Ilja Dragunov’s next NXT United Kingdom Championship defense has been made official.
Dragunov will put his title on the line against Jordan Devlin on the Thursday, January 27 episode of NXT UK. It will be Dragunov’s third defense since becoming NXT UK Champion.
At NXT TakeOver 36 last August, Dragunov defeated WALTER to win the NXT UK title. He’s retained against A-Kid and Rampage Brown since then.
The feud between Dragunov and Devlin began when Devlin called Dragunov out on an episode of NXT UK last month. After Devlin mentioned Dragunov’s family, Dragunov attacked him and the two had to be separated by officials.
Devlin said he hopes Dragunov knows what he’s getting into by facing him. Devlin said he hopes Dragunov’s wife forgives Dragunov for it — and he hopes Dragunov can explain to his son Constantin why he’s had to grow up taking care of his daddy.
Devlin has called Dragunov pathetic for fighting for his fans and family. Devlin said Dragunov needs their approval, but all Devlin needs is himself.
Dragunov responded by explaining that his family isn’t a weakness, it’s what gives him strength.
WWE has also set a date for NXT UK’s next Heritage Cup Championship match. Noam Dar will defend the Heritage Cup trophy against A-Kid on NXT UK next Thursday.
The show opened with a highlight video for Dragunov vs. Brown tonight.
NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura defeated Xia Brookside to retain the title (07:58)
Satomura controlled Brookside early on. Brookside got the upper hand, but got overwhelmed again in short order. Satomura applied an arm bar around the five minute mark, but Brookside made the ropes, then went on the attack once more. Satomura missed an enzuigiri and Brookside scored a near-fall after a codebreaker, then threw a tantrum when she couldn’t score a three-count.
Satomura hit the Death Valley Driver, then finished Brookside off with Scorpion Rising for the successful title defense.
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Charlie Dempsey and Rohan Raja were at an apartment, Raja suggested they go to the roof. As they looked over the city, Raja said that Teoman sent his gratitude and asked Dempsey what was important to him. He said legacy and heritage were important, and he knew it was the same for Raja. Raja had been on the phone with Teoman and welcomed Dempsey to “the familia.” They shook hands.
Meiko Satomura was greeted backstage by Emilia McKenzie and was asked about her future plans. Satomura said she would be going home to Japan for a few weeks. Blair Davenport then walked up and asked Emilia McKenzie what she was going to do without her only friend there to protect her? McKenzie said she would be just fine and Davenport challenged her to a match, which Emilia accepted. Davenport also told Satomura to bring her back a present from Japan.
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Saxon Huxley beat Kenny Williams (08:14)
This was a rematch from a few weeks ago, where Williams cheated to win.
Williams threw his jacket at Huxley at the bell, but Huxley caught it and started dismantling Williams. He hit a running crossbody into the ropes, then followed Williams to ringside and leveled him with a clothesline. Back in the ring, Huxley kept up the attacks and ragdolled Williams around.
Williams ducked a corner attack and Huxley tumbled to the outside. Williams attacked him there, then kept the pressure on in the ring. Williams hit a sit-down splash onto Huxley’s back for a near-fall, then worked over Huxley’s knees and upper legs.
Huxley came back and deadlifted Williams into a gorilla press. Huxley missed and elbow from the middle rope, allowing Williams to hit a running DDT. Suddenly, Subculture’s music played and Williams, like an idiot, ignored his opponent and got on the ropes, looking towards the entrance.
Huxley hit a hip attack into the corner, then hit a fireman’s carry into a powerbomb for the win.
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Sha Samuels had a board with odds for various challengers to the NXT UK Cup. Sam Gradwell was at the bottom with 4000 to 1 odds. He walked in and took offense, then challenged Samuels for next week and bet 10 pounds on himself, at the same odds.
A graphic announced Blair Davenport vs. Emilia McKenzie for next week, plus Pretty Deadly vs. Moustache Mountain for the NXT UK tag team titles. They then aired a very good hype video with great promos by both teams.
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NXT UK championship: Ilja Dragunov defeated Rampage Brown by referee stoppage to retain the title (08:50)
They locked up, Brown backed Dragunov into the corner, but the champion evaded a big punch and shortly thereafter, a back elbow, then hit a chop of his own.
Brown finally hit a punch off a break in the corner, but Dragunov immediately punished him with strikes, then trapped Brown in a side headlock, not even breaking the hold off a backdrop driver. Dragunov locked the hold on twice more off whips, but eventually had to release after another high-angle suplex.
They ended at ringside, and Brown repeatedly rammed Dragunov into the corner posts. Brown repeatedly slammed Dragunov, then started working over the champion’s lower back.
Dragunov briefly fought back with kicks off his back, but Brown kept attacking relentlessly. Dragunov escaped a Doctor Bomb attempt, then managed a back body drop off a powerbomb attempt. Dragunov managed to hit an enzuigiri out of desperation that put down Brown hard.
A replay showed Dragunov’s toe hitting Brown in the temple or jaw. The doctor checked him out and the referee called a stop to the contest.
Final thoughts —
The main event was great while it lasted, but it looked like a legitimate Referee/doctor stoppage and a very anticlimactic finish. I hope this leads to a rematch down the line.
The other two matches were fine, but not very memorable. Other than the first seven minutes of the main event, the highlights of the show were the Charlie Dempsey/Rohan Raja segment and the Pretty Deadly and Moustache Mountain promos.
Next week —
NXT UK Tag Team Championship: Pretty Deadly (c) vs. Moustache Mountain
Ilja Dragunov’s next NXT United Kingdom Championship defense is now official.
Dragunov will put his NXT United Kingdom Championship on the line against Rampage Brown on the NXT UK episode that airs two weeks from now (Thursday, December 2). The title defense will be Dragunov’s second since becoming NXT United Kingdom Champion.
At NXT TakeOver 36 this August, Dragunov won the NXT United Kingdom title by defeating WALTER in an instant classic match. Dragunov’s first title defense took place on NXT UK last month, with him retaining against A-Kid.
A-Kid got that title shot by defeating Joe Coffey and Brown in a triple threat match.
Dragunov cut a promo on NXT UK two weeks ago thanking A-Kid for their match. Dragunov said he needs next-level competitors and is looking forward to his next title defense. Brown, who had defeated Flash Morgan Webster earlier in the night, then interrupted Dragunov.
Brown told Dragunov that they have some unfinished business, and he’d love to be the next man to face Dragunov for the NXT UK title. Dragunov accepted the challenge and offered Brown a handshake. Brown went to shake Dragunov’s hand but then dropped him with a lariat. Brown said he doesn’t need Dragunov’s respect — all he needs is the NXT UK title.
An interview with Dragunov aired on today’s NXT UK episode. Dragunov said Brown is a monster and most people should be afraid of him, but Dragunov isn’t most people. Dragunov said legends and myths weren’t written about giants, they were written about the courageous heroes who made them fall.
The show opened with a new, generic theme song and opening video. Andy Shepherd welcomed us to BT Sports Studios where, for the first time since March of 2020, there were fans in attendance for an NXT UK taping.
Blair Davenport defeated Stevie Turner (04:42)
Davenport attacked Turner right away. Turner came right back and floored Davenport with a running kick. Davenport hit a running dropkick and scored a near fall. Turner hit three rolling neckbreakers for a two count of her own. Turner hit a mass effect for another close fall, before falling victim to an enzuigiri.
Davenport then followed with a knee strike to the face and the Falcon Arrow for the pinfall victory.
Davenport cut a short promo, putting all the women in the locker room on notice.
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Sha Samuels was looking to surprise Noam Dar with a victory celebration for his tournament win, but the banner said Happy Birthday instead. Samuels was upset, but Dar told him this could just be the rehearsal celebration for when he wins the NXT Heritage Cup.
A video of Teoman and Rohan Raja at a dinner table aired. Teoman looked mad. Rohan apologized for things not going their way in the Heritage Cup contenders tournament. He said they had been outnumbered. Teoman said he was the babo of NXT UK and it was his responsibility. He said their family would grow.
Sid Scala was on the phone when Jinny interrupted. He told her that she would face Meiko Satomura in three weeks. Jinny was pleased, then told Scala to burn his clothes.
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Sha Samuels defeated Flash Morgan Webster (08:17)
Samuels dominated early, then clotheslined Webster to the outside. Webster narrowly made it back into the ring at nine, then quickly fell victim to a lariat. Webster came back with a moonsault block from the turnbuckles, then sent Samuels to the apron and hit a springboard dropkick, followed by a running dive.
After some action in the ring, Samuels was at ringside again and got wiped out by a top rope somersault by Webster, leading to a near fall back in the ring. Webster then went for another springboard attack, but Samuels turned it into a spinebuster and scored the win.
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Nina Samuels interviewed Xia Brookside for her show. She asked Xia how it felt losing to a Amale, Blair Davenport and Dani Luna? Xia said that Samuels had lost to all of them too. Samuels then asked Xia why she didn’t face Aleah James, trying to stir something up. Xia called Aleah over and they casually agreed to have a match and work out together. Samuels played it up like there had been some kind of big drama.
Gallus walked in on a meeting with Sid Scala and Jordan Devlin. Devlin said he had just talked to Scala about setting up a rematch with Joe Coffey with the rest of Gallus banned from ringside. He also said an Ace always beats a king and how Coffey had two TakeOver main events and came away with nothing, while Devlin had one shot at a title and won it.
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NXT UK Championship: Ilja Dragunov defeated A-Kid to retain the title (19:21)
A-Kid used submissions early, but Ilja escaped. This quickly turned into a battle of chops versus leg kicks, before Ilja hit a big German suplex takedown. Ilja hit the Konstantin Special (seesaw lariat), sending A-Kid to the mat. Ilja tried working over A-Kid’s shin, which took some damage after Dragunov had checked one of his kicks.
Dragunov intensified his strategy, repeatedly targeting the leg and weakening his challenger’s base. A-Kid managed to apply an armbar, which Ilja quickly turned into a pinning combination, but it was obvious that his arm had take some damage. A-Kid targeted the arm, then hit a knee to the face and German suplex that left the champion glassy eyed. It turned once more into a battle of kicks and strikes, with Dragunov catching a kick, but A-Kid going after the shoulder.
A-Kid hit another kick, then hit a fisherman’s suplex. but couldn’t put pressure on both legs, allowing Ilja to narrowly kick out. Ilja managed to hit two German suplexes, with A-Kid looking to apply an armbar after each. Ilja followed with elbow strikes, then hit a high-angle amateur takedown. Ilja went for a top-rope senton, but A-Kid moved out of the way.
A-Kid applied a sleeper, but Ilja escaped just long enough to eat a running kick. A-Kid reapplied the sleeper, but Ilja backed him into the corner. A-Kid went to the top with Ilja looking to stop him, but ending up with another arm bar in the ropes. Ilja then hit a leg-capture superplex off the top that had both men down. Ilja went for Torpedo Moscow, but A-Kid hit a flying superkick in mid-air, scoring a near fall with Ilja kicking out at 2.9.
They traded strikes and A-Kid went for an arm bar and eventually a triangle. Ilja powerbombed him twice, but couldn’t break the hold. A-Kid went for the omaplata with Ilja narrowly escaping.
Ilja came back with a Torpedo Moscow to the leg, then followed up with another one for the pin and his first title defense.
Ilja posed with the belt, then offered his hand to A-Kid in respect.
Final Thoughts:
The first two matches were mostly basic squash matches.
The main event was really good with a great story of both men working over their opponent’s injuries.
Next week:
Symbiosis vs. Jack Starz & Dave Mastiff
Meiko Satomura defending against Jinny was announced as taking place in three weeks
WWE has revealed when Ilja Dragunov and A-Kid’s NXT United Kingdom Championship match will be taking place.
Dragunov will defend his NXT United Kingdom Championship against A-Kid on the Thursday, October 14 episode of NXT UK. The announcement was made during a sit-down face-to-face segment with Dragunov and A-Kid that aired on this week’s NXT UK.
This will be Dragunov’s first defense of the NXT United Kingdom Championship. He defeated WALTER to win the title at NXT TakeOver 36 last month, ending WALTER’s 870-day reign as champion.
Following Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne, and WALTER, Dragunov is the fourth wrestler to hold the NXT United Kingdom Championship since it was introduced in 2017.
A-Kid became the number one contender to Dragunov’s title by defeating Nathan Frazer and Rampage Brown in a triple threat match on last week’s NXT UK.
A-Kid is a former NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion. He’s challenged for the NXT United Kingdom Championship once before, losing to WALTER this January.
A-Kid will be the first challenger for Ilja Dragunov’s NXT United Kingdom Championship.
A-Kid became the number one contender to Dragunov’s title by defeating Nathan Frazer and Rampage Brown in a triple threat match on this week’s NXT UK. WWE hasn’t announced when A-Kid will be getting his title shot.
Brown was sent out of the ring when A-Kid gave him a superkick near the end of the number one contender’s match. A-Kid then hit a German suplex and a superkick on Frazer to get the win.
Dragunov defeated WALTER at NXT TakeOver 36 last month, ending WALTER’s 870-day reign as NXT United Kingdom Champion.
Dragunov appeared via video on last week’s NXT UK episode. Dragunov said he was looking forward to coming back to the United Kingdom, and the most interesting question he had on his mind was who would be trying to take the NXT United Kingdom Championship from him. A-Kid, Frazer, and Brown then came out to the ring to set up their number one contender’s match.
A-Kid is a former NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion. He unsuccessfully challenged WALTER for the NXT United Kingdom Championship earlier this year.
NXT UK Heritage Cup number one contender’s tournament first round: Wolfgang defeated Sam Gradwell 2-1 in round 5 (11:45)
Round 1 —
Wolfgang overpowered Gradwell early. They brawled at ringside and Gradwell hit a flying forearm from the apron. Wolfgang was about to punch Gradwell in the mouth as the round ended.
Round 2 —
Gradwell had Wolfgang trapped in an armbar on the mat about halfway into the round, but Wolfgang powered out. Wolfgang hit an axe handle off the top and a running kick to retaliate. Gradwell slapped him, then escaped to ringside to catch his breath for the last few seconds of the round.
Round 3 —
Wolfgang started out wild, but Gradwell stopped a spear with his knee brace, then hit a flatliner for the first fall at 0:24 of the round. Gradwell 1-0
Round 4 —
Wolfgang’s left shoulder was hurt and he favored the arm, which Gradwell immediately focused on. Wolfgang fought back and eventually hit a front slam off a suplex to score a pin at 1:39 of the round. Wolfgang 1-1
Round 5 —
Gradwell hit a hard forearm for a near fall in the first minute. He evaded two spears by Wolfgang, but fell victim to the third one at 1:17 of the round. Wolfgang wins 2-1
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A video recapped Blair Davenport’s attack on Nina Samuels and Sid Scala last week.
Scala, still visibly upset, then announced that NXT management had suspended Davenport.
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Kenny Williams and Noam Dar talked about their match next week. Both are despicable heels and Dar said he was an elephant who would stomp the cockroach Kenny Williams out.
Pretty Deadly defending their NXT UK Tag Team Championships against Gallus (Joe & Mark Coffey) was announced for next week.
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Gallus then celebrated Wolfgang’s win and loudly sang backstage, which drew the ire of the Irish Ace. Jordan Devlin came out of his locker room and said he was getting a massage. He then told Joe Coffey after he took care of his neck, he would take care of Coffey’s ego. Coffey got in Devlin’s face, who flinched and held his neck in pain.
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Oliver Carter, Ashton Smith & Saxon Huxley defeated Symbiosis (Eddie Dennis, Primate & T-Bone) (09:01)
Smith and Carter had new music and a new entrance screen.
Huxley and Primate started and Huxley threw Primate to ringside quickly. T-Bone was in next and attacked Huxley, but got wiped out with a Thesz Press. Smith was in next and ate a big overhead suplex. T-Bone and Primate worked him over and Eddie Dennis joined in.
Smith outsmarted Dennis and tagged Carter, who immediately hit a beautiful springboard moonsault on Primate. Primate punched him to ringside and Dennis took over. All three members of Symbiosis worked over Carter, who eventually managed to hot tag Huxley.
Huxley ran wild and wiped out Eddie Dennis with an elbow drop, then followed up with a clothesline off the top. Smith was in and they hit a double suplex on Dennis. Smith was in trouble quickly, as Primate attacked him from the outside. Smith almost fell victim to a flying headbutt by Primate, but Carter made the save.
Smith then impressively hoisted Primate on his shoulders with ease, and Carter hit a Doomsday Cutter for the pin.
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Stevie Tyler was asked about her match with Meiko Satomura. She said that she got a title match in only her fourth match and now had the blueprint to beating her.
Emilia McKenzie then walked up and said it was interesting that Tyler badmouthed Satomura when she had been beaten by her and that McKenzie would beat her too. After she left, Tyler pouted and called McKenzie two-dimensional.
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Pretty Deadly cut an entertaining promo, talking about how they would beat Gallus next week, just as they had six months ago.
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Replay from NXT TakeOver 36: NXT UK Championship: Ilja Dragunov defeated WALTER to win the championship
This was an incredible match, which Dave rated at *****¼ stars. The original report of the match can be found here.
Ilja Dragunov, Rhea Ripley, Cesaro, Drew McIntyre, Finn Balor, Toni Storm and Sheamus provided commentary and added insights for the match.
Final Thoughts:
The Wolfgang/Gradwell match was a fine hoss fight.
The six-man was fun and showcased Carter and Smith as a really good team.
The replay of the WALTER and Ilja match was outstanding of course. I’d have preferred to have just Ilja’s insights and maybe get some reactions from his peers in a separate segment. This was the best match in WWE this year by a country mile.
Next week:
NXT UK Heritage Cup number one contender’s tournament semifinals: Noam Dar vs. Kenny Williams
NXT UK Tag Team Championship: Pretty Deadly vs. Gallus
WWE will relive WALTER and Ilja Dragunov’s instant classic from NXT TakeOver 36 next week.
Next Thursday’s NXT UK episode will feature WWE reliving WALTER and Dragunov’s NXT United Kingdom Championship match from TakeOver 36. WWE is advertising that there will be special added insight from NXT and WWE wrestlers and legends.
Dragunov defeated WALTER to win the NXT United Kingdom Championship at TakeOver 36, ending WALTER’s 870-day title reign. It was a rematch of one of WWE’s best matches of 2020, where WALTER defeated Dragunov to retain the title last October.
Before heading back to the United Kingdom, Dragunov appeared on this Tuesday’s NXT episode and cut an in-ring promo. Dragunov said he showed the will, passion, soul, and struggle it takes to be NXT UK Champion. Dragunov asked who is willing to go through all of that to take the title from him. “The Ring General has fallen,” Dragunov said. “Long live the Czar.”
Two matches have also been announced for next Thursday’s NXT UK. Sam Gradwell and Wolfgang will face off in the first round of the Heritage Cup number one contender’s tournament. Symbiosis (Eddie Dennis, Primate & T-Bone) will take on Saxon Huxley, Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith in a six-man tag match.
The winner of Gradwell vs. Wolfgang will advance to face Teoman in the contender’s tournament semifinals. Noam Dar vs. Kenny Williams is the other semifinal match. The winner of the tournament will get a shot at Tyler Bate’s Heritage Cup Championship.
An appearance by the new United Kingdom Champion is set for tonight’s NXT.
Following his victory against WALTER at TakeOver 36, new NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov will appear on tonight’s NXT episode. Dragunov used a sleeper to submit WALTER in their instant classic match at TakeOver.
WALTER’s reign as NXT United Kingdom Champion lasted 870 days before being ended by Dragunov.
Six matches have also been announced for tonight’s show. Johnny Gargano will be in action against LA Knight, Tommaso Ciampa will face off with Ridge Holland, NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez will face Jessi Kamea in a non-title match, Kyle O’Reilly will take on Duke Hudson, Roderick Strong will face Ikemen Jiro, and Sarray vs. Mandy Rose will kick off the episode.
Plus, there will be a sit-down interview with NXT Champion Samoa Joe tonight. It will be conducted by Wade Barrett.
Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The entrance of Mandy Rose opens the show, before her first match on NXT television since returning to the brand.
Sarray defeated Mandy Rose (with Gigi Dolan & Jacy Jayne) via countout
Rose was counted out after selling her face upon taking a running dropkick from Sarray.
Rose with heel tactics at the start, and she takes Sarray off her feet. Rose does push-ups with her hands on Sarray’s back, taunting Sarray as Rose kept her pushed down on the mat. Sarray soon fired up with a bevy of offense. Rose counters a fisherman’s buster, but Sarray regains her grip. Guillotine choke by Sarray, and then she dropped Rose on her head with a Perfect-plex.
Nearfall for Sarray, but she went on to miss splash off the top rope. No water in the pool. Rose capitalizes by working over Sarray. Fallaway slam and a kip up by Rose. She stretches Sarray, but Sarray is able to counter. Muta lock applied by Sarray, and Rose was dropped by the submission hold. Rose with a thumb in the eye to break the hold.
Sarray rocks Rose with strikes, yet Rose slaps her in the face. So, Sarray dropkicks Rose in the face. Rose falls into the ropes, and Sarray follows up by charging into a dropkick that knocks Rose out of the ring. Rose sells her face.
Rose keeps selling her face as Dolan and Jayne crowd around her. They get a towel to hold over Rose’s face. Jayne and Dolan help Rose as she leaves ringside. Rose is counted out as she is escorted out of the CWC with a towel over her face.
Tommaso Ciampa in a pre-tape promo has words for Ridge Holland. He was angry that Holland and his crew attacked Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher. Ciampa says he is fighting for NXT and his family. Ciampa dedicated his match tonight to “Touthless Timmy.” He ended his promo by referring to himself in third person, saying a “motivated Ciampa is a scary Ciampa.” Ciampa violently got out his chair, throwing it around, and he storms off.
A tease for the rebranding of NXT includes a clip from a Wale song. The rebrand is coming soon.
Right into another match as the show comes back from commercial. Next match was set up last week in a skit that involved a backstage pull-apart brawl.
Kyle O’Reilly defeated Duke Hudson
O’Reilly submitted Hudson with a heel hook, after O’Reilly dropped a bombs away knee drop on the back of Hudson’s leg.
O’Reilly had his side taped up going into the match, and Hudson would go on to work over O’Reilly’s ribs. O’Reilly uses slick grappling at the outset of the match, but Hudson soon targets the ribs. Fighting back with a flurry, O’Reilly gets a two count with a roll-up. However, Hudson is back to working the ribs as the show cuts to a picture-in-picture coommercial break.
Hudson is punishing O’Reilly as the show returns from the break. O’Reilly comeback begins with a volley of kicks. Hudson was reeling, but he cuts off O’Reilly nonetheless. Not for long as O’Reilly uses a titl-a-whirl to transition into a guillotine choke. Hudson escaped the hold, and he goes on to suplex O’Reilly for a near fall.
O’Reilly was hanging onto the ropes. He was teetering on the apron when he caught Hudson with a pair of dragon screw legdrops. O’Reilly climbs the ropes and leapt off the top with a flying knee drop to Hudson’s leg. O’Reilly then locks in a heel hook, and Hudson taps out.
Cross-brand synergy as a commercial airs for the NXT UK Hertiage Cup.
Love is in the air, and you are invited to a wedding September 14th on NXT. In-Dex ties the knot.
NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov speaks
Dragunov is sporting stitches over his eye, and he walks with a limp since his instant classic against WALTER. Dragunov recently won tthe NXT United Kingdom Champioship at TakeOver 36 in a war with WALTER. Dragunov begins a speech by telling the crowd he is still alive after his recent battle.
Not only is he alive, Dragunov is more alive than ever before! He feels like a man that survived the most intense battle of his life. Dragunov likes it here in NXT, and we will see him again soon. Dragunov went to ask who is willing to take the NXT UK title away from him.
“The ring general as fallen,” Dragunov exclaims. “Long live the czar!”
Arash Markazi sat down with Kay Lee Ray for an interview. Kay buries the rest of the roster, and she claims William Regal brought her dominate NXT in the USA like she did in the UK.
McKenzie Mitchell was interviewing the Breakout tournament winner, Carmelo Hayes, when they were interrupted by El Legado del Fantasma. This seems to set up a match between Santos Escobar against Hayes.
Barthel pinned Waller to win the match. The young guy being taught a lesson is the moral of the story.
Waller in a pre-tape promo was overconfident, and he was amped up about his NXT debut. Maverick could only shake his head at Waller. Of course, Waller is soon taught a lesson during the match.
Maverick was on a role when Waller makes a blind tag. Waller is then blindsided, and Maverick is taken out after being rammed into a lighting grid. Double team on Waller with a Doomsday Device uppercut, and Barthel covered him for a pinfall.
Ridge Holland in a pre-tape promo threatened to sent Ciampa to the hospital. I think he means “medical facility.”
Gigi Dolan and Jacy Jayne apparently attacked Sarray backstage.
LA Knight defeated Johnny Gargano (with Indi Hartwell & Dexter Lumis)
Knight pinned Gargano after Gargano was distracted by gaga with Lumis.
Knight on offense is a channel-changer, and he kept dashing hope spots. Dern it. Please make it stop. Eventually, Gargano is able to fire up into a flurry of moves. Gargano works the crowd while he also works an arm.
Tope by Gargano, and he pummeled Knight around the ring. All good things must unfortunately come to an end as Knight dropped Gargano on the ropes with a hot shot. Knight in control again as the show cuts to a commercial. Knight is working over Gargano as the show returns from the break. Big yawn.
Comeback by Gargano. Knight almost cut him off, yet Gargano was able to avoid a splash. Knight is left to crash and burn. Slingshot spear by Gargano for a two and a half. They go on to trade near falls.
Knight measures Gargano for his finisher, but Gargano counters him. Knight has a counter of his own. He countered the One Final Beat, and Gargano went sailing off the apron. Gargano falls into the arms of Dexter Lumis, and this upests Gargano. Some gaga with Lumis, and Gargano is distracted. Knight struck with his signature headlock DDT, and he steals one from a distracted Gargano.
The NXT Tag Team Team Champions, MSK, went to meet with William Regal. The champs wanted to give Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch a title shot. Regal agreed, and he books the tag title match for next week on NXT.
NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez defeated Jessi Kamea (with Franky Monet & Robert Stone) in a non-title match
Gonzalez pinned Kamea in a glorified squash match. Monet and Gonzalez glared holes through each other. Gonzalez won the match after using her chokeslam finisher. Her next challenger appears to be Monet.
Ember Moon is back on NXT, which is a nice surprise. It is her birthday, and she Moon cuts a promo on Kay Lee Ray. Moon challenges Ray to a match next week on NXT.
Interview with NXT Champion Samoa Joe
Wade Barrett sat down with the newly-crowned NXT Champion, Somoa Joe. In his third reign as champ, Joe means to set a precedent as a standard bearer for NXT. Joe came off like a contemporary version of the traveling world champ. He was a modern day Jack Brisco in this promo. Great stuff.
Strong pinned Jiro as Strong’s quest continues towards challenging for a title.
Jiro answered Strong’s open challenge to defend the honor of Kushida. Built continues to Kushida defending the NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Strong some time down the road.
Jiro, wearing a flashy sports coat, was a house of fire at the outset. His fire was put out when he crashed into the ring steps. Strong went on to punish Jiro. Comeback by Jiro, and he gets a near fall after an Arabian moonsault.
Backbreaker by Strong turned the tide. Another falling backbreaker, and Strong covered Jiro for a pinfall.
Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter face off with the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions in a backstage interview with McKenzie Mitchell. Io Shirai and Zoey Stark defend their titles next week on NXT. Shirai & Stark still do not get along, while Carter & Catanzaro are best friends.
Cameron Grimes was back to his old “TO THE MOON” self. He was confronted by the Grizzled Young Veterans. They had a replica of the Million Dollar Championship, and they were teasing Grimes with the replica. Grimes dropped the replica on Zack Gibson’s foot. Grimes tosses him some cash to help with the pain, and cackles Grimes as he walks away.
Matches announced for next Tuesday on NXT:
MSK defend the NXT Tag Team Championship against Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch.
Ember Moon vs. Kay Lee Ray
Zoey Stark & Io Shirai defend the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship against Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro
Tommaso Ciampa defeated Ridge Holland (with Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Dannuy Burch)
Ciampa pinned Holland clean after a Willow’s Bell.
Quickly into the match, the fight spills outside the ring. They fight at ringside, and Ciampa has taken charge. Distraction by Lorcan & Burch, which allows Holland to hit Ciampa with a Monty Brown Pounce … Period.
The match goes through a picture-in-picture commercial break, and Ciampa is worked over. They trade strikes as the show returns from the break. Ciampa remains in peril as Holland delivers more punishment.
Comeback by Ciampa with a series of lariats. Ax bomber by Ciampa for a near fall. Holland answered back with an Alabama Slam. The referee steps in to check on Ciampa, but the match continues. Two count as Ciampa kicked out.
Slugfest as they trade strikes. Ciampa fires up on Holland, leading to a near fall. The fight spilled outside again. Ciampa is dropped with a headbutt. Holland sends Ciampa into the barricade using a running powerslam similar to an Oklahoma Stampede. Holland missed a follow up charge into the barricade.
Holland went to powerslam Ciampa off the apron, but Ciampa fought free to counter him. Ciampa caught Holland with a Willow’s Bell, and he covered him for a clean pinfall.
Dunne attacked Ciampa after the match. Lorcan and Burch held Ciampa for Dunne. MSK enter the scene to make a save. They brawl with Lorcan and Burch.
Ilja Dragunov is set to make his first appearance as NXT United Kingdom Champion.
WWE has announced that Dragunov will appear on next Tuesday’s episode of NXT. In an instant classic match, Dragunov defeated WALTER to win the NXT United Kingdom Championship at TakeOver 36 on Sunday night.
WALTER vs. Dragunov was a rematch of one of the best matches of 2020. After failing to defeat WALTER in their first meeting, Dragunov used a sleeper to submit WALTER at TakeOver 36.
WALTER’s reign as NXT United Kingdom Champion lasted for 870 days before being ended by Dragunov.
Dragunov is the fourth-ever NXT United Kingdom Champion. Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne, and WALTER previously held the title.
In the lead-up to TakeOver 36, Dragunov had two matches on NXT. He lost to Dunne in the first match but defeated Roderick Strong the next week.
Here’s the full list of what’s been announced for next Tuesday’s NXT:
Ilja Dragunov ended WALTER’s NXT United Kingdom championship reign tonight at NXT TakeOver 36.
In a brutal, hard-hitting match, Dragunov continually took everything WALTER gave him and gave it back. The finish had Dragunov locking in a sleeper, with WALTER getting back to his feet. Dragunov didn’t let go and got WALTER fell back to the floor, evemtially causing him to tap.
WALTER had held the title for 830 days, defeating Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver: New York back on April 5, 2019. WALTER is the longest reigning champion in the belt’s history, eclipsing Dunne’s 685 day reign.
Dragunov and WALTER previously had a match for the NXT UK title back on the October 29 edition of NXT UK, a match that WALTER won. Both WALTER and Dragunov made appearances on the main NXT brand after their title match was announced for TakeOver 36. Dragunov lost a match against Dunne on the August 10 edition of NXT, but did defeat Roderick Strong on the August 22 edition of the show.
The build to a third match between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly will continue on next week’s NXT.
WWE has announced that Cole and O’Reilly will take part in a face-to-face segment on NXT next Tuesday. The segment will be mediated by NXT general manager William Regal.
Since the Undisputed Era broke up, Cole and O’Reilly have a 1-1 record against each other. O’Reilly defeated Cole in an unsanctioned match at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver this April, while Cole defeated O’Reilly at NXT Great American Bash last month.
Cole defeated Bronson Reed in the main event of last week’s NXT. After the match, O’Reilly attacked Cole with a steel chair and suplexed him onto the steel steps. It was claimed on NXT tonight that Cole wasn’t currently medically cleared to compete due to the attack.
WWE has also announced that NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez will “break her silence” on next week’s NXT episode. Dakota Kai turned against Gonzalez last week and laid her out with a kick. Tonight, a video aired where Kai explained her actions. Kai took credit for giving Gonzalez her start in NXT and said Gonzalez was selfish for going after the NXT Women’s Championship when it should have been Kai’s opportunity.
Ember Moon vs. Sarray has also been announced for next week’s NXT. Plus, NXT UK’s Ilja Dragunov will appear on the episode. Dragunov is challenging for WALTER’s NXT United Kingdom Championship at NXT TakeOver 36 on Sunday, August 22.
After airing on Syfy for two weeks due to the Olympics, NXT will be back on USA Network next Tuesday. Here’s the full list of what’s been announced for the episode:
Face-to-face segment with Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly
NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez will break her silence
A new date has been set for WALTER and Ilja Dragunov’s NXT United Kingdom Championship rematch.
WALTER will now defend his NXT UK Championship against Dragunov at NXT TakeOver 36 on Sunday, August 22. The match was originally set to headline today’s NXT UK episode, but it had to be postponed due to WALTER suffering an injury to his left hand.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Shawn Michaels, and William Regal appeared in a video that aired on NXT UK today and announced the new date for WALTER vs. Dragunov.
In storyline, it was said that WALTER’s injury happened during a backstage altercation with Dragunov following their in-ring press conference on last week’s NXT UK. The altercation wasn’t shown on TV.
In what was one of the best matches of 2020, WALTER retained the NXT UK Championship against Dragunov on NXT UK last October. The match ranked fifth in the Match of the Year category in the 2020 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards.
Dragunov has been involved in a storyline where he’s struggled with temper issues and has worked to get them under control since his loss to WALTER. He was set up as WALTER’s next challenger when he defeated Rampage Brown and Joe Coffey in a triple threat match on NXT UK last month.
WALTER has been NXT UK Champion since winning the title from Pete Dunne at TakeOver: New York in April 2019.
WALTER also defended the NXT UK Championship at a TakeOver event in the United States this April, retaining against Tommaso Ciampa.
WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov II will no longer be taking place on next week’s NXT UK episode.
On today’s NXT UK, it was announced that WALTER has suffered an injury to his left hand and is unable to defend his NXT United Kingdom Championship against Dragunov on NXT UK next Thursday. In storyline, the injury was blamed on a backstage altercation between WALTER and Dragunov that wasn’t shown.
It was said that details about the injury are sketchy at this point, but WWE medical staff have deemed the injury to be “severe” and WALTER isn’t fit to compete next week. More information on the situation will be revealed on next Thursday’s NXT UK.
There was an in-ring press conference segment with WALTER and Dragunov earlier on today’s show before the news of WALTER’s injury was announced.
In one of the best matches of 2020, WALTER defeated Dragunov on NXT UK last October to retain the NXT United Kingdom Championship. Dragunov has since struggled with temper issues in storyline and has worked to get them under control. Dragunov was established as the number one contender to WALTER’s title when he defeated Rampage Brown and Joe Coffey in a triple threat match on NXT UK last month.
The show opened with a graphic dedicated to the late, great “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff.
Triple H then talked about how on October 29, 2020 the world had seen one of the best and most brutal matches in WWE history and how WALTER was the longest-reigning champion of the modern era, who defended his championship both in the UK and the US. He also called Ilja Dragunov one of the hardest working men in wrestling and an enigma and was proud to give us the rematch of that epic battle next week.
We then cut to the champion and his challenger sitting at a table in the ring alongside Sid Scala to sign the contracts for their match next week.
WALTER and Ilja Dragunov contract signing —
They actually had press in the front row to ask questions. WALTER was asked if he thought his reign was under threat. He said no, because he was in this for the greater good and the reputation and tradition of this great sport. He said every time he steps into the ring, he was proud to represent the sport. He called Ilja a one-of-a-kind athlete, like nothing he ever saw before, but said that Ilja lacked the mental ability to step up to his level. He said he will have to proof that when he wrestles him again.
Ilja was asked what he learned since his defeat against WALTER. Ilja said it had been some very dark days and a rough time. He said you learn and get better, but failures like this don’t hurt you like a strike, but they hurt your mind. You can’t forget and the memories haunted him and he lost control. He found himself again and was prepared.
Both were asked what to expect for the rematch next week. Ilja said brutality, violence, intensity. He said the match redefined violence and people had forgotten what the word meant. Ilja called WALTER arrogant and said he had a god complex. WALTER interrupted him and asked him about redefining violence. WALTER called him a fraud. He said Ilja was fantastic but not at WALTER’s level. He called Ilja a showman and told him he wanted to grab everyone’s attention.
WALTER screamed at Ilja in German to look at him and said that if it wasn’t for him, Ilja would still be a cashier at a German supermarket. Scala tried to calm WALTER down, but it was to no avail.
Ilja was close to tears and said that last time, he thought all his stamina, all his power might be enough, but it wasn’t. He said he had respect for WALTER. He said after all WALTER had done to him, all the respect is gone and all that is left is hate.
Ilja said next week in this ring, he would break WALTER. He said he would walk away with the NXT UK title or he would not walk away at all. WALTER dared him to do something right now and they went forehead to forehead. WALTER told him to keep himself calm and Ilja said that he was.
This was amazing and this recap cannot do it justice. If you can spare ten minutes, watch this segment.
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A Subculture video aired. Andrews and Webster talked about how Andrews won a singles match against one half of the tag team champions two years ago and then they won the titles and last week, he did the same thing again. Dani Luna said next week, they would become two-time champions
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Teoman & Rohan Raja beat Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter when Teoman submitted Carter (08:55)
Smith floored Teoman right away, then beat him down. Teoman finally tagged out to Raja, who wanted Carter and got him. Carter hit a superkick and almost got the pin, but Teoman ran interference and Raja hit Carter with a Black Hole Slam, then took over.
Teoman got back in and went for the crossface, then kicked Carter’s arm when he couldn’t quite get it. Carter finally got the hot tag and Smith ran wild on both men. Smith got a near fall off a Michinoku Driver. Teoman dropped him head-first into the turnbuckle, then blind tagged Raja who almost put Smith away.
Carter got back in and hit a German suplex and superkick on Raja, then followed up with a cutter on Raja who was on Smith’s shoulders. Smith hit a somersault dive on both men. Back in the ring, Carter went for a quebrada, but Teoman pulled his legs away mid-jump.
Raja then hit a jumping STO and Teoman locked in the crossface for the submission victory.
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Sid Scala was asked about A-Kid and said he had no update. A-Kid then walked in on crutches with his leg heavily taped and said the medical update was that he was sick and tired of Jordan Devlin. He said he wanted to face him again as soon as he was medically cleared and told Sid to talk to Mr. Saint. he wants 30 minutes with Devlin to punish him and demanded an Iron Man match. Scala told him to leave it with him.
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Aoife Valkyrie talked about Jinny. She said the best have short memories when it comes to failure, She said she was ready to fly while Jinny wasn’t even ready to take off her high heels. She said that Jinny only ever attacked people she thought were down, and with her, Jinny picked the wrong fight.
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NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura pinned “The French Hope” Amale (07:18)
Meiko caught a kick, hit a leg kick then took down Amale with a headlock. Amale turned it into a pin but Satomura held on to the move. Amale took over and grabbed Meiko’s hair. Amale dropped Meiko head-first into the bottom turnbuckle, then hit a shotgun dropkick and got a two count. Satomura quickly got back on offense and punished Amale with a number of kicks to the chest. Amale came back with a swinging neckbreaker for a two-count of her own.
They traded big moves until Meiko hit a handspring kneedrop to the back of Amale’s neck.
Meiko eventually hit Scorpion Rising for the pin and the win in her first title defense.
After the match, Meiko screamed for the next challenger.
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A graphic announced breaking news on WALTER and Ilja Dragunov. The announcers claimed that WALTER and Ilja had had a backstage altercation and that WALTER had suffered a severe injury to his left hand. They said that he had not been medically cleared to compete and the match next week was off. They said they would have more information next week.
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NXT UK Heritage Cup: Tyler Bate (w/ Trent Seven) beat Mark Coffey (w/ Wolfgang) 2-1 in round 5 (12:46)
Round 1
They did some British style exchanges early with Bate using some leverage to keep Coffey under control. Coffey lifted Bate over the top rope to the apron as the round ended.
Round 2
Coffey used a hammerlock for the first minute. Bate finally threw him to ringside. Bate picked up the first fall of the match at 1:35 of the round with a pinning combination. Bate 1-0
Round 3
Coffey was more aggressive as the round started. He caught Bate’s springboard clothesline and gave him a big back body drop. Bate briefly came back but got caught with an enzuigiri as he came off the ropes with a European uppercut. Coffey then scored a pin at 1:42 with a running forearm to tie things. Coffey 1-1
Round 4
Coffey wrestled with urgency and hit big moves but Bate countered him repeatedly. He hit an exploder on the bigger man, then followed with a running shooting star. Bate hit the airplane spin but Coffey eventually elbowed his way out. Coffey missed a bulldog off the turnbuckles and bonked heads shortly before the round ended.
Round 5
Bate went into the post shoulder first and got rolled up, but narrowly kicked out. Coffey evaded the Tyler Driver ’97, but got hit with the springboard lariat for a near fall. Bate then hit the Tyler Driver 97 at 0:58 of the round to win the match. Bate wins 2-1
All four men shook hands after the match.
Final Thoughts:
A good show with an awesome non-wrestling segment between WALTER and Dragunov. Whenever and however it happens, it will be tremendous.
The two title matches both were good, even though nobody believed that either challenger had a chance to win.
Amale especially is good and has a cool character, so hopefully she can be put in another meaningful program soon.
The Teoman/Raja team also is good and it will be interesting if they add more people to that stable.
Next week:
NXT UK Tag Team Championship: Pretty Deadly (c) vs. Subculture
