hang in there with him every step of the way. The battle of limb manipulation was great here and it felt like a huge main event title match. These guys brought it and the match was excellent throughout, as you probably expected.

Dragunov demands A-Kid stand up so the handshake can end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. There is a reason that this show has been so well received as of late and the fans being back only make it better. This show felt important again and the energy from the fans played a bit role in that change. Granted the main event being a nearly twenty minute clinic helped as well, as we had one of the better editions of this show in a very long time.

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NXT UK
Date: September 16, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

The Heritage Cup #1 contenders tournament continues this week as we reach the semifinals. That’s probably a good thing as tournaments with one match a week take their sweet time getting along. Other than that, we are on the way towards…well absolutely nothing around here, which they might want to address. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Heritage Cup #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Noam Dar vs. Kenny Williams

Round one begins with both guys going after the leg and not getting very far. They go to the mat with Dar’s chinlock not working as Williams slips out and grabs a headlock. Back up and Dar goes after the arm, setting up an armbar and then a wristlock. Williams shoves him away to wrap up the round with a bad shoulder.

Round two begins with Williams taking him down and raking his boots over Dar’s eyes. Some kicks to the back and a running dropkick in the corner let Williams start in on the arm as well. Dar gets smart and kicks the leg out but Williams grabs a rollup with tights for the pin at 2:24 of the round (6:00) to go up 1-0.

Round three begins with Dar bailing to the floor and diving back in, only to get stomped down again. Dar blocks a shot to the arm though and starts kicking away at the leg some more. A running uppercut to the back gets two on Williams and a shot to the face gets the same. Williams tries to bounce off the ropes but gets pulled into a kneebar. That’s a lot of trouble but the round ends to give him a breather.

Round four begins with Dar hitting Williams in the face and getting a rollup out of the corner, only to get caught with his feet on the ropes. Back up and Williams takes out Dar’s leg and goes for a turnbuckle pad. That takes too long though and Dar grabs…something out of the corner, which he throws to Williams. The referee yells so Dar pulls Williams into the kneebar for the tap at 1:27 of the round (11:39) to tie it up.

Round five begins with the slugout until Dar hits a Judas Effect for two. Williams pulls him into the corner and scores with a rebound lariat but Dar rolls outside before Williams can try something else. Dar is thrown back in but Sha Samuels pops out from underneath the ring and grabs Williams’ leg, allowing Dar to hit the Nova Roller for the pin at 2:28 of the round (14:46 total) for the win.

Rating: C+. This was a fine technical match but it wasn’t exactly interesting. Dar is a good pesky heel but Williams is just a guy in tights. There is only so much that you can get out of a match like this and I think they hit that limit here. Dar was the only choice to have move forward here and it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t exactly fascinating.

Sid Scala introduces Ilja Dragunov….on the screen. Dragunov talks about how it has been a long time but he made the impossible possible. Now he is the new NXT UK Champion and he will be back, but who is going to be the one trying to take the title from him? Cue Nathan Frazer, who says he isn’t supposed to be here. He used to think something like this was in bad taste but why not him?

Cue Rampage Brown to remind us of what he did to Joe Coffey. That means he should get the shot, but here is A-Kid to say he should get the shot because he doesn’t have a limit. He’ll face anyone to get that shot so the triple threat #1 contenders match is set. Dragunov pops back up to say he agrees and the brawl is on. This segment showed me one thing: NXT UK wrestlers have very similar music.

Jinny and Joseph Conners throw Isla Dawn out of Jinny’s dressing room, but Dawn has messed with some things, including drawing a pentagram on the mirror.

Moustache Mountain thinks things are interesting around here.

Stevie Turner vs. Emilia McKenzie

McKenzie drives her into the corner to start so they slap each other a bit. A wristlock has Turner in almost no trouble as she reverses into a headlock. That’s broken up as well and it’s an elbow to the face into a dropkick. Turner is back with a running knee and elbows in the corner as we keep hearing about how futuristic she is. I have no idea what is futuristic about her, but that’s the description they’re going with for her.

Another shot to the face gives Turner two and we hit the double arm crank. McKenzie fights up and starts hitting some running clotheslines. Turner hits something like a Side Effect for two but McKenzie is back with a German suplex. A running knee to the face finishes Turner at 5:20.

Rating: C. They were doing well here, but I’m curious about the story they’re telling long term. McKenzie keeps standing up to defend Meiko Satomura and beats every challenger, making me think she is the next challenger. It’s not like there is anyone else out there to challenge Satomura at the moment anyway, so go with McKenzie later on. As for Turner…figure out what the heck she is supposed to be, or at least make her feel futuristic, because right now it’s just a weird buzzword.

Video on Wolfgang vs. Teoman in next week’s Heritage Cup tournament match.

Charlie Dempsey has been watching a lot of film and will show you something new. You might remember him as Bailey Matthews, or William Regal’s son.

During the break, the suspended Blair Davenport jumped Stevie Turner. Davenport promised to cause more bad things to happen until she is unsuspended.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly

Joe Coffey/Mark Coffey are challenging here. Mark and Lewis Howley start things off with Mark messing with the hair to make this personal. A big hiptoss sends Howley into the corner and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Back in and Stoker makes a blind tag but Joe is right there with a headlock takeover. That’s broken up and Stoker teases rolling away but kicks Joe in the face for a nice counter.

Joe doesn’t seem to mind as he crushes Stoker with a crossbody and it’s back to Mark for a seated abdominal stretch. Stoker gets over for the tag to Howley so Mark takes the knee out. With nothing else working, Stoker low bridges Mark to the floor and hammers away. Back in and a hurricanrana sends Mark into the corner for the tag to Joe and house is cleaned in a hurry.

Something like a DDT/Codebreaker combination takes Joe down though and the champs take over for the first time. Well in theory at least as Joe grabs a suplex but Stoker elbows him in the back to cut him off again. A clothesline out of the corner drops Howley though and a backdrop allows the hot tag to Mark. House is really cleaned and a middle rope bulldog gets two on Howley. Mark’s spear is countered into a DDT (nice) and the champs take over again.

Howley and Mark collide to put them both down again and the hot tag brings Joe back in. The middle rope spinning high crossbody hits Stoker and Mark Pounces Howley against the barricade. The fans thinks THIS IS AWESOME, despite there not being any fans there. Back in and a high/low gets two on Howley with Stoker making the save. Joe is posted hard and Spilled Milk retains the titles at 14:24.

Rating: B-. Ghost crowd chants aside, this was another case where Pretty Deadly should have been destroyed and managed to survive as champions. That’s the kind of thing that works every time as Pretty Deadly continues to be far better than anyone would have guessed. Seeing someone finally solve the puzzle is going to be awesome and that’s because of matches like this one.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a completely watchable but also completely skippable show. They got through an hour rather easily and the main event was good, but it wasn’t exactly something you would need to go out of your way to see. This show still needs something to build up to, like a Takeover, but I’m not sure if that is actually going to happen. In other words, we’re just kind of left watching a TV show, which can work but doesn’t exactly build up the excitement.

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

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AND

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