After being revealed as the mystery attacker last Tuesday, Blair Davenport will return to in-ring action on this Tuesday’s WWE NXT against Dani Palmer.
Palmer became the latest victim of the masked and fully concealed Davenport. This past Tuesday, Palmer demanded the attacker reveal themselves and while distracted by a video, Davenport attacked Palmer from behind and revealed herself.
The 27-year-old Davenport has been off TV after failing to win the unified NXT Women’s title at last September’s Worlds Collide between then-NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose and then-NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura.
Palmer has been undefeated in her last six overall matches with her last televised singles win coming over Tatum Paxley last month.
Here’s the current lineup for Tuesday:
NXT Women’s Championship number one contender battle royal
Eddy Thorpe vs. Damon Kemp
Blair Davenport vs. Dani Palmer
The Schism (Jagger Reid, Rip Fowler & Ava) vs. Diamond Mine (Ivy Nile, Brutus Creed & Julius Creed)
Blair Davenport has been behind the rash of attacks against the NXT women’s roster.
On Tuesday’s NXT, Dani Palmer entered the ring and demanded the attacker reveal themselves, saying that it was because of them that Sol Ruca was out for a year. As a video aired showing the attacker’s victims, the attacker jumped Palmer from behind. She eventually revealed herself to be none other than Davenport, who had been absent for months from NXT television.
Davenport was last seen on NXT last year, entering the feud between then NXT and NXT UK Women’s Champions Mandy Rose and Meiko Satomura. The three met at NXT Worlds Collide last September, where Rose defeated Davenport and Satomura to unify both titles.
In recent months Nikkita Lyons, Sol Ruca, Wendy Choo, Dani Palmer, and Roxanne Perez had all been attacked by the assailant. Lyons and Ruca were both written off of TV due to injuries, while Choo eventually returned to TV.
Join on-air personality Denise Salcedo on Speak Now Pro Wrestling as she recaps the August 23, 2022 edition of NXT 2.0. This show featured more NXT UK talent, belt unifications, the build to Worlds Collide, a promo exchange between Apollo Crews and Grayson Waller, a noteworthy promo from Cora Jade, the love story between Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis, plus a lights out main event with Wendy Choo and Tiffany Stratton. This is the perfect podcast to stay up to date with NXT!
A triple threat match will unify the NXT and NXT UK Women’s titles at Worlds Collide.
NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose, UK Champion Meiko Satomura, and Blair Davenport will meet on September 4. The match was made tonight after Satomura made her NXT debut and accepted challenges from both Rose and Davenport.
After Davenport defeated Indi Hartwell on Tuesday’s NXT, she said that since she was number one contender for the NXT UK title, she may as well also be the number one contender for the NXT Women’s title. Rose came out and complemented Davenport, but demanded Davenport put respect on her name. Satomura came out and said she was the most dominant champion and challenged Rose to a unification match at World’s Collide. Davenport interrupted, again saying she was the number one contender. Satomura then made the challenge a triple threat match.
Here is the lineup so far for Worlds Collide:
Bron Breakker vs. Tyler Bate for the NXT and NXT UK Championships
Mandy Rose vs. Meiko Satomura vs. Blair Davenport for the NXT and NXT UK Women’s Championships
Blair Davenport appeared on Tuesday’s WWE NXT Heatwave show, another NXT UK star showing up on the main NXT brand.
Davenport appeared in a backstage segment with Indi Hartwell. Hartwell was reading a message, hinted to be from Dexter Lumis, when Davenport appeared and took the card out of Hartwell’s hands.
Davenport made her NXT UK debut in 2021 following a lengthy run in STARDOM, plus a stint in NJPW as Will Ospreay’s second as a member of United Empire.
In a pair of unsuccessful title challenges, Davenport faced NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura on episodes that aired in January and February of this year.
In her most recent match, Davenport went to a no-contest with Isla Dawn in an NXT UK Women’s title number one contender’s match on the August 4 episode of NXT UK.
Davenport joins Gallus’s Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, and Wolfgang of Gallus as members of the NXT UK roster that made appearances at Heatwave.
Hayze used her speed and agility early on, but she got stopped with a basement dropkick and the returning Davenport took over. Hayze briefly came back and scored a two count off a botched slingblade.
Davenport hit a dropkick from the second turnbuckle, then turned a guillotine into a Northern Lights suplex. Davenport followed up with a Falcon Arrow for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Davenport declared that she’s back and vowed that she will crush dreams.
– Kenny Williams was in Sid Scala’s office when Tiger Turan walked in and they had words. They will have a match next week — and Williams vowed to unmask Turan.
– Noam Dar and Sha Samuels walked into the UK Performance Center, where Mark Coffey was training. They had words and Coffey challenged Dar to a match for the Heritage Cup Championship. Samuels gave 1 in 100 odds to Coffey winning and bet a stack of his own money. A lot of wrestlers and trainers then wanted in on the bet.
Fallon Henley defeated Emilia McKenzie (8:32)
McKenzie used grappling and submission techniques early, but Henley escaped. Henley came back with some power moves. McKenzie hit a swinging neckbreaker for a two count.
They traded pinfall attempts and McKenzie locked in a modified Cobra Clutch. Henley looked to have tweaked her knee when she jumped over McKenzie, who took advantage of the injury, hit a spear to the leg, and worked the leg over.
Henley then countered an attack into a sunset flip for the surprise victory. McKenzie looked upset but still shook Henley’s hand.
– Oliver Carter talked about Ashton Smith’s recovery from injury. Die Familie entered and Teoman greeted Carter in German. All three tried to persuade Carter to join them and told him that it would be in his best interest. They left and Carter looked like he was thinking.
– Sarray trained at the UK Performance Center. Xia Brookside and Eliza Alexander walked up and talked down to her. Meiko Satomura and Emilia McKenzie then walked into the frame and Satomura told the two heels that they talk too much. Satomura said that — if Brookside and Alexander wanted to step into the ring — she and Sarray would teach them a lesson. McKenzie briefly looked taken aback that Satomura would team with Sarray instead of her.
Wolfgang defeated Sha Samuels (10:20)
Wolfgang used his power early on to manhandle Samuels. Samuels finally outsmarted the bigger man and worked over his left arm. Wolfgang’s shoulder gave out on a suplex attempt and Samuels dropped him with a lariat.
Samuels applied a number of submissions on the injured shoulder, then hit a spinebuster as Wolfgang came off the top rope and was distracted by Noam Dar on the apron.
Wolfgang turned the match around when he got his knees up as Samuels came off the ropes. He dropped Dar with a big boot, then vaulted over the top rope and hit a spear on Samuels for the win.
Trent Seven in-ring promo
Seven came out dressed like a proper douche.
Since turning against Tyler Bate, Seven said he’s heard the question “Why, Trent? Why?” Seven said he had some visual aids. He brought up a picture of him low-blowing Bate, calling it a work of art.
Seven said it was the most important moment in British sports as he saved the industry. Seven said he was the center of attention now and took credit for having the most fans in BT Sport Studios since NXT UK started taping there.
Seven said Bate had lost his killer instinct and would not come back to face him. He said Bate was a weak little boy and would never be back — while Seven was British Strong Style and Moustache Mountain.
As Seven left, he got into it with a fan at ringside. Security told the fan to calm down, but the fan jumped the rail and Seven kicked him in the groin as security held the fan back.
Final Thoughts —
An average show with not a lot of great in-ring action. Wolfgang vs. Samuels was fine (as is to be expected with those two), Davenport’s return was a glorified squash, and Henley looked wooden at times. They are continuing to set up a slow-burn program between Satomura and McKenzie down the line it seems.
Trent Seven’s promo was the best thing on the show.
Next Week —
Kenny Williams vs. Tiger Turan
Meiko Satomura & Sarray vs. Xia Brookside & Eliza Alexander
In Two Weeks —
NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar defends against Mark Coffey
Several months after suffering a scary-looking leg injury, Blair Davenport is returning to action.
A video aired on NXT UK this week revealing that Davenport (Bea Priestley) is returning to the ring. Davenport issued a warning putting the NXT UK roster on notice.
A return date for Davenport wasn’t announced.
Davenport’s injury happened during a Japanese Street Fight against Meiko Satomura for the NXT UK Women’s Championship. The match aired on NXT UK this February.
During the street fight, Davenport jumped off the top rope and gave Satomura a double stomp as Satomura was on the apron. Davenport’s ankle landed badly, the match was stopped, and Davenport was stretchered out.
Blair Davenport sent out a tweet thanking everyone for the love they sent her after her injury aired. Davenport wrote that she’ll be back before you know it.
Thank you for all your love 🥰 I’ll be back before you know it 🖤
The main event of this week’s NXT UK was cut short due to an injury suffered by Blair Davenport.
Davenport challenged for Meiko Satomura’s NXT UK Women’s Championship in a Japanese Street Fight on Thursday’s NXT UK episode. The match ended in a referee stoppage when Davenport suffered an ankle injury while going for a double stomp.
With Satomura on the apron, Davenport jumped off the top rope and connected with the double stomp. But when Davenport hit the floor, her ankle landed badly and she screamed out in pain. Davenport grabbed her ankle and the referee put up the “X” sign. The match was stopped and Davenport was stretchered out.
Davenport (Bea Priestley) made her NXT UK debut last July after signing with WWE. Stardom and AEW are among the promotions that she’s previously wrestled for.
This was the second time that Davenport had challenged Satomura for the NXT UK Women’s title. Satomura retained against Davenport on an episode of NXT UK that aired last month. After that match, Davenport attacked Satomura and said that she’d see her again soon.
The show opened with a video promoting tonight’s Meiko Satomura vs. Blair Davenport main event, along with the finals of the NXT UK Tag Team title number one contender’s tournament. Tyler Bate and Trent Seven, the current Tag Team Champions, were walking backstage.
NXT UK Tag Team title number one contender’s tournament finals: Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith defeated Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz (12:32)
Moustache Mountain were on commentary for the match.
Starz took Carter down to start, but Carter came back and held his own. Smith and Mastiff were then in — and Mastiff wasted no time, running Smith over and hitting a sit-down splash.
Both men tagged out, then Carter hit an assisted slingshot shoulder block on Starz. Carter crashed and burned off a missed quebrada and got squished by a senton. Just seconds later, Carter had recovered enough that he and Smith hit a double back body drop on Mastiff.
Smith and Carter quickly tagged in and out, isolating Starz and taking turns working him over. Starz finally made the hot tag and Mastiff ran wild on both men, eventually settling in on Smith. Smith briefly hit Mastiff with a shoulder block and Starz wanted the tag, but Mastiff refused. Mastiff insisted that he had things under control and waved Starz off.
Mastiff went for Into the Void, but Smith moved out of the corner. Carter then hit running double knees to the back of Mastiff, followed by a lariat from Smith. Carter then hit an assisted moonsault to score the pin. Smith prevented Starz from being able to break it up.
Carter & Smith will be the first team to challenge Moustache Mountain for the NXT UK Tag Team titles.
– Davenport was shown backstage, twirling a Singapore cane.
– A-Kid was asked about next week’s match against Saxon Huxley. A-Kid said he respected him and they did some etiquette training. A-Kid tried teaching Huxley about table manners, chess, mathematics, and classical music. Things didn’t go well. A-Kid said they’d be back next week.
– Nathan Frazer was walking to his car and was asked about his day at the Performance Center. The car wouldn’t start and he was attacked by Die Familie. Charlie Dempsey and Rohan Raja held Frazer up while Teoman punched him. Raja talked into the camera and said this is what happens when you disrespect their family. We also got a cameo appearance by the camerawoman here, who was wXw’s head of video production, Katja Pilz.
Isla Dawn defeated Myla Grace (3:00)
This was over rather quick. Grace hit some promising offense but quickly was defeated by the swinging side slam.
– Satomura was shown preparing backstage.
– Nina Samuels hijacked an interview with Amale, then proceeded to talk down to her. Amale responded by shoving the microphone into Samuels and challenging her to a match.
– Sam Gradwell was asked about Kenny Williams recently costing him a tag match against Pretty Deadly. Gradwell said he might have gotten a taste of his own medicine, but that Williams was not ready for him.
– Gallus interrupted Noam Dar and Sha Samuels. Joe Coffey wanted to bet that he takes the Heritage Cup from Dar, but Samuels turned him down. Coffey then wanted on the Supernova Sessions, but Dar said they already had Jordan Devlin booked as a guest for the talk show’s season two premiere. Dar walked off, saying he has places to be and people to see.
– A graphic announced that Nathan Frazer would face Teoman next week.
– Japanese Street Fight for the NXT UK Women’s championship: Meiko Satomura defeated Blair Davenport by referee stoppage to retain her title (9:15)
There were no disqualifications or countouts in this match, but pinfalls could only happen in the ring. The match ended with what appeared to be a legitimate injury to Davenport.
Satomura kicked Davenport’s Singapore cane out of her hands at the start of the match, then kicked her in the head, sending Davenport to ringside. Davenport got some steel chairs and a chain from under the ring, but Satomura thwarted the attacks.
Satomura hit Davenport with a chain, then got a near fall off a pinning combination. Davenport came back and kicked a chair the champ was wielding into her face. At ringside, Satomura threw Davenport into the ring steps but got beaten up with the cane in return.
Davenport used a steel structure, used to hold the turnbuckles in place, to bend Satomura’s fingers, but she would not quit. Davenport used a cane for assistance during an STF, then used it on Satomura some more.
Satomura rolled on the apron while Davenport got on the top rope. Satomura tried throwing her off, but Davenport kicked her and Satomura’s upper body was on the apron. Davenport then hit a double foot stomp, but after making an impact and hitting the floor, it looked like Davenport’s left ankle gave out and she immediately rolled around the floor, screaming in pain.
The referee checked on Davenport and immediately threw up the “X” sign and stopped the match. Satomura was awarded the win due to referee stoppage as Davenport was put on a stretcher outside the ring.
Final Thoughts —
The main event, which was gearing up to be a great street fight, was cut short by what appears to have been a legitimate ankle injury to Blair Davenport. Hopefully Davenport makes a quick and full recovery.
The number one contender’s tag team match was a lot of fun and seems to indicate trouble between Starz and Mastiff down the road. Moustache Mountain vs. Carter & Smith should also be great. The Isla Dawn match was a quick squash and mostly filler.
A Women’s Championship match will headline next week’s episode of NXT UK.
Meiko Satomura will put her title on the line against Blair Davenport in a Japanese street fight. The announcement was made during this week’s episode.
Satomura defeated Davenport in a title match on the episode that aired three weeks ago, but Davenport attacked Satomura after the match. In the hype video announcing the match, Satomura said that last time she defeated Davenport, but this time she will destroy her.
Satomura has held the NXT UK Women’s Championship since last June, when she defeated Kay Lee Ray for the title.
Also set for next week’s episode is the final of the NXT UK Tag Team Championship number one contenders tournament. Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter will face Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff in the tournament finals.
The winners of that contest will become the new top challengers to Moustache Mountain’s Tyler Bate and Trent Seven, who have held the NXT UK Tag titles since December.
The show opened with a promo video, highlighting tonight’s main event match between Meiko Satomura and Blair Davenport.
NXT UK Tag Team title number one contender’s tournament: Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter defeated Symbiosis (Primate & T-Bone) (w/Eddie Dennis) (09:37)
Carter and Primate started out and Carter and Smith had Primate under control early, before he finally tagged in T-Bone. The babyface team used some double team magic to wear the bigger T-Bone down.
Symbiosis came back and went for a double suplex on Carter, but Smith pulled his partner out the move and to safety. Symbiosis finally found their groove and worked Smith over, focusing on his back.
Symbiosis scored a near fall on Smith after Primate hit a frog splash on him.
Carter finally received a hot tag and ran wild on bot opponents. He scored a near fall with a quebrada but Symbiosis quickly regrouped and focused on Smith once more. Smith rammed T-Bone into Primate who was on the top rope. He clotheslined T-Bone to the outside, where Carter took him out with a dive.
Smith then lifted Primate on his shoulders and Carter hit him with a Doomsday cutter for the pinfall victory.
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– Blair Davenport was shown warming up backstage.
– Pretty Deadly were asked about losing the tag team titles to Moustache Mountain. They complained about some other teams receiving a chance at the title in a tournament. Sam Gradwell then walked up and told them to stop whining and complaining and told them they had to take what they wanted around here.
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An absolutely fantastic video on Ilja Dragunov aired.
He was first shown training. He talked about how his intensity wasn’t his biggest strength, but his family was. They then showed him with his wife and son at home, preparing food and playing. He said sometimes when his son falls down, he asks him “why do we fall” and his son replies” to get back up”.
He said his family isn’t his weakness, it’s his strength as they played clips of Jordan Devlin insulting Dragunov, using his family to talk trash to Dragunov. This was great.
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– Noam Dar was watching the match between A-Kid and Nathan Frazer on his phone while Samuels had jotted down all the possible ways for Dar to win on a flip chart. They settled on Dar to beat Frazer in the 4th round for 11:1 odds.
– Die Familie cut a taped promo. Rohan Raja said that they were a family and Metehan talked about how the eye sees everything and now it sees them winning tag team gold. He said it was nice that Tyler Bate and Trent Seven were friends, but their bond was stronger.
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Xia Brookside beat Myla Grace (03:50)
Brookside played crybaby some more, escaping into the ropes and complaining when her arm got worked over. Grace kept her momentum and the crowd was audibly behind her. She hit a 619 on Xia who was sitting in the corner.
Xia pulled her off the ropes, hit a kick to the back and hit Broken Wings for the win.
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– A-Kid trained at the UK Performance Center and talked about wanting to recapture the NXT UK Heritage Cup.
– Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff cut a promo about how they would win the tag team titles in 2022.
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Amale was interviewed at the UK Performance Center about her amazing video package and detailing her story and how it exploded on social media. Mila Smidt entered and told her that her story was inspirational.
Jinny then entered and told her it was a pathetic sob story, then left to catch her limo. Stevie Turner looked on and said that Jinny had a point. Amale flipped her lid, pushed her against the glass door and berated her in French.
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A video package on WALTER aired, talking about how next week, he would make his “last stand” in NXT UK and have his final match on the brand. He then cut a promo and said that he dominated and brought back glory, respect and dignity to this sport.
He said he was told great things about Frazer and that he was the future of the brand. WALTER wasn’t impressed and like everyone else, Frazer was in it for himself and was taking the piss out of the sport. He said that every time, the Ring General steps into the ring, he comes out victorious.
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NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura (c) defeated Blair Davenport to retain the title (12:57)
Satomura started out with leg kicks, then turned a knuckle lock into a Judo hip toss. She followed with an arm drag and kneeling arm bar, further controlling her opponent. They finally exchanged strikes and Satomura kicked Davenport off the top rope to the outside as Davenport went for a springboard maneuver. The champion kept on offense, using a surfboard and more strikes, sending Davenport to ringside once more.
Davenport used her ringside position to her advantage though, kicking Satomura straight on the jaw as she went to leave the ring, almost knocking her out. She hit a draping DDT off the apron to the floor, then quickly went for a pin but only score a two count. She hit a running basement dropkick for another near-fall, then locked in a chin lock.
Meiko finally made another stand, hitting a vicious suplex on Davenport, then locked in an STF, but Davenport managed to lock in a Fujiwara arm bar from the hold. Davenport went for the Falcon Arrow, but couldn’t get it and received a DDT instead. Meiko went for a Pelé kick, but Davenport caught her leg and locked in an STF of her own. She followed with more kicks and a running knee that sent Satomura through the ropes. Davenport hit a double foot stomp off the top on Satomura’s back as she was on the apron. Satomura evaded the V-Trigger, then hit two consecutive Death Valley Bombs for a two count. Satomura went for Scorpion Rising, but Davenport evaded and hit a knee for another two.
Davenport went for the Falcon Arrow once more, but Meiko evaded it and went for another Death Valley Bomb. Davenport turned it into a sunset flip, but Satomura reversed it, sat down and scored the pinfall victory.
As Satomura celebrated, Davenport attacked her from behind and hit three consecutive V-Triggers. She posed with the belt, then threw it onto Satomura and told her. she’d see her again.
Final Thoughts —
The main event was very good and told a great story. Meiko finally prevailed, showing ring prowess, but it was through a roll up and not a deciding move. Davenport’s attack prolonged the program afterwards.
The tag team match was a typical high level match.
The other women’s match was more of a showcase for Xia Brookside’s new heel personality.
The video package on Ilja Dragunov and his family was outstanding.
Next week —
WALTER’s Last Stand: WALTER vs. Nathan Frazer
NXT UK Tag Team Championship number one contender’s tournament: Die Familie vs. Jack Starz & Dave Mastiff
Blair Davenport will be the next challenger for the NXT UK Women’s Championship.
WWE has announced that NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura will defend her title against Davenport on the first NXT UK episode of 2022. The episode is airing on Thursday, January 6.
Satomura has held the NXT UK Women’s Championship since winning it from Kay Lee Ray this June. She’s made successful title defenses against Amale, Stevie Turner, Jinny, and Xia Brookside.
Davenport (Bea Priestley) made her NXT UK debut this July. She’s a former champion for Stardom and had been part of the AEW roster prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Davenport is undefeated since joining NXT UK. Last week, she defeated Satomura’s protege Emilia McKenzie. After the match, Davenport put McKenzie in an STF, which is one of Satomura’s signature moves. Davenport said she wanted a title match between the “Final Boss” and the “Ichiban Gaijin.”
A video package building up Satomura and Davenport’s title match aired on this week’s NXT UK. Davenport said she conquered Japan while wrestling in the country, but Satomura is the one match she’s been chasing.
The Thursday, January 6 episode of NXT UK will also feature a tag team match between Symbiosis (Primate & T-Bone) and Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith. The following week, Teoman & Rohan Raja will face Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz. The teams that win those matches will advance to a number one contender’s bout to determine the first challengers for Moustache Mountain’s NXT UK Tag Team titles.
Blair Davenport vs. Nina Samuels never officially started
Davenport attacked Samuels as she was on the turnbuckles during her entrance and Samuels tumbled to ringside. Davenport followed, rammed her into the apron and the barricades, then hit the Falcon Arrow on her. She set up for her V-Trigger but the referee stopped her and another referee and Sid Scala ran in to check on Samuels. Scala screamed at her to go backstage.
Davenport then hit the V-Trigger on Scala and planted him with the Falcon Arrow. She left as Scala writhed on the mat in pain.
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Highlights aired from last week’s match between Aoife Valkyrie and Jinny. It was announced that Valkyrie had suffered an knee injury during the match and would be out for an indefinite amount of time. Jinny then cut a promo on her, saying she may have won the match, but Jinny was the woman still standing.
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Symbiosis were in a video where they talked about how next week, there would be a six-men tag team match between the three of them and Saxon Huxley and two partners of his choosing. Eddie Dennis said Symbiosis was greater than the sum of its parts and how Huxley may have beaten him, but even a broken clock was right twice a day. He sarcastically told Huxley “better luck next time.”
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“Bomber” Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz defeated Andy Wild & Dan Moloney (05:48)
Mastiff and Wild started out, with Mastiff hitting a Northen Lights suplex on Wild for a near-fall. Starz and Mastiff quickly tagged in and out and had their opponents under control, until Moloney got a backslide against Starz and worked over his arm. Starz then made his own comeback and tagged Mastiff, who hit a senton on Moloney.
Starz was back in and got distracted by Wild, allowing Moloney to take back over. Starz eventually got the hot tag and Mastiff ran wild on both opponents. Starz then hit a diving headbutt onto Moloney who hung in the turnbuckles, followed by somersault senton into the corner by Mastiff for the pin and the win.
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Pretty Deadly were posing and dancing in a fountain for WWE’s TikTok account when Gallus (Joe & Mark Coffey) walked up. They said the tag team titles would look better on them and Mark pushed Howley over, sending him splashing into the water, which he sold great. Gallus laughed as they left while the champs were pouting.
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Emilia McKenzie defeated Amale (06:44)
Amale backed McKenzie into the corner, but she came back with a takedown and started working over Amale’s legs. Amale briefly came back, but McKenzie hit a few suplexes before getting overwhelmed. McKenzie was on the apron and Amale hit a running knee to send her to ringside. Amale kept beating McKenzie down, until she came back with a belly-to-back suplex.
They went back and forth and Amale locked in a cobra clutch. Emilia then caught her with a small package for near-fall, but Amale went back to the cobra clutch. McKenzie came back with a backslide and a La Magistral cradle for more near falls. Amale hit a running kick in the corner, then set up for her finishing maneuver, but McKenzie rolled her up for the win.
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A clip recapped Blair Davenport’s attack on Nina Samuels and Sid Scala earlier tonight. Scala, wearing a neck brace, was being checked out in the trainer’s room backstage.
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Earlier in the week, Oliver Carter and Ashton Smith came to the arena and Carter told Smith he had a surprise for him. They opened a door and Saxon Huxley was doing Saxon Huxley things. Smith was shocked, but Carter was elated and told Saxon they’d back him up against Symbiosis.
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Sam Gradwell and Wolfgang talked about their Heritage Cup tournament match next week. Last time they clashed, Gradwell busted open Wolfgang hardway, while Wolfgang cracked one of Gradwell’s ribs. They both were good here.
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NXT UK Heritage Cup number one contender tournament first round: Teoman (w/ Rohan Raja) defeated Nathan Frazer (14:08)
Round 1 —
They battled in a along lock-up spot early and Teoman worked over Frazer’s arm. Frazer came back at the end of the round and hit a dropkick right at the bell.
Round 2 —
Frazer hit a flying forearm that sent Teoman to the outside, then followed with a dive that only wiped Raja out. This allowed Teoman to throw Frazer into the steps and pin him back in the ring at 1:04 of the round. Teoman 1-0
Round 3 —
Teoman attacked Frazer right away, then beat him down. Frazer came back with some head scissors that sent Teoman to ringside, but he trapped Frazer under the ring skirts and beat him down some more. Frazer came back with a springboard dropkick as Teoman was on the top turnbuckle, then hit a springboard hurricanrana, but the time in the round ran out just as he made the cover.
Round 4 —
They traded blows as the round started, until Teoman went for the crossface but couldn’t get Frazer down. Teoman hit a missile dropkick to the back of Frazer’s head for a very close near-fall. Frazer then it a sort of snap/power small package for a quick pin at 1:49 of the round. Frazer 1-1
Round 5 —
Frazer started with a sling blade and a swinging neck breaker for another near-fall. They did an impressive spot where Frazer evaded a back handspring elbow by Teoman, went for a quebrada, bu got countered into a Falcon Arrow for a near-fall. Teoman fell to ringside and Frazer hit a dive on him, as Raja was on the other side of the ring. Teoman narrowly kicked out of a springboard flying elbow. Frazer then missed a phoenix splash as Raja briefly distracted him, allowing Teoman to hit an inverted headlock driver for the deciding pinfall at 2:47 of the round. Teoman wins 2-1
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Final Thoughts —
The Blair Davenport beatdown of Samuels and Scala came as a surprise and will undoubtedly have some repercussions for her down the line. It established her as a monster though.
The tag match was fine and McKenzie vs. Amale was a nice match that further established McKenzie as the underdog babyface.
The Teoman vs. Frazer Heritage Cup match was fantastic as both men continue to shine. I can see Teoman having great matches with both Tyler Bate and Ilja Dragunov down the line.
Next week —
a special replay of the NXT UK championship match of WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov from NXT TakeOver 36
Symbiosis (Eddie Dennis, T-Bone & Primate) vs. Saxon Huxley, Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith
Heritage Cup number one contender tournament: Wolfgang vs. Sam Gradwell
The show opened with a great video narrated by Triple H and Shawn Michaels talking about the challenges of an Iron Man match. They had clips from all the great Iron Man matches in WWE history, along with voiceovers by A-Kid and Jordan Devlin, with clips of their previous match.
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Blair Davenport defeated Xia Brookside (4:21)
Brookside aggressively worked over Davenport’s arm early. She followed with a hurricanrana and a rollup for a two-count.
Davenport then countered a monkey flip attempt, lifted Xia over the top and sent her to ringside with a dropkick.
They went back and forth a bit, before Davenport hit a head kick, missile dropkick off the top and a V-Trigger for the win.
After the match, Davenport hit a falcon arrow on Brookside and posed over her.
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Scenes from after the tag team main event last week aired. Moustache Mountain had beaten Symbiosis when Pretty Deadly came out and applauded them. Moustache Mountain were elated about their win backstage and were confronted once more by the tag team champions, who said they wanted to embarrass the fans’ favorite tag teams. Bate was reluctant, since he is the Heritage Cup champion, but Seven asked him to give it a go and he agreed. He also called Pretty Deadly the Godwinns 2K21, because they wore overalls.
Sid Scala then announced while the match will take place, Bate is also the Heritage Cup champion and as he is a fighting champion, an eight-man tournament will take place to determine the number one contender. The first round matches are:
Mark Andrews vs. Noam Dar
Kenny Williams vs. Oliver Carter
Nathan Frazer vs. Teoman
Sam Gradwell vs. Wolfgang
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Video aired of Isla Dawn in the ruins of some castle or building in the woods. She uncovered a wooden box with some witch markings, put a watch into it and left it there. While this was going on, images of Emilia McKenzie flashed on the screen. All creepier than Alexa Bliss and her doll.
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Subculture were asked what was next for them as they encountered Wolfgang backstage. Webster told him he was a genius for getting a match with Tyler Bate by slapping him. Wolfgang said that’s all you had to do, when Webster slapped him and ran away. Wolfgang smiled, then went after them.
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Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz defeated Josh Morrell & Danny Jones (5:27)
Starz and Jones started out and Starz showed off his great fundamentals. Morrell and Mastiff were in next and Mastiff quickly pounced him to ringside. Starz briefly was in trouble after an enzuigiri by Jones and got worked over by both opponents. Morrell missed a flashy split-legged corkscrew senton, allowing Starz to make the hot tag.
Mastiff hit a rolling German, Starz added running, diving headbutt in the corner and Mastiff pinned Morrell after hitting Into the Void.
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Amale was in a chair getting makeup done. Nina Samuels stormed in and screamed at her for hogging the camera crew. They got into it, got separated and I guess we will get a heel vs. heel women’s match soon.
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Aoife Valkyrie talked about her match with Jinny last week, which she lost because of Joseph Conners. She had a big cage with her and said Conners would not be able to help her next time and that at some point, everyone feeds the birds. Looks like they will have a rematch with Conners suspended in a cage above the ring.
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Stevie Turner interrupted Meiko Satomura training at the UK Performance Center. She said she was wired differently. Meiko was not impressed and caught her arm, then threatened going after her.
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30-minute Iron Man match: A-Kid defeated Jordan Devlin two falls to one (30:00)
They traded holds and counters early on. A-Kid went for a crossface but Devlin quickly got to the ropes. Devlin got on a Stretch Plum, then transitioned it into a backslide. A-Kid impressively escaped, then got on an armbar but Devlin made the ropes once more. They traded more submission attempts with A-Kid locking in a neck crank. Devlin backed him into the ropes and slapped him, but A-Kid stayed calm.
Devlin trapped A-Kid’s legs in the ropes, then aggressively attacked A-Kid’s previously injured knee and locked in a Boston Crab, forcing A-Kid to tap close to the 10 minute mark. Devlin 1-0
Devlin further targeted A-Kid’s knee, A-Kid locked in a rear-naked choke but Devlin got to the ropes. He rolled to ringside and slammed A-Kid’s knee into the apron and the post, then locked in the Figure Four around the post. Devlin locked in another Boston Crab but A-Kid reached the ropes this time. They traded German suplexes, then Devlin suplexed A-Kid over the top and both men tumbled to the floor at the 15-minute mark. Devlin narrowly made it back into the ring at 9 as A-Kid immediately locked in a omoplata, but once more, Devlin made the ropes.
Devlin vaulted into the ring over the top but A-Kid caught him in a rear-naked choke but released the hold to hit a running soccer kick but Devlin kicked out at 2.9. Devlin hit some strikes but A-Kid countered, then locked in the armbar and Devlin quickly tapped at around 18 minutes. A-Kid 1-1
Devlin got some rest at ringside, but A-Kid quickly sent him to the outside again, then hit a running enzuigiri as Devlin was on the apron. A-Kid sent him to the outside once more and Devlin grabbed a chair. A-Kid kicked the chair into his face. Back in the ring, A-Kid hit a cross body off the top for another near-fall. Devlin recovered and went for the Clover Leaf, then went for a power bomb but A-Kid hit a hurricanrana, then scored a number of near-falls.
They traded strikes, including Devlin hitting a falling headbutt after bouncing off the ropes from a superman bunch by A-Kid. They fought on the apron and Devlin wet for Devlin Inside, but got dropkicked. He then hit the move on the outside after which both men were down. A-Kid made it back at 9.99, probably the closest I ever saw anyone make it in this spot.
A-Kid countered Devlin Inside into a Destroyer, then hit a running dropkick for a very close near-fall. A-Kid got the arm bar of the kickout, then ground and fought his way into an omoplata. Devlin eventually submitted with only about 90 seconds left. A-Kid 2-1
Devlin fought like crazy during the final minute. Devlin hit A-Kid square in the jaw with three seconds left but the time ran out at the two count, without A-Kid kicking out. So A-Kid won but the story was that Devlin would have take the match to overtime if he had been one second quicker.
**********
Devin glared at A-Kid as he celebrated and the show went off the air.
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Final Thoughts:
The main event was a fantastic match with a lot of drama and both men looked really good.
Blair Davenport continues to win, probably leading to a match with Meiko Satomura down the line.
Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff was an okay tag match and it will be interesting where they will go with them.
The rest was mostly evolving angles and storylines for the coming weeks.
Next week:
Heritage Cup number one contender’s tournament first-round match: Mark Andrews vs. Noam Dar
We have a lot of different news stories headlining the new issue of the Observer. Our lead story looks at the condition of Terry Funk, his legacy and his generation of wrestlers.
Also in this issue:
Ticket sales for WWE and AEW shows including the four shows that will top 10,000 tickets sold, hottest wrestling tickets on the secondary market as well as this week’s UFC show, ticket sales for all AEW events on sale, every major WWE show including Madison Square Garden and every event this month, details on all shows and capacity of the buildings.
Schedule and some early details on the 2021 G1 Climax tournament.
The arrest of Jonathan Fatu (Jimmy Uso), his track record of arrests from the past and more reaction.
Grappl’s list of the best matches of 2021 so far as well as sleeper matches from small promotions worth checking out.
The biggest lawsuit settlement in WWE history, update on John Cena, Linda McMahon with Donald Trump, Daniel Bryan mentions on Smackdown, Thea Trinidad return to WWE, how often each company does rematches, Smackdown doing a split site show, changes to a WWE streaming product, huge match coming, wrestlers recently cut were to be put in a new group, notes on Breakout tournament competitors, International TV ratings for WWE and AEW, WWE exec honored as one of the best in the world except they fired him, new WWE marketing deal, the most viewed segments on YouTube of WWE programming this past week as well as the current WWE market value.
Update Dwayne Johnson’s planned launch of the XFL and explain the latest delays.
A story on the death of Cyanide Sid Cooper, a top U.K. heel who was both a major inspiration of the Lord Steven Regal character in WCW and Regal’s favorite wrestler as a young child, his matches, what he was known for, life after wrestling and more.
Coverage of AAA’s Verano de Escandalo.
A story on Chris Romero aka Chris Youngblood, from the famous Romero wrestling family, his family, including relatives few know about, his breaking into the business, how he became a big star in Puerto Rico, the heyday of The Youngbloods there, the death of Bruiser Brody, and the glory days of All Japan Pro Wrestling.
More detail on the ratings than any other source, we have how every segment on NXT and AEW did with different age groups, genders and more, plus a look at all other wrestling shows of the past week, how many different viewers the shows had, DVR numbers and how long the average fan watches.
Results of the major pro wrestling events of the past week.
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
WWE has uploaded Paul Orndorff’s Hall of Fame speech from 2005 on their YouTube page.
Baron Corbin has set up a Cameo. He posted an in-character promo asking people to help him out after losing his investments and his crown.
Big E, in an interview with TalkSport, said he and the rest of the New Day rejected the idea of splitting up after Kofimania: “I can’t really divulge the conversation, but even from the top of the business, the very head of what we do – you know exactly who I’m talking about – he directly told us ‘hey, this is the idea’ and we said, we’re not feeling it. This was post-KofiMania. There were people who wanted it earlier [than that] as well. If we’d done it, we would have missed out on so many great moments. I still think that doing it now or soon, there are great moments to come and we have a lot more to offer. I think you’ve seen happy, clappy New Day for a very long time.”
Blair Davenport, the former Bea Priestley, spoke to TalkSport on what led her to signing with WWE. “I wanted to do everything that I wanted to do, then come to this part in my life,” she said. “During the pandemic, there was a small window. Obviously, I got cut from AEW because my visa expired and there was no hope for a new visa happening at that time. There was a tiny window in August where people who had Japan visas could go back, so I went back to Japan. I loved STARDOM so much, but this time I think I was the only foreigner there, whereas before, I had a group of friends with me. I love the roster, but I did feel very isolated and I started to feel stagnant with my role and feeling like there was only so much more I could do with this company before I stayed in my same position. I hate being stagnant and I wanted to be like, ‘I need to do something for me now. This is when we got in touch with WWE and we were chatting. I almost wanted a bit of time at home as well to have a bit of a rest, but I love NXT UK so much and it’s definitely where I want to be right now.”
Speaking with TVInsider, Johnny Gargano spoke on taking up a mentor/ambassador role within NXT. “That’s always been my goal,” he said. “I wanted to give what I could. I’m always a bigtime team player, just doing what is best for the show and the brand and company. I’ve been a big proponent of preparing for the future of NXT. Being able to mentor Austin and Indi and give my thoughts and insights wherever they are needed. Also help out other young people on the show. I’m very proud of what I’ve done in NXT. The secret is just constantly changing and evolving and bringing something new to the table.”
Gargano also spoke to Sportskeeda ahead of his NXT title match tonight against Karrion Kross.
Sami Zayn on Twitter: “Wow we made it! In 24hrs we raised $10,003 for http://SamiForSyria.com mobile clinic! Thank you all for making this 37 year old boy’s birthday wish come true & for donating to help provide medical care to the displaced Syrian population. So grateful for all of you. Thank you.”
Beth Phoenix is the guest on this week’s Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette.
El Texano Jr. appeared at a press conference for Alberto El Patron’s Robles Patron Promotions and announced he has left AAA for Patron’s promotion.
AEW has released a Road to Fyter Fest video promoting the IWGP US title match, Matt Hardy vs. Christian Cage, and the coffin match between Darby Allin and Ethan Page.
The NWA held a press conference today for their upcoming 73rd Anniversary Show which included Mickie James, NWA World Champion Nick Aldis, NWA President Billy Corgan, Trevor Murdoch, and NWA Women’s Champion Kamille, among others. At the confrence, Mickie James announced that the NWA will hold a Women’s Invitational Cup, and the winner of that tournament will challenge for the Women’s title at the anniversary show.
Trent of the Best Friends talked to Stephanie Chase about his recovery from neck fusion surgery. “It’s been like two weeks now and I feel great, but I know that in between my vertebrae I don’t have bones or anything yet. It’s kind of just dust, and I’m waiting for it to grow into bone. It doesn’t feel like anything but, it’s still gonna be a while before I come back so, but it was actually, surgery-wise, like way easier than I expected it to be.”
Impact is offering two months of their streaming service, Impact+, for free. When signing up, use the code SLAMMIVERSARY to receive the offer.
On That Hashtag Show (h/t Post Wrestling), Eddie Edwards said that he was recovering well following a bout of appendicitis. “I’m good man,” he said. “I feel back to 100 percent or as I like to say, normal or whatever normal is. For each and every person, I feel relatively normal right now. It was a rough couple of weeks but now I’m back on and I feel good, back in the routine, getting ready for [Slammiversary] man. There [were] a couple moments like heading to the hospital at the time and it’s like what if there’s a couple minutes of traffic and it’s like, ‘Maybe that’s the two minutes where my appendix blows up and kills me. What if that’s taking me out.’ You try to stay positive, and it was mostly focused just on the pain and wanting to get it done and over it.”
Arturo Ruas spoke to Wrestling Inc. about the Raw Underground concept. “RAW Underground was totally different than what we see in pro wrestling matches,” he said. “I had so much fun doing it, and I had the opportunity to talk with a lot of people and that was very good to be there. I had so much fun on the show. It was supposed to be non-stop, running all the time, but the pandemic sucks, and the pandemic changed the lives of millions of people. So RAW Underground died because of the pandemic.”
Kelsey Heather is one of the few people that have appeared on AEW and WWE television that aired on the same night. On AEW Dark: Elevation yesterday, she lost to Leyla Hirsch. On Raw, she was one of the women associated with Bobby Lashley and MVP, appearing in backstage segments and on the VIP Lounge.
WatchMojo posted a video of their top 10 AEW Dynamite matches.
Sammy Guevara’s latest vlog, which features the Dark Order after they were booted from Being the Elite.
A video featuring Session Moth Martina ahead of OTT’s return to shows starting on July 18 in Belfast, Ireland.
