The next Heritage Cup champion will be determined on this Tuesday’s WWE NXT as a rivalry will continued in the process.
With the weekend news that Noam Dar is injured to the point he needed to vacate the Cup, it was announced Sunday that Tony D’Angelo (pictured above) and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo will do battle this Tuesday to determine the new champion.
The news was revealed by Luca Crusifino who is currently D’Angelo’s storyline “consigliere” as well as the former partner of Lorenzo before he turned on D’Angelo and left the group. A recent storyline has D’Angelo doubting Crusifino’s loyalty which this match will undoubtedly lean into.
D’Angelo held the Cup for over three months from May through August 2024, both defeating and losing it to Charlie Dempsey. Lorenzo has yet to hold a singles title in NXT.
Dar was in his fourth reign as champion.
WWE NXT lineup for Tuesday, June 24:
Vacant Heritage Cup Championship: Tony D’Angelo vs. Channing Lorenzo
TNA Champion Trick Williams defends against Josh Briggs
Evolution eliminator fatal four-way: Izzi Dame vs. Jaida Parker vs. Lash Legend vs. Jordynne Grace
You wanted me to prove my loyalty?
You don’t have to trust what I say, trust the move I just made. That’s loyalty.
Dempsey defeated Noam Dar to win the trophy for the first time on Tuesday. The finish of the match had both participants tied at one win each. Myles Borne of the No Quarter Catch Crew posted Meta-Four member Oro Mensah, allowing Damon Kemp and Drew Gulak to attack Dar. He managed to overcome the two, but then walked into a dragon suplex by Dempsey, who then pinned Dar to win the trophy.
This ends Dar’s reign with the title after over 190 days, defeating Nathan Frazer back in June of last year. Aside from Frazer’s run as champion, Dar has held the title for the most part since July 7, 2022.
The No Quarter Catch Crew issued the challenge to Dar last week, saying that Dar wouldn’t know who he would be facing until the bell rang. Dempsey stepped up to Dar right before the match started.
Dempsey, the son of William Regal, recently competed in All Japan Pro Wrestling. He unsuccessfully challenged Katsuhiko Nakajima for the Triple Crown Championship back on January 3.
Lyra Valkyria will defend the NXT Women’s Championship against Raw star Xia Li. The match comes after Li confronted Valkyria on last week’s NXT and challenged her. On this week’s show, the two met in what was called a Warriors Tea Ceremony. Li invited Valkyria to drink tea with her, but Valkyria refused to drink. Li told Valkyria that by refusing the tea, she would show Valkyria no mercy in next week’s match.
A Heritage Cup title match will also take place, with Noam Dar defending against Raw star Chad Gable. The entire Alpha Academy appeared on this week’s NXT on an episode of Dar’s Supernova Sessions. The segment eventually ended with Dar attempting to cheap shot Gable, who ducked and laid out Dar with a headbutt.
Two other matches have been made for next week. Edris Enofe & Malik Blade will take on Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza, while Eddy Thorpe will make his in-ring return, facing Charlie Dempsey.
Here is the lineup for next week’s NXT:
NXT Women’s title: Lyra Valkyria defends against Xia Li
NXT Heritage Cup: Noam Dar defends against Chad Gable
Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo vs. Edris Enofe & Malik Blade
WWE has revealed the rules for NXT’s Global Heritage Invitational.
The tournament was announced on NXT last night after Noam Dar defeated Nathan Frazer to win the Heritage Cup trophy. There will be eight participants in the invitational and the winner will get their title shot against Dar at NXT No Mercy on Saturday, September 30.
On WWE’s The Bump this afternoon, it was revealed that the invitational will be a round-robin tournament. The participants will be divided into two groups, with the winner of Group A facing the winner of Group B in the finals on the Tuesday, September 26 episode of NXT.
Here is the full set of rules:
There will be two groups with four wrestlers in each group in a round-robin style tournament.
Matches have a 12-minute time limit.
Pinfall and submission victories are worth two points. A draw will earn each wrestler one point.
The winner of Group A faces the winner of Group B on September 26 and the winner of that match will challenge Noam Dar for the Heritage Cup on September 30 at NXT No Mercy.
The tournament begins on NXT next Tuesday. The participants are set to be announced on NXT’s social media accounts throughout the next week.
Interference by his Meta-Four stablemates helped Dar defeat Frazer on NXT last night. Dar is part of Meta-Four with Oro Mensah, Lash Legend, and Jakara Jackson.
The Heritage Cup is a championship where matches are contested under British Rounds rules. The title originated in NXT UK but was brought to NXT by Dar this April.
NXT No Mercy is being held at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, California. The show will stream live on Peacock/WWE Network.
Noam Dar has regained the NXT Heritage Cup trophy.
On Tuesday’s NXT Heatwave, Dar defeated Nathan Frazer 2 falls to 1 to regain the Heritage Cup trophy. The finish of the match had the two tied 1-1 heading into the sixth round. Frazer went for a phoenix splash, but didn’t connect. Dar then hit Frazer with a shining wizard to win the trophy for a third time.
During the match, Tyler Bate was laid out by Dabba Kato, who chokeslammed Bate. Bate had agreed to corner Frazer during Tuesday’s match for the trophy.
Frazer had won the trophy back in June, pinning Oro Mensah who was substituting for Dar, who claimed injury. After losing the trophy, Dar went into a catatonic state, being moved around in a wheelchair. He regained consciousness when members of the Meta-Four introduced a replica trophy, with Dar accepting it as the real trophy he never lost. He eventually agreed to let go of the championship and recognize Frazer’s trophy in order to get a match against Frazer.
The NXT UK Heritage Cup changed hands at today’s television taping in London.
Noam Dar regained the Heritage Cup, defeating Mark Coffey to win the title. Dar had lost the Cup to Coffey at the June 23 taping, and is now the first competitor to hold the title on two separate occasions.
As we reported earlier, a new NXT UK Champion was also crowned today after Ilja Dragunov was forced to relinquish the title due to injury.
Below are full spoilers from the taping at BT Sports Studios:
NXT UK Championship tournament final: Tyler Bate defeated Trent Seven to win the title
NXT UK Championship tournament: Trent Seven defeated Oliver Carter
NXT UK Championship tournament: Tyler Bate defeated Joe Coffey
NXT UK Heritage Cup: Noam Dar defeated Mark Coffey to win the title
NXT UK Women’s Championship number one contender’s match: Blair Davenport defeated Eliza Alexander & Isla Dawn & Amale
As always, this week’s show was taped at BT Sports Studios in London, England.
Pretty Deadly defeated Sam Gradwell and Saxon Huxley (9:22)
Before the match, they aired a funny video of Gradwell searching for tag team partners throughout the week. This included tweeting Steve Austin, Elon Musk and asking Nathan Frazer, A-Kid, and a person working at a fast food drive-in.
He also encountered Kenny Williams backstage, but chewed him out, grabbed him by the ear and told him to remember where a cockroach’s place on the food chain was. In the end, Huxley was his surprise partner.
Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley) worked over Gradwell until he grabbed Stoker by the ear and slapped him before tagging in Huxley. Huxley hit a big running elbow and a crossbody into the ropes on Stoker before Howley tagged in.
Later, Pretty Deadly used some tag team magic to regain control and then slingshot suplexed Huxley on the top rope. Gradwell took back over, but suddenly Williams appeared and balanced on the ringside barriers which distracted Huxley.
Williams attacked Huxley behind the referee’s back and stomped him. With Huxley incapacitated, Pretty Deadly hit Spilled Milk on Gradwell for the pinfall victory.
— Jinny cut a promo on Amale, pointing out that their lives were similar (children of immigrants, successful out of WWE, college degrees), but unlike Amale, she doesn’t exploit her past. She said the fans pity Amale every time she comes out and if Amale steps into the ring with the “queen of NXT UK,” she would lose every time.
— A video package detailed the ongoing feud between Gallus and Die Familie with both factions cutting promos on each other. Metehan said they would be successful in their war. They collide in a trios match next week.
— Blair Davenport walked through an estate and said she came from a long line of Davenports and ever since she was a child, she was taught that Davenports only care about Davenports. People could hate her all they wanted as long as they feared her. She said she was fire and fury, the rightful heir to the NXT UK Women’s championship, and enemies of the heir should beware.
Isla Dawn defeated Emilia McKenzie (5:30)
They showed a clip before the match of Isla Dawn stealing McKenzie’s watch and putting it in her box of trinkets last summer. Earlier this week, McKenzie demanded it back backstage.
McKenzie took Dawn to the mat with a waistlock takedown and then worked her over with submissions on the mat. Dawn eventually came back with a backdrop driver.
McKenzie thwarted a superplex attempt and hit her own top rope sunset flip off the top for a near fall. She followed with a belly to back suplex and spear for another near fall. A shotgun dropkick sent Dawn to the outside and McKenzie followed with a dive through the ropes.
McKenzie missed a crossbody off the top. Dawn then hit a fireman’s carry into a side slam for the win. McKenzie’s nose was busted open from something in the match.
After the match, Dawn prayed to her box and returned McKenzie’s watch so Emilia is probably cursed now. This is still creepier than Alexa Bliss and her doll.
— Amale cut a promo, saying Jinny misunderstood her. Her story was about representation and unlike Jinny, she hasn’t forgotten where she came from. For someone who graduated college, Jinny didn’t sound very smart. She said she was Amale, she was hope, and that hope never dies.
— There was a tremendous video package supercut of previous Ilja Dragunov vs. Jordan Devlin promos. There was some new material where Devlin mused about a level playing field and then came up with an empty arena match for next week because he wanted Dragunov with “nobody in his corner.” Dragunov accepted. This should be a great match, but in the COVID era, empty arena matches are not the most desirable.
NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar (w/ Sha Samuels) vs. A-Kid went to a draw (19:00)
Last week, “bookie” Samuels had put money on Dar winning the match in round four.
Round 1:
They started with a test of strength and some mat wrestling. A-Kid attempted some submission holds and Dar got a brief two count in. He tried striking A-Kid just as the round ended.
Round 2:
A-Kid locked on a cravat, but Dar eventually escaped. A-Kid turned a chinlock into a pinning combination and scored a close near fall. Dar set A-Kid up on the top rope and went for a running knee strike, but missed and tumbled to ringside just as the round was ending. A-Kid gave him the double bird salute.
Round 3:
Dar went for a draping DDT, but the referee stopped him from hitting it, so he kicked A-Kid flush in the face. Dar hit more kicks and set up for the Nova Roller, but A-Kid caught him with a kick. Dar hit a kick of his own, then hit the Nova Roller to take the first fall in 1:36 of the round.
Round 4:
A-Kid quickly rolled into a flying armbar, transitioning to the omoplata. Dar got a rollup and held the tights, but A-Kid still kicked out. Dar tried another pin with his feet on the ropes but the referee caught him. A-Kid rolled him up, but only got a two count.
A-Kid hit a dive after Dar rolled to ringside, but missed and crashed. Samuels then rolled Dar back into the ring and A-Kid narrowly made it back in a nine. Dar scored another near fall. A-Kid went for a springboard move and Samuels tried attacking him as he was on the top rope. He hit a backflip into a DDT off the top and managed to score a fall at 2:35 of the round, tying this up at one fall apiece.
Samuels was livid that he had lost money on the match after the round ended.
Round 5:
A-Kid hit a superplex off the top early in the round for another two count. Dar got the ankle lock and both transitioned into various submission holds on each other with pinning attempts interspersed. A-Kid hit a running knee seconds before the round ended, but had no time to finish a pinfall attempt.
Round 6:
They traded strikes and then traded pinning combinations. Samuels held onto Dar’s legs on an O’Connor roll attempt, so A-Kid took him out with a dive. Dar reached the ropes on a kneebar by A-Kid. Dar scored another close two count off a spinning back elbow. A-Kid hit a flying superkick, but Dar kicked out of the cover that followed. A-Kid locked in the omoplata with ten seconds left, but Dar was saved by the bell, ending this match in a 1-1 draw.
Dar and Samuels celebrated as A-Kid looked distraught.
Final Thoughts:
This was a fun show with a great main event. A-Kid and Dar are among the best workers in WWE right now, but are flying under the radar of most.
The tag match was the first step back for Pretty Deadly on their way of redemption to reclaim the tag titles. The women’s match was mostly just there and was more of a backdrop for Dawn’s mysterious box of stolen/cursed items.
Next week:
NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov vs. Jordan Devlin in an empty arena title match
Backstage before the match, Andrews was very upset about something. Flash Morgan Webster came in and told him to focus on his match and they’d sort things out later.
Devlin humiliated Andrews early, but he came back with some innovative offense and eventually slapped Devlin hard across the face. Devlin took back over and attacked Andrews’ back, wearing him down. Andrews eventually hit a tornado DDT, then followed up with an enzuigiri, roll through and double foot stomp to the stomach.
He caught Devlin mid-air and hit a sit-down power bomb for a near-fall. Devlin eventually came back with a slingshot cutter over the top rope and scored a near-fall of his own. Devlin went for the Spanish Fly off the top, but Andrews stopped him and hit a top-rope poison rana followed by a Code Red for a close near-fall.
Andrews hit a shooting star press off the top but Devlin got his knees up, went for a cover and a suplex, but Andrews turned it into a Stun Dog Millionaire. Devlin rolled to ringside, but Andrews hit a moonsault to the outside. Devlin slammed Andrews into the barricades and he narrowly made it back into the ring. Devlin downed him with a head butt, then hit Devlin Inside for the pin and the win.
**********
Sid Scala announced that Pretty Deadly vs. Moustache Mountain II for the Tag Team titles would take place in two weeks
A video recapped Charlie Dempsey attacking Joe Coffey last week, leading to Gallus losing to Teoman and Rohan Raja. They then showed scenes of Dempsey choking out Joe Coffey in the ropes and Dempsey posing with Teoman and Raja. The announcers questioned whether he had joined Teoman’s family.
Gallus then cut a promo, with Joe Coffey saying that now the numbers were even, Dempsey had gotten one lucky shot, but he would now get his head kicked in.
Scenes from earlier in the week showed Sam Gradwell walking out of his hotel room, presumably in the middle of the night due to some party noise. Noam Dar and Sha Samuels were having a wild party and Gradwell complained, then suggested a match. Dar accepted.
Scala was backstage at the arena about to make an announcement when Gradwell walked up to him and complained that the match with Dar was not for the Heritage Cup. Dar and Samuels came up and said that Gradwell had to win some matches before earning a shot. Suddenly, a hand clapped Dar on the shoulder and it was the returning Johnny Saint. He said they’d do whatever Scala wanted and Scala made the match for the Heritage Cup. Scala and Saint then embraced.
**********
Isla Dawn defeated Aleah James (04:20)
Isla Dawn had her box, containing trinkets from various women on the roster, with her.
James controlled Dawn’s wrist early, but then got overwhelmed. She came back with a dropkick, then was pulled into the ropes, killing her momentum. Dawn applied a modified cobra clutch, but James escaped and hit a series of crossbodies. She turned a suplex attempt into a small package for a near-fall.
James ended up on the turnbuckles and Dawn picked her up and hit a fireman’s carry into a side slam for the pinfall victory.
Dawn then grabbed her box, looked creepy and returned James’ headband that she had stolen a while ago.
**********
Sid Scala was in his office when Xia Brookside was hear whining and complaining. She walked in and whined about her title match with Meiko Satomura, which she claimed Scala had promised her. He said he didn’t. She kept shrieking about how her daddy promised to talk to him. He finally gave in and made the match for next week. Brookside then complained some more, saying a week wasn’t enough time to prepare. Scala said next week or not at all. Brookside grumpily agreed and stomped off.
Moustache Mountain and Pretty Deadly both cut promos about their tag team title match in two weeks. Both promised to win.
**********
Jinny defeated Angel Hayze (02:38)
Hayze was already in the ring when Dani Luna’s music played but she didn’t come out. Instead, Jinny came out, said she had taken care of Luna and Flash and Mark would have to live without her for a very long time. She also said that she was handling things on her own now and her business relationship with Joseph Conners was over. She said she was getting her winning streak back on track and Hayze accepted.
Jinny beat down Hayze, then locked in a reverse chinlock. She hit a clothesline, then followed up with the Makeover from the turnbuckles for the quick win.
**********
Nina Samuels tried interviewing Meiko Satomura for her “show.” Meiko was training with Emilia McKenzie and just stared at her. Emilia said they were training and asked Samuels to go away, which she did.
Noam Dar and Sha Samuels crossed out the names of A-Kid and Tyler Bate from the Heritage Cup trophy
**********
A great video aired on the upcoming Ilja Dragunov vs. Rampage Brown match. Dragunov said Brown said he didn’t need his respect, but by beating him to the ground, he showed Ilja the greatest respect he ever could. He said he initially won the title just for himself, but he realized he had a responsibility and that people felt something when they saw him fight. He was a symbol for dedication, for endurance, a symbol to fight like there is no tomorrow.
Brown was in a studio setting. He refused to let somebody put the microphone on him, then demanded they get rid of the light. He sat there in half darkness. He said Ilja wasn’t some kind of golden boy and the fact that he had the title didn’t sit right with him. He said he was the most respected competitor that NXT UK ever signed, but in the end that meant nothing. It didn’t pay his bills or fed him, but the NXT UK title would. He said he wasn’t messing around, would beat Ilja and make him suffer. He then pulled the mic off and said he was done.
Before he left, he looked into the camera and spoke into the small mic one more time, telling Ilja he would smash his face in, take his title and would have all the respect. This was great.
**********
Mark Andrews was backstage near the medical office when he was asked abut his status. He said he was waiting for Flash Morgan Webster, who was getting his shoulder checked out. As Flash came out, Kenny Williams approached and made fun of them, saying the medical office should be called the Subculture dressing room. Andrews got in his face and said it was easy to pick on someone on the sidelines, but he wasn’t injured. Williams backed off, then said Andrews didn’t want to get into a backstage fight with someone like him.
**********
NXT UK Heritage Cup: Noam Dar (c) (w/ Sha Samuels) defeated Sam Gradwell 2-1 in round 4 to retain the Cup (11:56)
Round 1
Dar evaded Gradwell early on. Gradwell eventually got his hands on Dar and threw him around. Dar caught Gradwell’s leg, but he pulled Dar’s head into his knee brace, then hit the fireman’s carry into the sit-out power bomb to score the first pinfall of the match at 2:42 of the round. Gradwell 1-0
Round 2
Dar looked to be out of it and Samuels propped him up in the corner. Gradwell grabbed him, but Dar had been playing possum and rolled him up with a small package. Gradwell threw Dar to the outside, but Samuels interfered, allowing Dar to make it back inside. Dar then drop kicked Gradwell through the ropes. Back in the ring, Dar hit the Nova Roller to pick up a fall at 1:35 of the round. Dar 1-1
Round 3
Dar targeted Gradwell’s knee with dropkicks and kept the bigger man under control, then hit a few hard kicks. Gradwell came back with a double underhook suplex. Dar locked in the super knee bar, then began to unfasten Gradwell’s knee brace. Gradwell made it to the end of the round and was saved by the bell.
Round 4
Gradwell removed his knee brace between rounds and Dar attacked right from he start. Samuels rammed Gradwell’s knee into the apron behind the referee’s back. Gradwell got a near-fall off an STO, then looked to pick him up but couldn’t. Dar went to the top as Samuels put Gradwell’s foot on the rope for Dar to jump onto. This time, Gradwell played possum and got Dar up for the fireman’s carry. Dar held onto Samuels’ scarf, then rolled up Gradwell, who kicked out. Dar teased the Nova Roller, but instead locked on the super knee bar when Gradwell covered up. Gradwell tapped at 2:54 of the round, seconds before the bell. Dar wins 2-1
Final thoughts —
A very good show; the opener was fast-paced and full of action. Isla Dawn continues to build her character as some kind of evil witch, while Jinny looks increasingly brutal and ruthless. It’s also interesting that they dropped her pairing with Joseph Conners without much of an explanation.
The main event was good and a fun match with Gradwell looking the best he’s looked since his match with Ilja Dragunov earlier in the year. Dar and Samuels also are an entertaining heel duo.
The interview packages with Ilja Dragunov and Rampage Brown are also well worth going out of your way to look up.
Next week —
NXT UK Championship: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Rampage Brown
NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura (c) vs. Xia Brookside
In two weeks —
NXT UK Tag Team Championship: Pretty Deadly (c) vs. Moustache Mountain
Mark Coffey (w/Wolfgang) defeated Rohan Raja (w/Teoman) (05:54)
Coffey started strong but quickly got trapped in the ropes and had his arm worked over. Coffey eventually came back with a lariat and slam, but sold the damage his arm had taken.
Coffey eventually scored the pin after a diving, running uppercut.
After the match, Teoman and Raja attacked Gallus until officials ran in to break up the brawl.
**********
Tyler Bate warmed up with Trent Seven backstage.
A video looked at the mayhem after last week’s tag team match between Symbiosis and Dave Mastiff/Jack Starz. In two weeks, there will be a triple threat match between Symbiosis, Mastiff/Starz and Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter.
Charlie Dempsey was interviewed backstage about his match with Danny Jones later tonight. Just as he was talking about how their styles would mesh, Gallus stormed in and Wolfgang asked Dempsey if he had seen Teoman and to tell him they were looking for him. Dempsey was frustrated and said this had been the second time now that this (Gallus interrupting him) had happened.
**********
Amale defeated Myla Grace (03:49)
Myla Grace made her NXT UK debut here. Grace has been around since at least 2018 and had matches all over the UK and Ireland, including OTT. She also has a street-dancing background.
Amale started out very aggressively and beat down on Grace, who briefly came back with a rollup but got taken out by double knees as she stormed the corner. Amale hit a spinning neckbreaker, but Myla kicked out at one. At that point, Blair Davenport wandered out from the back and started watching the match.
Myla hit some spinning head scissors, a 619 and a tornado DDT for a two count. Amale then nonchalantly kicked her in the face and hit the Hopebreaker (a fisherman spinebuster) for the pin and the win. Davenport looked on bemused, then walked off again.
**********
Noam Dar warmed up backstage.
Aleah James was interviewed about her win over Xia Brookside from last week. Nina Samuels walked up and welcomed us to another edition of the Nina Samuels Show. She then said James did not “measure up” to her (as she looked about one foot shorter than Samuels). James asked if there was a problem, then walked off, saying she wasn’t doing this right now
Flash Morgan Webster was in front of a door. Dani Luna asked if he was sure about this. He opened the door and it was Rampage Brown’s dressing room. He told Webster not to try it (Webster is running around, slapping people lately) and Webster turned away but then tried anyway. Brown blocked him, grabbed him by the throat and pushed him against the wall. He told Webster if he wanted a match, all he had to do was ask. Webster then was happy because he “got him.”
**********
Charlie Dempsey defeated Danny Jones (04:52)
Dempsey started by schooling Jones with takedowns, suplexes and submission holds. Jones hit a high hip toss and a number of strikes and attempted to lock in a sleeper of his own. Dempsey tried to work his way into a double wristlock, then bridged into the corner, pulling Jones’ head into it and kept on with impressive mat wrestling.
He locked in a standing cravate, then hit a suplex from the hold. Dempsey then hit two consecutive butterfly suplexes, never releasing Jones from his grip and rolled backward on top of him from the bridge both times. He then locked in a sort of double wristlock crossface for the submission victory.
**********
They then aired a great video hyping up the Meiko Satomura vs, Jinny for the NXT UK Women’s title match for next week. match. Jinny said Meiko was getting old, frail and weak. Satomura said she was prepared and while Jinny was the queen, she was the final boss.
Isla Dawn did some more scary stuff in the woods with her box and said some weird stuff, all while painting around her face with lipstick. Okay then. Still scarier than Alexa Bliss and her doll.
**********
NXT UK Heritage Cup: Noam Dar (w/Sha Samuels) defeated Tyler Bate (w/Trent Seven) 1-1 in Round 6 to win the Cup (17:34)
They had a tale of the tape graphic. No intangibles in NXT UK, but accolades.
Round 1
They went back and forth in the round, feeling each other out. Dar tried provoking Bate as the round ended but he would have none of it.
Round 2
Bate worked over Dar’s legs early until Dar fled to the ropes. The pace picked up and Bate eventually hit the airplane spin, but Dar escaped. They hit a double clothesline with 15 seconds left, then were entangled in a lockup until time ran out.
Round 3
Bate threw Dar to ringside, but Dar got back in as Bate went for a dive. He then hit a kick on Bate through the ropes and sent him into the ring steps. Back inside, he hit the Nova Roller to pick up the first fall at 0:59 of the round. Dar 1-0
Round 4
Dar immediately worked over Bate, using his momentum. Bate came back and hit a spinning European uppercut off the turnbuckles, then hit an exploder suplex and a running shooting star press, but Dar countered for a near fall. Bate hit the slingshot lariat, then went for Tyler Driver ’97 and got the pin at 2:03 of the round. Bate 1-1
Round 5
Bate started with a dragon screw, but Dar hit one off the turnbuckles in return, then hit a running uppercut for a close near fall. Dar kept targeting the left leg with kicks. Seven advised Bate to use the Birminghammer, but Dar raked the eyes and hit a spinning back elbow for another close near fall. Bate locked in a knee bar with about 20 seconds left, but Dar sat up and they traded punches as the round ended.
Round 6
They traded kicks early, and Dar went to the top, but Bate jumped up and hit a top rope exploder, followed with a dive through the ropes as Dar had rolled outside.
Samuels looked after Dar, but Bate wiped out both men with a plancha. Dar got a roll up off a Tiger Driver ’97 attempt, Dar caught Bate’s leg off a slingshot lariat and went for the Champagne knee bar, but Bate rolled through and hit a Saito suplex-style German. At that point, Pretty Deadly walked out and distracted Bate, allowing Dar to roll him up for a near fall.
Dar again locked in the Champagne knee bar as Seven started brawling with Pretty Deadly on the outside. They took his towel and were attempting to throw it into the ring, with Seven trying to get it back. As Seven finally yanked it away, the momentum led to him accidentally throwing it into the ring himself, which the ref took as a sign that Seven had thrown in the towel for Bate.
Dar thus won the match and the Heritage Cup due to apparent submission at 2:45 of the round.
If Bate had managed another 15 seconds, he would have retained under Heritage Cup rules. Dar wins 2-1.
Pretty Deadly were clapping and celebrating outside the ring as Seven tried to explain to Bate what had happened. Dar and Samuels celebrated the victory in the ring.
Final thoughts —
The main event was excellent with a somewhat anticlimactic finish, but it builds nicely into a Moustache Mountain vs. Pretty Deadly feud and Dar as a heel now can have some great Heritage Cup matches against the likes of Ben Carter, A-Kid, Charlie Dempsey, Mark Andrews or Flash Morgan Webster.
Charlie Dempsey vs. Danny Jones was excellent and with a bit more exposure, I could even see Dempsey ranking in the top 10 for Best Technical Wrestler in the Observer Awards. I’d love to see him on a bigger stage in NXT 2.0 or maybe even in NJPW down the line as a protege of Zack Sabre Jr.
Next week —
Meiko Satomura (c) vs. Jinny for the NXT UK Women’s Championship
In two weeks —
No. 1 Contender’s match to the NXT UK Tag Team titles: Symbiosis (T-Bone & Primate) vs. Ashton SMith & Oliver Carter vs. Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz
A tournament will determine the next challenger for Tyler Bate’s Heritage Cup Championship.
On today’s episode of NXT UK, it was announced that an eight-man Heritage Cup number one contender’s tournament will begin on NXT UK next Thursday. Here’s the bracket for the tournament:
Left side of the bracket —
Mark Andrews vs. Noam Dar
Kenny Williams vs. Oliver Carter
Right side of the bracket —
Wolfgang vs. Sam Gradwell
Nathan Frazer vs. Teoman
The first-round match between Andrews and Dar will air on NXT UK next Thursday.
Bate is the second-ever NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion. He defeated A-Kid for the trophy on NXT UK this May. Since becoming champion, Bate has had successful title defenses against Jack Starz and Mark Coffey.
Heritage Cup title matches have a British Rounds rules format. There are a maximum of six rounds, with each round lasting three minutes. The match ends whenever someone has won two falls. If it goes the full six rounds, whoever is ahead on falls wins. Matches can also end by disqualification or knockout without the need for two falls.
Wolfgang vs. Flash Morgan Webster in a non-tournament match has also been announced for next week’s NXT UK. Plus, Amale vs. Nina Samuels is set for the episode.
Jordan Devlin successfully defended his NXT Cruiserweight championship against Oliver Carter in week 1 of his open challenge series
Noam Dar debuted his Supernova 11 Series talk show; his guests were NXT UK Heritage Cup winner A-Kid and, unexpectedly, a returning Tyler Bate. Dar stirred things up and they ended up agreeing to a Heritage Cup match later tonight
Eddie Dennis and The Hunt pressured Sid Scala into a tag team title match for next week
Isla Dawn beat Xia Brookside after Nina Samuels distracted Xia from the big screen
Saxon Huxley attacked Jack Starz and Levi Muir af the UK Performance Center
A-Kid successfully defended his Heritage Cup championship against Tyler Bate, winning 2-1; Bate scored the first fall with a rollup, A-Kid scored the second fall from a moonsault implant DDT and then turned over a jackknife cover in round 6 for the final pin
Report —
The show opened with Jordan Devlin in the ring as he welcomed us to NXT UK, the show with the real NXT Cruiserweight champion. He kicked off week 1 of the Jordan Devlin’s Cruiserweight Championship Open Challenge. He said every time you saw Jordan Devlin in the ring, the championship was on the line.
Backstage, Ashton Smith was pumping up Oliver Carter and told him to go out there and win for Switzerland (his native country) and Ghana (the country he has his roots in). They came out together but Smith went to the back before the match.
NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Jordan Devlin pinned Oliver Carter to retain the title (06:30)
Devlin beat Carter down, but the challenger came back, showing his athletic prowess with a back flip kick into the corner and arm drags.
Devlin caught Carter’s foot and he went to back flip, but Carter bounced into the ropes and landed right on his neck, which either was a brutal accident or an intricately planned spot. He sold the neck the rest of the match and Devlin worked it over.
Carter came back and even hit a hurricanrana on Devlin, who was on the top rope. Carter hit a uranage, but once more sold his neck and couldn’t follow up on it. He hit an enzuigiri into the corner, but Devlin hit a poison rana, which once more spiked Carter on the neck.
Devlin followed up with Devlinside for the pinfall victory.
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Jinny was interviewed at the UK Performance Center. She was asked about Piper Niven and said that she would deal with Niven on her own time and Niven would not see her coming. But for now, she does not concern herself with Niven and said she tamed wild animals in the past and would do so again.
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Supernova 11 Sessions
Noam Dar hosted the first episode of his new talk segment. The setup was a lounge, complete with a couch and snacks. Dar put himself over, then introduced his guest, the first-ever NXT UK Heritage Cup champion, A-Kid. Dar laid on the couch while A-Kid had to sit on a folding chair.
Dar greeted A-Kid in French, then asked if he spoke English in Spanish. A-Kid said that Dar knew full well he spoke English and in fact, he may speak it better than Dar himself.
A-Kid said after beating Dar in the tournament, he was happy to be here. Dar said he was looking to clear up the misconception that they were rivals and that when A-Kid came to NXT UK, Dar took him under his wing, nurtured him and became his mentor and sensei. A-Kid looked like this was news to him.
Dar even gave him a new name and said after winning the Heritage Cup, he was no longer A-Kid but A-Man. A-Kid told him to stop, that he was in fact not his mentor, sensei or friend. He said a lot of people helped him out, but Dar was not one of them. A-Kid said that no one helped him more than Tyler Bate. Dar ran down Bate and called him a has-been, asking who he ever beat.
At that point, Bate’s music played and he made his return to NXT UK after more than 9 months. Dar played all nice and clapped, but Bate blew him off and congratulated A-Kid on winning the Heritage Cup. He said he wished he could have been in the tournament and Dar immediately picked up on it, asking if what Bate meant to say was that he would have beaten A-Kid. Bate said that’s not what he said and not to put words in his mouth.
Dar said they should have the match tonight and he even would go to Johnny Saint to request it, so that they could find out who was the student and who was the master. Bate and A-Kid agreed to have the match and shook hands on it.
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Eddie Dennis and The Hunt walked into Sid Scala’s office. The Hunt positioned themselves on either side of Scala and growled at him menacingly, then began to throw things off his desk.
Dennis asked about who were the previous tag team champions (Mark Andrews & Fash Morgan Webster) and who beat them last week (The Hunt). He demanded that the Hunt get a title match against Gallus.
Scala, clearly scared, stammered that he had to talk to Johnny Saint about that. Dennis told him to go and do that, then snapped his fingers and left with The Hunt.
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A graphic announced the A-Kid vs. Tyler Bate Heritage Cup match for tonight’s main event
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Isla Dawn pinned Xia Brookside (05:24)
Both women were more aggressive than in the past and had a back and forth match.
They brawled on the outside after a dive by Brookside when a stagehand set down a number of bags and suitcases by the ringside area. Nina Samuels appeared on the screen and told Xia (who beat her a few weeks ago) that “Brooksides are only good for carrying my bags.”
This distracted Xia, who walked right into a head kick by Isla. Dawn followed with a Saito suplex for the win.
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Sid Scala was being interviewed about how things were going at the NXT UK Performance Center when Saxon Huxley came crashing out of a room, screaming “Better luck next time!” and smashing some trash cans.
Scala and the camera ran into the room, where Levi Muir and Jack Starz where on the floor after having been attacked by Huxley. They had told Huxley after his last match week that he may have “better luck next time.”
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A graphic announced Gallus defending the NXT UK Tag Team Championships against The Hunt for next week.
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A quick reminder about the Heritage Cup rules:
All matches consist of six three-minute rounds with 20-second breaks between each round.
All matches are 2 out of 3 falls.
Falls can be won by pinfall, submission, or countout.
Once a fall occurs, the round ends.
The match ends once a wrestler has won two falls.
In the event of a disqualification or knockout, the match instantly ends without the need for two falls.
If all six rounds are completed, whoever is ahead on falls wins the match.
If there is a draw on falls, the match continues under sudden death rules with no time limit.
NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship: A-Kid beat Tyler Bate two falls to one to retain the Cup (16:56)
Bate looked phenomenal and in even better shape then before his pandemic induced break from the ring.
Round 1
The stared out with mat work and traded holds and counters for most of the round. They were locked in a knuckle lock as the round ended.
Round 2
They traded straightjacket holds for half of the round, A-Kid then transitioned into some BJJ in the final minute. luring Bate into his guard. They grappled some more as the round drew to a close.
Round 3
Bate went for an airplane spin early, but A-Kid escaped and hit a snap German. They traded more counters and Bate eventually rolled up A-Kid with an O’Connor roll for the pin at 1:47. (Bate 1-0)
Round 4
A-Kid was more aggressive now and had Bate locked in a triangle, which Bate power-bombed out of right as the round ended.
Round 5
A-Kid hit a springboard moonsault on DDT on Bate to score a pinfall in 1:00 of the round (Tied 1-1)
Round 6
They traded strikes and kicks early. Bate threw A-Kid through the ropes but held on to his leg, then went for a deadlift vertical suplex but A-Kid escaped. Bate went for his springboard lariat but A-Kid caught him and turned it into an armbar and went for a Jim Breaks Special, but Bate eventually escaped. Bate went for a jackknife pin, but A-Kid flipped him over and scored the deciding fall at 2:04 of the round. (A-Kid 2-1)
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Bate shook A-Kid’s hand after the match and raised his hand.
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Next week —
Gallus defend the NXT UK tag team championship against The Hunt.
Jordan Devlin submitted Amir Jordan to retain his version of the NXT UK Cruiserweight Championship.
The Hunt were attacked by Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews, setting up a match for next week.
Jinny submitted Isla Dawn, then taunted Piper Niven. Jinny cost Niven her falls count anywhere match against NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray last week.
Alexander Wolfe demanded and got a match against Joe Coffey next week, with both men’s factions banned from ringside.
in an excellent main event, A-Kid defeated Trent Seven to become the inaugural NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion. They were tied at 1-1 after six rounds, leading to a sudden-death overtime period where A-Kid submitted Seven to win the tournament.
Full rundown —
The show opened with the same video that aired last week, with Trent Seven and A-Kid talking about what it would mean to them to win the NXT UK Heritage Cup.
NXT Cruiserweight Championship match: Jordan Devlin retained against Amir Jordan (9:40)
Jordan, with the blessing of his injured partner Kenny Williams, challenged Devlin for a title match last week.
They intensely fought for position early on. Jordan got the better of him for a moment, but Devlin returned the favor. Devlin scored a near fall off a moonsault and they brawled on the outside to the count of seven.
Devlin worked over Jordan’s taped up shoulder, targeting it with strikes and kicks. Jordan wiped Devlin out with a dive, then hit an STO off a dive through the ropes back into the ring. Jordan hit a slam off an electric chair position for a near fall, but he eventually was caught in the Four Leaf Clover (Texas Cloverleaf) and was forced to tap out.
– Rampage Brown was training at the NXT UK Performance Center when Saxon Huxley, who was training at the rack next to him, started muttering Brown’s name and walked up to him. Brown looked at him and said he was up for all challengers, no matter how crazy.
– A promo video revealed that Noam Dar will have his own chat show on NXT UK called Supernova Sessions. It was hyped that the segment will debut soon.
– A graphic plugged the Heritage Cup finals.
– Eddie Dennis and The Hunt walked into the arena. A reporter asked Dennis if he wanted to comment on what happened with Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster, but Dennis said no. Andrews and Webster then suddenly attacked The Hunt. Webster and Boar brawled into a table, while Andrews went to hit Primate with a trash can. The melee was quickly broken up by officials.
Jinny defeated Isla Dawn (4:27)
Jinny interfered in the Kay Lee Ray vs. Piper Niven falls count anywhere match for the NXT UK Women’s Championship last week, causing Niven to lose. Jinny also has her eyes set on the Women’s title.
Dawn started out aggressively, blasting the Fashionista with stiff kicks. Jinny came back with a rolling kick of her own and stomped Dawn in the corner. Dawn hit a backdrop driver that had Jinny at the edge of losing. She followed up with a Tarantula in the ropes. Dawn missed a top rope attack and quickly found herself at the end of a modified STF by Jinny. Jinny got the win via submission.
After the match, Jinny taunted Niven.
– Alexander Wolfe stormed into Sid Scala’s office and demanded a match against Joe Coffey. Wolfe also wanted Gallus banned from ringside, to which Scala agreed, but also banned Imperium. After staring a hole in Scala, Wolfe finally agreed.
-Next week, Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster will face The Hunt. Wolfe will also take on Joe Coffey with the rest of Imperium and Gallus banned from ringside.
As a reminder, here are the rules of the NXT UK Heritage Cup:
All matches consist of six three-minute rounds with 20-second breaks between each round.
All matches are two-out-of-three falls.
Falls can be won by pinfall, submission, or countout.
Once a fall occurs, the round ends.
The match ends once a wrestler has won two falls.
In the event of a disqualification or knockout, the match instantly ends without the need for two falls.
If all six rounds are completed, whoever is ahead on falls wins the match.
NXT UK Heritage Cup finals: A-Kid defeated Trent Seven at 5:17 of the sudden-death overtime period (23:22)
This was an excellent match, telling a great story with Seven being the desperate veteran looking for one final big win to cement his legacy and A-Kid being the young up-and-comer looking for his first big win to make a name for himself. Seven, as the guy who helped put Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate on the map, both who have surpassed him at this point, was perfect for this role. A-Kid is an excellent worker and will go far in this business.
They went the full six rounds and were tied 1-1 at the end. A-Kid pinned Seven after a flying kick in round three, and Seven managed to turn a submission into a roll-up in round six. Therefore, the match went into a sudden-death overtime period for the deciding fall, which A-Kid scored by submission.
Round One:
Seven hit a gutwrench powerbomb as the first real offensive move of the match, but A-Kid kicked out of a pin right away. They traded submissions around the two-minute mark and kept it up until the round ended.
Round Two:
A-Kid firmly controlled Seven with holds and submission attempts throughout the round. Seven punched him in the face right at the end of the round.
Round Three:
A-Kid hit a running enzuigiri into the corner, smashing right into Seven’s water bottle. They traded chops and kicks, including A-Kid hitting a Pele kick, followed by a flying kick that put Seven down for the pin at 1:35 of the round. A-Kid took a 1-0 lead.
Round Four:
A-Kid continued to lock in submission after submission and went for an armbar. Seven eventually slammed his way out of it, but A-Kid locked it in again and neither would let go, even after the round ended.
Round Five:
A-Kid went for more submissions, but Seven hit a DDT for a near fall. A lariat by Seven launched A-Kid onto the ropes and Seven tried to go for the Burning Hammer. A-Kid escaped and they battled on the top turnbuckle as time ticked away. A-Kid eventually landed on top of Seven and went for the pin with two seconds left, but the round ended in mid-pin at 2.5.
Round Six:
Seven went for a roll-up, hit a snap dragon suplex, and then hit an Emerald Frosion, but he couldn’t get the pin. A-Kid went for a small package for another near fall. Seven hit the Burning Hammer and struggled to make the pin. A-Kid got his leg under the ropes.
Seven was exhausted around the 1:40 mark but hit a lariat for another near fall. Seven eventually rolled out of a submission and managed to pin A-Kid at 2:30 of the round to tie A-Kid at 1-1.
The match then went into sudden-death overtime.
Overtime:
A-kid went wild with kicks, but Seven turned him inside out with a lariat as he came off the ropes. They fought on the apron until Seven slammed A-Kid to the mats on the outside and both men struggled to make it back into the ring. A-Kid just barely made it back in to avoid being counted out.
Seven hit the Seven Star Lariat and then went for the Burning Hammer, but A-Kid flipped out, hit a super kick, and followed with a flying kick into the ropes. Seven went for an omoplata, but A-Kid countered into a submission of his own. A-Kid forced Seven’s arms behind his back and locked them with his legs. Seven struggled but eventually had to submit, crowning A-Kid the first-ever NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion.
Scala was going to give the Heritage Cup trophy to A-Kid after the match, but Seven took the trophy from Scala and presented it to A-Kid himself. A-Kid celebrated as the show went off the air.
Next week —
Alexander Wolfe faces Joe Coffey in a match where the rest of Imperium and Gallus will be banned from ringside. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster will also take on The Hunt.
A-Kid is NXT UK’s inaugural Heritage Cup Champion.
In the finals of the Heritage Cup tournament, A-Kid defeated Trent Seven on this week’s episode of NXT UK. A-Kid submitted Seven in sudden-death overtime to win the match two falls to one.
A-Kid won the first fall of the match in round three. He had the match won at the end of round five, but time expired before the referee counted the pin. Seven won a fall in round six to send the match to sudden-death overtime.
As NXT UK general manager Johnny Saint’s assistant Sid Scala was about to give the Heritage Cup trophy to A-Kid after the match, Seven took the trophy from Scala and presented it to A-Kid himself. Streamers filled the ring and A-Kid celebrated with the Heritage Cup trophy as the show went off the air.
A-Kid vs. Seven was positioned as a matchup of youth vs. experience. A-Kid said he needed to win the Heritage Cup to launch his career, while Seven said he needed to win the tournament to cement his legacy.
Triple H tweeted about A-Kid’s win: “There can only be one ‘first.’ Congratulations to @AKidWrestler on winning the #NXTUK #HeritageCup…incredible match and the beginning of big things for this young man. Can’t wait to see you represent your country and this brand in the future. #WeAreNXTUK”
The Heritage Cup trophy will now be defended as a championship. Heritage Cup matches have the following British Rounds rules:
There will be six rounds for Heritage Cup matches. Each round will be three minutes.
There will be 20-second breaks between each round.
All matches are two-out-of-three falls.
Falls can be won by pinfall, submission, or countout.
Once a fall occurs, the round ends.
Once someone has won two falls, they are declared the winner.
If there’s a disqualification or knockout, the match ends without the need for two falls.
If a match goes the full six rounds, whoever is ahead on falls wins.
It will be A-Kid vs. Trent Seven in the finals of NXT UK’s Heritage Cup tournament.
In the main event of this week’s NXT UK, Seven defeated Dave Mastiff to advance to the finals of the Heritage Cup tournament. Seven won the match two falls to one.
The Heritage Cup finals between A-Kid and Seven will air on the Thursday, November 26 episode of NXT UK.
A-Kid advanced to the finals by defeating Noam Dar on NXT UK last week. In the first round of the tournament, A-Kid defeated Flash Morgan Webster.
Seven’s first round win was against Kenny Williams.
After defeating Mastiff on today’s show, Seven pointed to the Heritage Cup trophy and said his name will be the first to be engraved on it. A-Kid then came out and went face-to-face with Seven. They shook hands and said may the best man win.
The winner of A-Kid vs. Seven will defend the Heritage Cup as a championship following the tournament. Here are the rules for Heritage Cup matches:
There will be six rounds for Heritage Cup matches. Each round will be three minutes.
There will be 20-second breaks between each round.
All matches are two-out-of-three falls.
Falls can be won by pinfall, submission, or countout.
Once a fall occurs, the round ends.
Once someone has won two falls, they are declared the winner and they advance in the tournament.
If there’s a disqualification or knockout, the match ends without the need for two falls.
If a match goes the full six rounds, whoever is ahead on falls wins.
A-Kid beat Noam Dar to advance to the Heritage Cup finals
Gallus beat Sam Gradwell & Pretty Deadly
Jinny beat Aleah James which eventually led to a Kay Lee Rae vs. Piper Niven falls count anywhere NXT UK Women’s title match being made for two weeks.
Show Recap:
The show opened with clips from last week’s five star main event between NXT UK Champion WALTER and Ilja Dragunov, a match Dave Meltzer called “probably the most brutal match in WWE history”. There was a voiceover from WALTER who said he was the chosen one to represent and restore wrestling. There also was a brief video of Dragunov recovering in the back.
Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) beat Sam Gradwell & Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley) (9:44)
Joe Coffey made his return here after allegations of sexual misconduct during the #SpeakingOut movement in June. Gradwell also had his first NXT UK match in more than two years; he was part of the early UK Network specials and the very first set of NXT UK tapings and then vanished back into the UK indie scene.
This was mainly a Gallus showcase. Gradwell made a point of provoking Joe Coffey throughout the match and looked good in doing so. Gradwell didn’t care much for Pretty Deadly’s drama either and repeatedly told them to be more serious.
In the end, Joe Coffey pinned Gradwell with his Best for the Bells spinning lariat. This finish also keeps Pretty Deadly’s demand for an NXT UK Tag Team title shot alive.
— There was a promo video for Noam Dar vs. A-Kid in the Heritage Cup semifinals with clips from their last match in March where Dar won after a low blow.
— There was a recap of The Hunt attacking Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews and aligning with Eddie Dennis from last week. Andy Shepherd said Andrews and Webster are not cleared for competition.
— There was a promo video showing Rampage Brown arriving at the NXT UK Performance Center with Sid Scala. He was greeted by Johnny Moss and watched some of the training. Dave Mastiff also warmly greeted him and he went with Scala to sign his contract.
Jinny pinned Aleah James (3:45)
James, who just recently turned 22, made her debut. She was trained at the London School of Lucha Libre and wrestled for RevPro, Schadenfreude & Friends and EVE, among others in the past two years.
Jinny repeatedly argued with the referee including telling her she wasn’t ready yet as the bell rang. Jinny dominated except for a few hope spots James got in. She finished the match with a rolling kick to the head as this was mostly a setup for the angle that followed.
After the match, Jinny cut a promo and talked about being the top woman on the roster. She mentioned Piper Niven, who came out and confronted her, telling her to repeat what she said to her face. As they were arguing, NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray came out and mocked them both. She slid a chair into the ring and told them to show them who had killer instinct. She said she knew Jinny would sell out her own grandmother, but thought that Niven didn’t have it in her.
Jinny then slapped Niven who responded with a headbutt, then picked up the chair and gave Jinny a shot to the back. James tried to calm Niven down, but received a Michinoku Driver for her trouble. Niven then gave one to Jinny on the chair. She then chased down KLR who fled in horror.
— There was a great video with Eddie Dennis and The Hunt. Dennis talked about the symbiotic relationship between man and beast, bringing up a huntsman using his dog to flush a rabbit from his hole. He said he had his own beasts as Primate and Wild Boar appeared from the darkness, wearing animalistic face masks and growling. He said that Andrews claimed they had been friends for 15 years, but that Andrews had used Dennis for 15 years.
He said that Webster claimed that he and Boar were best friends, but that Webster had exploited him. He said Primate (a former soldier in real life) was born on the battlefield, used to following orders and hurt people. He closed the promo by quickly shushing, prompting The Hunt to fall silent. This was really good and got over all three men and their relationship with each other.
— Footage aired showing Niven beating on KLR backstage from during the break. Referees and Scala ran in to break them up, eventually succeeding. Niven grabbed KLR’s championship belt and held it up, throwing it at Scala’s feet as she walked off. A graphic announced a falls count anywhere championship match between the two in two weeks.
— Rampage Brown makes his NXT UK in-ring debut next week while Dave Mastiff faces Trent Seven in the other semifinal match of the Heritage Cup.
As a reminder, the Heritage Cup tournament is being contested under the following rules:
All matches consist of six three minute rounds with 20 second breaks between each round
All matches are 2-out-of-3 falls
Falls can be won by pinfall, submission, or countout
Once a fall occurs, the round ends
The match ends once a wrestler has won two falls
In the event of a disqualification or knockout, the match instantly ends without the need for two falls
If all six rounds are completed, whoever is ahead on falls wins the match.
NXT UK Heritage Cup semifinals: A-Kid beat Noam Dar 2:1 (18:07, but it should have been 16:23)
This was mostly a battle of even opponents with submissions playing a big part in the story of the match. A-Kid going to the finals is a great underdog story.
Round 1:
They traded holds and counters early. A-Kid got the advantage late in the round with a headlock he kept on tight. Dar sat him on the top rope and hit a running kick, sending A-Kid to the outside as the round concluded.
Round 2:
A-Kid started out the round aggressively, but Dar came back. They did a long backslide spot which Dar eventually won. Dar whipped A-Kid into the ropes and went for a schoolboy, but Kid turned it into a submission, eventually transitioning into a crossface. Dar was close to tapping out but was saved by the bell.
Round 3:
A-Kid got an armbar, but Dar turned it into a near fall. Dar eventually locked in an omoplata and A-Kid verbally submitted at 2:04 of the round to go up 1-0.
Round 4:
Dar repeatedly kicked A-Kid, attacking his knee which he had previously worked over. Dar went for a submission, but A-Kid turned it into a bridging pin for the pinfall at 1:25 of the round to tie it up at 1-1.
Round 5:
Dar kicked out A-Kid’s legs when he was on the apron and hit a double-footed kick through the ropes. Dar booted Kid on the outside and went to kiss the trophy at ringside. Kid hit a spinning kick from the apron as the referee was at eight and almost won by countout when Dar made it back at 9.9. Kid hit a high crossbody for a near fall with 30 seconds left. They traded punches and Dar was going for ground and pound as the round ended.
Round 6:
They went tit for tat early in the round and traded pinfall and submission attempts. Dar hit a spinning back elbow that knocked Kid down and went for the Nova Roller, but got hit with a flying head kick as he flew in. A-Kid then locked in an omoplata and locked the other arm with his leg, forcing Dar into submission at 2:14 of the final round to win the match two falls to one, advancing to the Heritage Cup finals.
Next week:
Dave Mastiff faces Trent Seven in the semifinals of the NXT UK Heritage Cup while Rampage Brown makes his debut.
