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

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

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

We open with a quick preview for the show.

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

Here are the semifinals:

Noam Dar
Kenny Williams

Wolfgang
Teoman

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

Sid Scala announces that Davenport has been indefinitely suspended.

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

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

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

Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter/Saxon Huxley vs. Symbiosis

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

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

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

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

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

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

United Kingdom Title: Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NXT UK
Date: August 19, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s title week around here as Pretty Deadly is defending the Tag Team Titles against Moustache Mountain. That alone should be enough, but we also have Stevie Turner getting a Women’s Title shot against Meiko Satomura. Throw in the last push towards the UK Title match between Walter and Ilja Dragunov (in America) and we should be rolling this week. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Women’s Title: Stevie Turner vs. Meiko Satomura

Satomura is defending and has Emilia McKenzie in her corner. Turner goes at her to start and is headlocked takeovered down in a hurry. Satomura grabs a double underhook and survives being driven into the corner. The arm cranking is on so Turner bails to the rope and kicks Satomura in the face over and over. A big kick to the face drops Satomura to one knee but she is back up with a running forearm in the corner.

The STF doesn’t go on and Turner bails straight to the rope. The threat of a big kick to the head sends Turner bailing out to the floor but this time she sends Satomura into the apron. More kicks to the face rock Satomura and it’s off to the cross arm choke. That’s broken up with a Pele kick as the kicks to the face are strong in this one. A cartwheel knee to the back gives Satomura two and a Death Valley Driver is good for the same. The STF retains Satomura’s title at 8:50.

Rating: C+. It was a hard hitting match and Turner looked better than she ever had before. That’s one of the reasons you have Satomura on the roster: she is going to bring anyone else up while still looking dominant herself. Whoever takes the title from her is going to be a huge deal, and the more people Satomura defeats, the bigger her eventual conqueror is going to be.

McKenzie congratulates Satomura post match.

Oliver Carter and Kenny Williams want the Heritage Cup. Carter wants it to glorify his people but Williams wants it for himself.

Video on Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey before their showdown next week, with knockout or submission only to win.

Saxon Huxley vs. Eddie Dennis

The rest of Symbiosis is here with Dennis. They take turns shoving each other around to start with Huxley running him over. A running elbow gets keeps Dennis in trouble and he gets knocked outside in a hurry. Dennis forearms him to the face which just makes Huxley mad, but a hard clothesline does some more damage. Back in and a top wristlock is broken up by Huxley, who drops him with a running clothesline in the corner.

Huxley drops him onto the barricade, says BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME, and then knocks him back off. Dennis avoids a running crossbody in the ropes and Divine Proposition (I think) gets two on Huxley. The second try at the running crossbody hits Dennis though Huxley goes up. A top rope clothesline into a fireman’s carry slam (Sean O’Haire’s old Widowmaker) gives Huxley the pin at 5:42.

Rating: C. I was getting Berzerker vibes from Huxley here and that’s actually a good thing. He has come a pretty long way and it is nice to see the insanity actually working out and it works a bit better as the good guy. It isn’t likely to take him to the title scene but as a wacky guy who comes in and hurts people, it’s a nice idea.

Post match Symbiosis comes in to beat on Huxley and an assisted Severn Bridge leaves him laying.

Video on Jinny vs. Aoife Valkyrie.

Isla Dawn vs. Dani Luna

Dawn is still a bit out there so Luna takes her down with straight power to start. Luna does it again but this time Dawn is back up with a front facelock. A pull of the hair has Luna in more trouble and some kicks to the ribs rock her again. Dawn grabs a cobra clutch, as Nigel is worried about Dawn taking Luna’s soul. More power gets Luna out of trouble and it’s a fall away slam into a nip up.

Some knees to the face and a kick to the head set up a backdrop driver for two on Luna, whose kickout didn’t have much snap. Dawn goes up so Luna follows, only to have her hair pulled out. While Dawn is very happy, Luna grabs a fireman’s carry into a sitout powerbomb (back to back matches with a similar finisher) for the pin at 6:49.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t as good, with Dawn doing her thing with trying to pull out Luna’s hair until Luna got sick of it and knocked her silly. Dawn has been going more with the supernatural stuff and that is a different way to go. It is also a more logical way to go, as there is little reason to go with the same mostly boring Dawn that we have been seeing over the last few years.

Video on Ilja Dragunov vs. Walter, with various wrestlers and personalities talking about how this is going to be an amazing war. They better not be wrong.

Tag Team Titles: Moustache Mountain vs. Pretty Deadly

Pretty Deadly is defending and they have their own moustaches this time. Stoker and Bate lock up to start and it’s Bate being taken down into a wristlock. That’s broken up with some skilled rolling and it’s off to Seven to chop Howley. A running elbow gets two and Bate comes back in with a Swanton for two. Everything breaks down and the champs’ moustaches are ripped out before double clotheslines put them on the floor.

Back in and Stoker makes a blind tag before being sent outside again. This time Bate gives chase, with Howley nailing a clothesline to finally put the champs in control. That doesn’t last long at all as Bate slips away and dives over for the tag to Seven. House is cleaned in a hurry and it’s right back to Bate for two off a double suplex. Howley leapfrogs Seven though and the duck lets Stoker grab a DDT in a nice spot. To keep up the tradition, Seven doesn’t stay in trouble long and hands it back to Bate to unload in the corner.

Bate hits the big dive over the top to take out both champs and there’s the Liger Kick to Howley for another near fall. The Tyler Driver 97 connects….for two, with Nigel being rather stunned on the kickout. It’s back to Stoker, who hits a quick middle rope Codebreaker for the near fall on Seven.

Back up and the big right hand allows Seven to get over to Bate. The rebound lariat/dragon suplex combination gets two on Stoker, even with Seven taking out Howley. Stoker is back up with the spinning torture rack into the half crab, with Howley throwing in the towel. Seven says he didn’t do it and the distraction lets Stoker get in a belt shot. After Seven is knocked down, it’s Spilled Milk to Bate to retain the titles at 14:56.

Rating: B. This was a very fast paced match and it was better than I would have bet on. They are doing a good job of making Pretty Deadly, one of the least impressive looking teams in awhile, into a team that could hold the titles for a long time to come. Moustache Mountain doesn’t need the titles, but if they win them, it is going to be a huge moment on the big stage.

Overall Rating: B-. The matches were (mostly) good and the show felt big. That’s a good way to spend a little over and hour and NXT UK has figured out the formula so well. It might be the best weekly show going today and this was another good edition. Just keep going with the formula, and maybe set up a Takeover down the line, and it’s hard to complain about much around here.

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NXT UK
Date: August 5, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

We’ve got a big one this week as it’s Jordan Devlin vs. A-Kid in a thirty minute Iron Man match. Devlin injured A-Kid’s knee in a previous match to set this up so let’s have a good one. That alone should be enough to carry the show but you know there is going to be at least a little bit more. Let’s get to it.

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

Shawn Michaels narrates a video about the history of the Iron Man match and what it means. Devlin is ready to win however and A-Kid says this is wrestling instead of a way to hurt people, as Devlin likes to do.

Opening sequence.

Xia Brookside vs. Blair Davenport

Brookside goes after the arm to start and takes Davenport down twice in a row. Back up and Davenport cranks on the arm as well until Brookside is back with a dropkick. Davenport takes her down and a baseball slide puts Brookside on the floor. Back in and Davenport is back on the arm until a headscissors gets Brookside out of trouble. A neckbreaker gets two on Davenport, who kicks her in the head. Two knees to the head put Brookside away at 4:23.

Rating: C. This was a way to make Davenport look like a bigger deal as she beat up a more established name. There was some nice storytelling to it also, as Brookside isn’t quite as serious in the ring and was taken out by the aggressive power stuff. Davenport seems to have started fast and it would be nice to see how far she can go. Brookside still has potential, but eventually she needs to do something with it.

We look back at last week’s staredown between Moustache Mountain and Pretty Deadly.

Pretty Deadly and Moustache Mountain agree to a match in the future.

We are getting an eight man tournament to crown a new #1 contender to the Heritage Cup Title. Here are the brackets:

Mark Andrews
Noam Dar

Kenny Williams
Oliver Carter

Wolfgang
Sam Gradwell

Teoman
Nathan Frazier

Isla Dawn finds a box buried in the woods and opens it to find that it’s empty. She puts a watch inside and I think we have a curse.

Wolfgang runs into Subculture, who isn’t happy with him costing them the Tag Team Titles. Flash Morgan Webster slaps him and leaves.

Josh Morrell/Danny Jones vs. Dave Mastiff/Jack Starz

This is Mastiff and Starz’s first time as a team. Starz grabs a front facelock on Morrell and takes him down. It’s time for some shouts to the arm, setting up the armbar. Morrell and Mastiff come in, with Mastiff suplexing him over the top and outside in a huge. Starz comes back in so Morrell kicks him in the face. Jones sends him into the corner for a running knee but charges into a backdrop. It’s back to Mastiff to clean house for a few seconds before Starz puts Morrell in the Tree of Woe. A running headbutt sets up Mastiff’s Into The Void for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: C-. A big/small team has worked forever and it can work here, even if it feels like a recycled Killian Dain/Drake Maverick story. It’s not like the division is deep in talent at the moment so throwing another team out there could do some good. If nothing else, I’ve wanted to see something more from Mastiff and this could be a good place for him.

Nina Samuels and Amele scream at each other in the makeup room.

Noam Dar and Mark Andrews have met before and they both wound up leaving on stretchers. Now they are ready to face each other again in the first round of the Heritage Cup #1 contenders tournament.

Aoife Valkyrie is ready to face Jinny one on one and has an idea to deal with Joseph Conners. The camera pans out to reveal a shark cage. Fair enough.

Stevie Turner interrupts Meiko Satomura’s training with what sounds like a challenge.

Here’s what’s coming over the next few weeks.

A-Kid vs. Jordan Devlin

Thirty minute Iron Man match and A-Kid might have a bad knee coming in. Feeling out process to start and they take turns going after wrist control. Devlin gets him down into an armbar but A-Kid is right back up. A dropkick puts Devlin on the floor but it’s back inside for more grappling. The threat of an armbar sends Devlin over to the ropes and he grabs a Gory Stretch to put A-Kid in trouble for a change. That’s broken up as well so they go to the pinfall reversal sequence.

A-Kid grabs a cross armbreaker, sending Devlin straight to the ropes. Devlin kicks him down though and starts cranking on the arm until A-Kid is up with a dropkick of his own. A slap to the face doesn’t annoy A-Kid, who grabs a headlock on the mat. That’s broken up as well and Devlin ties the bad leg into the ropes. A hard stomp onto the leg sets up a Texas Cloverleaf to give Devlin the first fall at 9:45.

We’re down to 20:00 to go as A-Kid insists that he can continue. Devlin is smart enough to stay on the leg with a kick to the knee into a chop block but A-Kid pulls him into a rear naked choke. The rope is reached though and Devlin drives the knee into the apron. Devlin wraps it around the post as well and the Figure Four around the post makes it even worse. Back in and a Boston crab sends A-Kid bailing to the rope.

With that not working, they trade German suplexes until they fall out to the floor for the double crash. They both beat the count back inside, where Devlin can’t get a Crossface. Instead he hits a running knee to the face for two but Devlin is back up to win the slugout. A-Kid pulls him right back down into the cross armbreaker though and Devlin taps to tie it up with 11:43 to go.

Devlin has to pause to get his elbow back to normal and gets knocked off the apron to make it worse. A-Kid kicks him down to get rid of a chair and snaps off a hurricanrana for two. The running knee gets the same on Devlin and they’re both down with a banged up limb. Devlin gets kicked outside with just over seven minutes to go but comes back in and headbutts A-Kid down for two.

They slug it out from their knees and wind up on the apron, where Devlin is smart enough to hook the rope to avoid any suplex attempt. Instead, he drops to the floor and pulls him down with the Devlin Side for the big crash with 4:00 left. They both dive back inside, where another Devlin Side is countered into a Canadian Destroyer. A kick to the head gives A-Kid two at 3:00 left.

A-Kid tries to pull him into the Rings of Saturn with his legs and finally gets the whole thing on to make Devlin tap with 1:30 left to make it 2-1. Devlin tries some rollups but can’t get anywhere with less than :30 left. They slug it out until Devlin gets two at 30:00, with A-Kid winning 2-1.

Rating: B+. The highest compliment that you can give a match like this is that it didn’t feel long and that was the case here. It felt like two guys beating each other up until one of them couldn’t hang in there any longer, but not through violence. Instead, this was a technical exchange with both guys working on a body part to have an advantage later in the match. Heck of a fight here and worth checking out.

Overall Rating: B. It’s kind of hard to complain about a show where about half of it was a rather awesome match. This was a great showcase for two of the potential breakout stars around here while the rest of the card was fine as a supplement. What matters here is they built up a big match and then delivered, which is a lot more than you would get on a lot of shows these days. Great main event on a good show.

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NXT UK
Date: July 29, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

We’re coming up on Ilja Dragunov vs. Walter II for the United Kingdom Title….but it’s going to take place in Florida on the regular NXT Takeover. Well so much for that. Instead, we’ll have to get read for the Iron Man match between Jordan Devlin and A-Kid. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jordan Devlin vs. Tristan Archer

Devlin takes him down by the arm to start without much effort and the cranking begins. Back up and Archer reverses into a wristlock of his own so Devlin nails a dropkick. Archer tries to knee away but gets hit in the face to drop him without much trouble. A belly to back backbreaker plants Archer again and Devlin grabs the chinlock with a knee in the back. We hit the neck crank for a bit until Archer fights up again. Devlin gets dropped for a running backsplash but Archer’s back is banged up. That’s enough for Devlin, who snaps off the Devlin Slide for the pin at 5:32.

Rating: C. They packed in a bit of a story into a five and a half minute match, which is quite the little trick. Archer has looked good in his limited appearances so far and I could see him doing something more in the future. Devlin continues to be one of the bigger stars around here and I’m still expecting him to become a main eventer at some point in the future.

Post match, Devlin says he has heard about a thirty minute Iron Man match against A-Kid. That’s cool with Devlin, but he has warned Johnny Saint that it will be the end of A-Kid’s career. Cue A-Kid on his crutches, which Devlin kicks away while issuing threats. A-Kid hits him anyway and cleans house, including some dropkicks. With Devlin on the floor, A-Kid says Devlin failed to get rid of him and next week, he’ll have thirty minutes to fail again.

Video on Jinny vs. Aoife Valkyrie.

We get the announcement that Ilja Dragunov will face Walter at Takeover on August 22. Walter is ready to destroy Dragunov for the greater good.

Meiko Satomura comes in to the women’s locker room and says she wants a challenge. Satomura then stands back while everyone else argues and smiles at all of them.

Aoife Valkyrie vs. Jinny

Joseph Conners is here with Jinny. Valkyrie works on the arm to start and Jinny can’t snapmare her way out of it. A kick to the head staggers Valkyrie, who is right back up with a running sunset flip for two. Conners offers a quick distraction though and Jinny gets in a shot from behind to take over. A shoulder takes Valkyrie down again but she sweeps the leg. Back up and Conners offers another distraction, allowing Jinny to snap the arm.

It’s off to the double arm crank until Valkyrie flips forward and kicks her way to freedom. Something like a surfboard takes Valkyrie down again and Jinny kicks her in the back to make it worse. That’s broken up and Valkyrie strikes away, including some kicks to the head. There’s a spinning kick to the face for two so Valkyrie goes up for the ax kick. Conners gets up for another distraction though, meaning Valkyrie has to settle for an enziguri. ANOTHER Conners distraction lets Jinny get in a shot from behind though and a rolling kick to the head finishes Valkyrie at 4:59.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t exactly feeling Conners having to interfere that many times but it isn’t like there is much of a reason to believe that Jinny is going to be a real threat to Valkyrie otherwise. That is Jinny’s biggest problem by a wide margin: she is a great character and can talk, but she is only so much inside the ring. She did fine enough here, but there is a gap between this and the top of the division.

Video on Joe Coffey vs. Rampage Brown, who are geared up for a hard hitting hoss fight.

A-Kid is ready to make history again when he wins next week’s Iron Man match.

Aleah James vs. Stevie Turner

They go technical to start with a wristlock not working, though Turner’s headlock doesn’t either. James ducks underneath a clothesline, but Turner stomps her down into the corner without much effort. There’s a facewash against the ropes but Turner misses a running boot and gets rolled up for two. James is back up with a running forearm and a dropkick, setting up a crossbody for two more. A missed charge rocks James so Turner hits a running clothesline, only to bounce off the ropes into a Downward Spiral to put James away at 4:28.

Rating: C. Turner is growing on me and James looked fairly smooth out there. I’m curious to see where Turner can go, but I don’t know if it is going to work out that well with her futuristic deal. It works fairly well, but I’m not sure if it is going to be good enough to get her into the title picture.

Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff train in the ring, with Starz having some issues with the size.

Symbiosis vs. Moustache Mountain

Eddie Dennis is in Symbiosis’ corner. Symbiosis jumps Bate and Seven during their WAY too choreographed entrance (it wasn’t hard to get in a cheap shot) and we start in a hurry. That’s fine with Bate, who busts out some nunchucks to clear the ring before the bell. Back in and T-Bone hammers Seven into the corner but Seven is back with a crossbody. A slam puts T-Bone down and it’s off to Bate for some driving shoulders. Seven comes back in and gets caught in a fast hot shot.

There’s a whip into the corner to keep Seven in trouble, followed by a catapult into a right hand to make it worse. A double stomp gives T-Bone two, followed by a backbreaker for the same. Seven fights up and hits Primate in the ribs, setting up a quick DDT for the hot tag to Bate.

Everything breaks down with Bate hitting Primate in the face and getting two off the running shooting star press. There’s the airplane spin with T-Bone attempting a save, only to have Bate throw Primate at him. The Tyler Driver 97 gets two on Primate with Primate making a save. T-Bone powerslams Bate down and takes out Seven, allowing Primate to hit his top rope head butt for two.

Bate chokes Primate on the apron but Eddie Dennis pulls him into the Severn Bridge into the barricade (egads). Back in and Bate manages a double clothesline to get him out of trouble, allowing Seven to make a blind tag. Bate dives onto Dennis and T-Bone, leaving Seven to hit the Seven Star Lariat for two on Primate. The top rope knee/Burning Hammer combination finishes Primate at 10:56.

Rating: B-. The ending was the right call as you don’t want to have Moustache Mountain losing unless it’s a big change. Symbiosis made the better team sweat a bit here with some of those near falls at the end being pretty hot. Other than that, this was a good showcase for both teams and a nice main event for a lower level TV show.

Pretty Deadly comes out for the staredown with Moustache Mountain to end the show. They had to get there at some point.

Overall Rating: C. While it wasn’t bad by any means, this show was pretty flat without much of anything that you need to see. The main event was by far the biggest thing this week and the ending has me interested in the title showdown, but there wasn’t much else worth mentioning. That is going to happen from time to time but NXT UK has enough of a reputation to be fine for a single off week.

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Coffey vs. Sha Samuels

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

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

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

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

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

Stevie Turner vs. Laura di Matteo

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oliver Carter vs. Teoman

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

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

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

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

Video on A-Kid vs. Jordan Devlin.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Joe Coffey vs. Rampage Brown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NXT UK
Date: April 1, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for NXT UK: Prelude, which does look like a pretty solid card. I’m not sure what else we can expect here other than the hard sell for the show, but Pretty Deadly are having their first Tag Team Title defense. Other than that, hopefully we are in for another nice week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Aoife Valkyrie vs. Stevie Turner

Turner is described as futuristic and says she has a bad habit of taking things to the next level. Valkyrie grabs a headlock and then does it again for a bonus. Turner takes her down into a headlock on the mat of her own before winning a battle over a top wristlock. An armbar keeps Valkyrie down and Turner picks up the leg for some kicks to the thigh.

Turner pulls her out of the corner for a crash and a near fall but Valkyrie is fine enough to get to the middle rope for a jumping kick to the ribs. An enziguri gets two on Turner but she grabs a Backstabber out of the corner for two. Back up and Valkyrie blocks a kick to the ribs and hammers away at Turner’s face. The top rope ax kick finishes Turner at 4:47.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and Turner got to showcase herself rather well in her debut. The women’s division has been needing some fresh blood for awhile now so maybe Turner is someone who could make a bit of an impact. Granted that might be a long time off, but you have to start somewhere. Or maybe they could have Valkyrie do anything other than beat up one woman after another.

Video on A-Kid, who has wanted to be a wrestler since he was fifteen. Now he has become a star and he wants to be a role model for the next A-Kid. Now he is ready to defend the Heritage Cup against either Noam Dar or Tyler Bate and he wants to find out who it is.

Piper Niven comes in to see Jack Starz, who is ready for a workout, but Piper says there is more to training than exercise. She gives him a training session in intensity, which could go somewhere interesting.

Teoman vs. Josh Morrell

Teoman goes for the arm to start and gets Morrell to the mat in a hurry. Back up and Morrell flips his way to freedom but Teoman slaps him in the face. It’s time to start stomping on the ankle, followed by a running shot to the face to knock Morrell silly. The neck crank goes on, followed by a running elbow to the face.

Back up and Morrell wins a slugout, followed by a twisting backflip over Teoman out of the corner. A hiptoss takes Teoman down but a standing moonsault hits raised knees. Teoman hits a missile dropkick to the back of the head and it’s a running double stomp to crush Morrell again. The Crossface finishes Morrell at 5:22.

Rating: C. Teoman is someone who seems to have a lot of potential but there is something missing from his big offense. A missile dropkick into a Crossface looks good but it isn’t the most impactful sequence. That being said, there is a certain aura to him and hopefully that can go somewhere in the near future. Morrell is kind of generic, but he is starting to develop a bit of a reputation.

We get a sitdown interview between Walter and Rampage Brown. Walter talks about how he is the most dominant champion in NXT UK history but he does not respect Brown. That’s fine with Brown, who says he beat Walter the first time he came from England. Walter asks what he has done since then. Brown talks about being the one who did this before Walter, which sends Walter into a rant about how Brown will never understand what it means to be a champion. This should be a heck of a hoss fight.

Gallus is training, including Joe Coffey having to box right handed due to an arm injury. They leave the gym and go beat up a guy in the street.

Here’s Kay Lee Ray for a chat. She talks about wanting and getting competition, including beating the legendary Meiko Satomura. Get used to the sight of her as champion….but here is Amelia McKenzie, who has not been here for two years. Amelia wants to beat the best and their paths will cross one day. Ray says they can cross right now but here is Isla Dawn to jump McKenzie from behind. The beatdown is on but Meiko Satomura makes the save.

Video on Noam Dar vs. Tyler Bate, who are in a #1 contenders match for a shot at the Heritage Cup next week. Bate says he is a tidal wave so Dar better bring his lifeboat. Dar on the other hand is feeling dangerous.

Kay Lee Ray and Isla Dawn aren’t happy but here is Sid Scala to put them in a tag match against Amelia McKenzie and Meiko Satomura next week. Dawn stares at Scala.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan vs. Pretty Deadly

Williams/Jordan are challenging and after the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Howley works on Jordan’s arm to start and it’s off to Stoker in a hurry. A shoulder puts Jordan down but he is right back up with some dropkicks into a backslide for two. Howley and Williams come in with Howley working on the arms to keep control. Williams is back up with a leg crank and a foot on Howley’s face to make him scream.

That’s broken up and it’s back to Stoker for two off a double hiptoss. Williams armdrags him into an armbar though, setting up a tag back to Jordan. The alternating arm cranking has Stoker in trouble and a double dropkick from Jordan takes down both champs at once. Stoker and Howley are sent outside, with McGuinness being happy with the stall to cut off the momentum. Back in and Stoker makes a blind tag, allowing him to blast Jordan with a clothesline to take over.

We hit the chinlock until Jordan fights up with a neckbreaker but the hot tag attempt is cut off in a hurry. Another shot to Howley lets Jordan dive over but a tackle cuts if off again. The third attempt allows the hot tag to Williams though and the pace picks up in a hurry. A springboard double back elbow drops both champs as everything breaks down. Stoker drops to his back and kicks both of them in the face for a pretty sweet counter.

Jordan is back up with a wheelbarrow faceplant into a Swanton from Williams but Stoker makes another save. Williams hits a tornado DDT for two on Howley but he’s back up with a jawbreaker. Jordan springboards in, only to get caught by Stoker’s DDT. The referee gets bumped though and Williams grabs a title belt. Jordan insists that they don’t need to cheat….so Williams hits him with the belt instead. Spilled Milk retains the titles at 15:29.

Rating: B-. They took their time to get into a groove here but then it wound up working out well in the end. This was a formula tag match with an angle in the end, though I’m not sure how much interest there is in Williams turning on Jordan. Williams has been the bigger star since the team formed, but they still had a chance to win here before the screwy finish. Good match, but Pretty Deadly is a lot better with their vignettes than in the ring.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m running out of ways to say that NXT UK is a nice show with a bunch of good things every week. It might not be the show filled with star power or big angles, but it is a perfectly watchable wrestling show and that is all it needs to be. They are building up to a big show next week and they have set it up well enough. Another rather nice show this week and that’s a nice thing to look forward to every time.

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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