WWE has announced two more matches for the NXT vs. NXT UK Worlds Collide special that’s taking place during Royal Rumble weekend.
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley will officially defend her title against Toni Storm on the Worlds Collide show. The match was confirmed after an angle where Storm interrupted Ripley on last night’s NXT and challenged her for Worlds Collide.
Finn Balor vs. Ilja Dragunov has also been announced for Worlds Collide.
Ripley vs. Storm could be a matchup of the NXT and NXT UK Women’s Champions, though WWE only announced Ripley’s title as being on the line. Storm and Piper Niven will challenge Kay Lee Ray for the NXT UK Women’s Championship in a triple threat match at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II this coming Sunday.
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong) vs. Imperium (WALTER, Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner & Alexander Wolfe) is the only other match that’s been confirmed for Worlds Collide thus far. The show is taking place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday, January 25 and will air live on the WWE Network.
Taped at Bonus Arena in Hull, England on November 16, 2019
Quick results —
Dave Mastiff pinned Kona Reeves.
Toni Storm cut a promo and apologized to Piper Niven, then asked her to bow out of the title match with Kay Lee Ray at TakeOver, which Niven refused. The two came to blows and KLR laughed about the whole affair.
Kassius Ohno submitted Ligero in the Kassius Clutch. As Ohno bragged about being the best British wrestler later, he was confronted by Dave Mastiff backstage.
A-Kid got interrupted by Joseph Conners backstage and it looks like those two will have a match at some point.
Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith defeated The Outliers, with Smith pinning Moss with a flash cradle.
Ilja Dragunov defeated Alexander Wolfe in a great and brutal no DQ main event. Imperium beat down Dragunov after, but Joe Coffey got the upper hand on WALTER, leading into their TakeOver main event match.
Full rundown —
– Johnny Saint and Sid Scala opened the show by announcing Eddie Dennis vs. Trent Seven and Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin for NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II.
Dave Mastiff pinned Kona Reeves after hitting a rolling somersault senton in the corner (3:21)
Reeves cut a promo on his way to the ring and berated the fans. He said he was jet lagged when he faced Trent Seven a few weeks ago, didn’t get enough sleep, and hadn’t been ready. He said Mastiff could go home to his pathetic family tonight and tell them he had been beaten by Kona Reeves.
Mastiff started the match with a shoulder check, then sent Reeves outside and beat on him. Reeves came back by slamming Mastiff’s head into the apron. He rammed Mastiff into the chairs and choked him with the ring apron.
Back in the ring, Reeves followed with a DDT for a two count, then hit a running kick for another one. Mastiff then came back with a back body drop and release German suplex into the corner. He followed with the running somersault senton into the corner and picked up the win.
Toni Storm in-ring promo
Storm said she had to go away for a while after losing the NXT UK Women’s Championship. Kay Lee Ray really got into her head and sent her to a dark place. Storm said she owed someone an apology — a friend she had known for a long time. She called out Piper Niven.
Niven came out and Storm apologized, stating that KLR had driven a wedge between them. She then asked Niven for a favor and asked Niven to step aside and let Storm finish her business with KLR. Storm said as soon as she got her title back, Niven would be the number one contender.
Niven said they’d known each other a long time and Storm knew what she had been through and what she had given up, so she could not step down. As she turned around, Storm spun her around and received a headbutt for her troubles.
Niven then went to calm Storm down, but they ended up trading shots, prompting a number of referees to run out and separate them. As the melee slowly got calmed down, Kay Lee Ray walked out and laughed at the scene.
– Nigel McGuinness and Tom Phillips ran down the UK TakeOver: Blackpool II card, with graphics for all matches: Kay Lee Ray vs. Toni Storm vs. Piper Niven for the NXT UK Women’s Championship, Eddie Dennis vs. Trent Seven, Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin, Gallus vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Imperium vs. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster in a ladder match for the NXT UK Tag Team titles, and WALTER vs. Joe Coffey for the WWE UK Championship
Kassius Ohno defeated Ligero by submission with the Kassius Clutch (7:02)
As Ligero walked to the ring, clips aired of the match Ligero and Ohno had earlier this year, where Ohno tried ripping off Ligero’s mask.
Ohno fled into the ropes as Ligero was looking for a strike. Ohno then applied a standing double wristlock, but Ligero flipped out of the hold and threw Ohno. Ohno grabbed Ligero’s mask and ate a hard elbow to the face for his troubles, sending him on his ass.
Ohno complained that “he just wants to wrestle.” Ligero used his speed and dropkicked Ohno’s knee, then hit some lucha-style offense. Ohno fled to ringside, but used some dirty tactics to gain the upper hand as Ligero chased him and entered the ring again, with Ohno hitting a chin breaker and grabbing hold of Ligero’s mask.
Ohno locked in a cravat, then screamed “don’t make me hit you” as Ligero tried escaping. Ligero managed to escape, hit a dropkick that sent Ohno to the outside, and followed with a somersault plancha and a crossbody from the top.
Ligero went for his stunner through the ropes, but Ohno grabbed the mask once more, prompting Ligero to roll through for a flash pin attempt. Ligero then hit a stunner and a sunset bomb for a two count.
Ligero went for a quebrada, but Ohno caught him and yanked his head to the mat. Ohno went for the Kassius Clutch and forced Ligero to tap once he got his neck cranked all the way backwards.
After the match, Ohno cut a promo, stating that a loss like the one to Tyler Bate would not happen again. He said he had lost sight of why he came to this brand and this was to prove that he was the best British wrestler and it made him sick that no one in the locker room knew anything about British wrestling. He said he was the best British wrestler alive.
– A-Kid cut a backstage promo in Spanish when Joseph Conners interrupted him, grabbed the camera, and repeatedly said he was TakeOver worthy. He then told A-Kid he had no problem ruining things for him.
– A clip from “during the break” aired, with Ohno walking backstage and saying he was the best British wrestler. He walked by Dave Mastiff, who took offense to that statement and told Ohno he knew where to find him when he was ready to face a real British heavyweight wrestler.
Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter defeated The Outliers (Dorian Mak & Riddick Moss) when Smith pinned Moss with a small package (5:59)
Moss and Carter started out. Moss used his power early, but Carter came back with some quick offense of his own. Both men tagged out and Mak drove Smith into the corner, then launched him across the ring.
Smith tagged back out and Smith and Carter used some fast double-team action to send their opponents tumbling to ringside.
The heels took turns working over Carter. He eventually made the tag to Smith, but Smith also quickly got taken advantage of. Smith then countered a suplex attempt into a small package for the surprise win.
– A video about Gallus and their Tag Team title reign aired.
No DQ match: Ilja Dragunov pinned Alexander Wolfe after hitting Torpedo Moscow (14:58)
Dragunov jumped Wolfe as he made his entrance on the ramp. He went to ram Wolfe into the steps, but Wolfe hit a backbreaker on the apron.
Dragunov dominated, hitting a senton and a knee strike through the ropes and then a top rope axe handle to the outside. Dragunov got a kendo stick from under the ring, but Wolfe managed to grab it. Wolfe then threw it to the mat as Dragunov was ready to take a shot, but then picked it back up and used it for shots and submissions.
Dragunov eventually got hold of the weapon, laid into Wolfe, and propped up a table. Dragunov hit a suplex onto the apron that sent both men tumbling to ringside. Wolfe introduced a chair into the match, but ended up eating it as Dragunov hit a huge coast-to-coast dropkick from the top rope.
Dragunov then piled a number of chairs in the ring, but ended up taking a German suplex and DDT into them as Wolfe countered a superplex attempt. Wolfe got a close two count, but Dragunov kicked out.
Wolfe hit a chair shot to the back, then slammed Dragunov’s throat onto the back of another chair and repeatedly crushed Dragunov’s fingers in a chair. Dragunov ducked another chair shot and hit a lariat, then followed with a running Death Valley Driver into a table propped up in the corner. Dragunov then hit Torpedo Moscow for the victory.
After the match, Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel ran to the ring, beat down Dragunov, and hit the European Bomb on him. WALTER then slowly walked out with the WWE United Kingdom Championship over his shoulder and Imperium posed.
As WALTER walked to the ring, Joe Coffey ran out and hit his spinning lariat, leaving WALTER stunned on the ground.
Next week —
Nothing was announced for next week and no more matches have been taped during the last set of tapings, so I presume this will be a highlight/preview show for NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II, which takes place on January 12.
Taped at Bonus Arena in Hull, England on November 15, 2019
Quick results —
Piper Niven defeated Jinny, then called out NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray. KLR came out and the two women got into it, with Toni Storm making her surprise return and also attacking KLR. Niven and Storm then stared each other down.
After more than eight and a half months away from the NXT UK ring, Eddie Dennis had his first match back on the brand after surgery. He beat Dreiss Gordon in a quick match and used Trent Seven’s Seven Star Lariat, sending another message to the veteran.
Noam Dar defeated Ashton Smith in a very good match.
Imperium and Gallus/Ilja Dragunov battled to a double countout when chaos ensued. Joe Coffey got the better of WALTER, and WALTER and Dragunov also were in with each other briefly.
Full rundown —
The show opened with a video summary of the brewing problems between Imperium and Gallus & Ilja Dragunov. An eight-man tag match between those two teams will be tonight’s main event.
Piper Niven pinned Jinny (w/ Jazzy Gabert) after a Michinoku Driver (7:28)
Gabert tried distracting Niven, but she wouldn’t fall for it and slammed Jinny instead. Gabert distracted her again as she ran the ropes. This time, Jinny managed to attack Niven from behind. Niven ran into the turnbuckle, then was hit by Jinny and swept off her feet.
Jinny launched herself over the top rope on Niven for a near fall, then followed with an Octopus hold. She eventually broke the hold, but kept stomping Niven. Gabert tried picking Niven up on the outside, but the referee caught her and sent her to the back.
Niven made her comeback and looked to hit the Michinoku Driver, but Jinny grabbed her hair and escaped. A headbutt by Niven knocked both women down. Jinny briefly attacked her, but got taken down with a backdrop driver. Niven charged her in the corner, but Jinny got her leg up, then went up top for a flying headscissors, but Niven caught her, hoisted her up on her shoulders, and hit an electric chair into a facebuster. Jinny got her leg up on the ropes.
Jinny ran in for a move, but Niven met her in mid-air with a shotgun dropkick. Niven then hit a cannonball senton into the corner and followed with the Michinoku Driver for the win.
After the match, Niven cut a promo and told Kay Lee Ray that she was coming for the NXT UK Women’s Championship. This prompted KLR to come out and have a say in the matter. Instead, she slapped Niven, who retaliated in kind and hit a backdrop driver.
As KLR rolled to ringside, the returning Toni Storm flew in and attacked her until KLR escaped through the crowd. Storm and Niven then stared at each other from across the ring and Storm left.
– A video plugged the upcoming NXT UK tapings.
– Ilja Dragunov was seen preparing for the main event.
Eddie Dennis pinned Dreiss Gordon after the Next Stop Driver (4:06)
Dreiss Gordon, who usually goes by Man Like DeReiss, has been around the UK scene for a few years, wrestling for Defiant, Kamikaze Pro, Tidal Wrestling, and others. Nigel McGuinness also stated he had learned from Trent Seven and Ligero recently.
Eddie Dennis made his comeback here, after having surgery on his pectoral muscle back in April. His last match on the NXT UK brand was on February 22.
Dennis applied a wrist lock and took Dreiss down. Dreiss eventually escaped and reversed the hold, but quickly found himself locked in a cravat. Dreiss used his quickness to avoid Dennis, then hit a dropkick and a reverse elbow. Dennis caught him in a catapult and sent him over the top rope.
Dennis kept pounding on Dreiss and struck down any comeback attempts. He then hit a variant of Trent Seven’s Seven Star lariat on Dreiss, followed with the Severn Bridge, and finally hit the Next Stop Driver for the win.
– Radzi Chinyanganya was backstage when Joseph Conners walked up to him. Conners called himself TakeOver worthy and said he would talk to Johnny Saint and give Travis Banks and Ligero a triple threat match.
Noam Dar pinned Ashton Smith after the Nova Roller (7:50)
A video recapped the issues between Dar and Smith from last week.
They traded offense early and Smith took Dar down from a waist lock. Dar went for a sunset flip, but Smith pulled him up from the mat and hit a dropkick, sending Dar to the outside. Back in the ring, Dar went for a shoulder block, but bounced off. He had a little more luck seconds later, but Smith impressively picked him up for a stalling vertical suplex and scored a near fall.
They ended up on the outside once more and Dar rammed Smith into the barrier. Smith came back and rolled Dar back into the ring, but Dar bounced off the bottom rope and hit a lariat, much to the delight of McGuinness, who saw shades of himself there.
Back in the ring, Smith went for a deadlift German suplex, but Dar turned it into an omoplata. Smith eventually escaped and came back with a Death Valley Driver for a near fall.
Dar hit a running kick and went for the Nova Roller, but Smith countered with a Blue Thunder Bomb for another near fall. Dar sent Smith to the apron and managed to take him off his feet, then followed up with a basement dropkick through the ropes. Back in the ring, Dar eventually hit the Nova Roller for the victory.
– Imperium were shown walking to the ring backstage.
– A graphic plugged A-Kid vs. Jordan Devlin and a triple threat match with Joseph Conners, Ligero, and Travis Banks for next week.
Imperium (WWE United Kingdom Champion WALTER, Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner & Alexander Wolfe) vs. Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) & Ilja Dragunov ended in a double countout (15:21)
Wolfe and Wolfgang started out. Wolfe schooled the big Scot, then tagged out to Aichner, who quickly locked in an armbar. Barthel tagged in and took over the hold, even as Wolfgang tried to whip his way out of it.
Wolfe was back in and dug his knuckles into Wolfgang’s side. Wolfgang finally managed to tag out to Joe Coffey, who hit a backbreaker on Wolfe. Dragunov tagged in and applied an armbar on his former trainer. Wolfe caught Dragunov off a crossbody, but Dragunov punched him repeatedly to make the move still succeed.
Dragunov hit a running knee and worked Wolfe over, but Aichner managed to tag back in. Dragunov hit a running knee to the corner, a senton, and slapped WALTER on the apron. This prompted WALTER to enter the ring, as did Joe Coffey. All eight wrestlers eventually had a standoff.
The referee managed to get back control of the match, but Imperium distracted Dragunov and eventually isolated him on the outside, allowing Aichner to take control.
WALTER tagged in and it was the 2017 wXw 16 Carat Gold final all over again. He forced Dragunov into a bridge off a test of strength, then nonchalantly stomped his neck. Barthel tagged in next and faced off with Dragunov, eventually stomping, punching, and slapping him in the corner.
Aichner was in next. He caught Dragunov and hit two backbreakers, not allowing Dragunov to tag out. Barthel tagged back in and applied a chicken wing that he transitioned into a combined armbar and chinbar. Dragunov came back with a back fist and a clothesline, as both men struggled to make tags. Barthel succeeded and Wolfe came in. Wolfe attacked Gallus on the apron, but got caught in a suplex.
Dragunov finally tagged in Mark Coffey, who ran wild on Aichner, Barthel, and Wolfe. He tagged out to Wolfgang and they double teamed Aichner and Barthel. Mark slingshotted Barthel into a fireman’s carry by Joe, followed by a senton by Wolfgang. Barthel and Aichner took out Mark with a spinebuster/running kick combo, but Wolfgang took them out with a double spear, followed by a Torpedo Moscow by Dragunov on Barthel.
Eventually, Joe Coffey and WALTER were in, with Joe even managing to hit a belly-to-belly suplex on the champion. WALTER side stepped a springboard move by Joe and hit a shotgun dropkick. He went for the powerbomb, but Joe powered out and sent WALTER to the outside.
Dragunov flew in, then Gallus threw Mark onto Barthel and Aichner and chaos broke out. Both teams brawled on the outside until the bell rang for the double countout. The two factions battled each other and Joe Coffey flew at WALTER as officials ran out and tried to get ahold of the chaos.
Next week —
A-Kid will take on Jordan Devlin, while Joseph Conners, Ligero, and Travis Banks are scheduled for a triple threat match.
Taped at Bonus Arena in Hull, England on November 15, 2019
Quick results —
Trent Seven pinned NXT regular Kona Reeves in a quick bout.
A-Kid submitted Jack Starz in a short, but very technical match.
The Grizzled Young Veterans pleaded with Johnny Saint to be given a Tag Team title shot at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II.
Ridge Holland looked impressive in his NXT UK debut, defeating Oliver Carter.
in the main event, Alexander Wolfe defeated Ilja Dragunov in a very good match after some distraction by Imperium. Gallus ran out to make the save for Dragunov after and the two factions will battle next week.
Full rundown —
Trent Seven pinned Kona Reeves after the Birminghammer (3:24)
This was Reeves’ second guest appearance on NXT UK, after doing battle with Dave Mastiff back over WrestleMania weekend. Reeves cut a promo on his way to the ring, berating the audience and calling himself a real star. He called Seven out of shape and told him he was not a real superstar.
Seven started out strong and beat on Reeves, but the Hawaiian turned the tables on him and pulled his face under the apron from the outside. Reeves then unloaded punches on the veteran of British Strong Style.
Seven came back with a snap dragon suplex for a near fall, then clotheslined Reeves to the outside and followed up with a dive. He missed a reverse somersault plancha from the top, but came back with the Seven Star Lariat for another two count.
Reeves came back with a headbutt and went for a forward rolling senton, but Seven escaped and hit the Birminghammer for the victory.
Seven went to slap hands with the fans after the match, when his hand was caught by a fan who turned out to be Eddie Dennis. Seven struggled to release his hand from Dennis’ grip, and Dennis just smiled at him as Seven looked confused.
– Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed Ilja Dragunov on his way into the building about his match with Alexander Wolfe later tonight. Dragunov acknowledged that Wolfe had been his trainer back in Dresden, Germany and had been a good and strict teacher.
Dragunov also claimed that Wolfe had always tried to make decisions for him and this would end tonight. Dragunov said he would finally step out of the shadow of Wolfe.
– A graphic plugged NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II from Blackpool, England on January 12 and also announced the show already had sold out in two hours.
A-Kid defeated Jack Starz by submission with a flying omoplata (4:07)
They locked up and A-Kid immediately transitioned into an armbar on the ground. Starz rolled out and they ended up on the mat again and traded holds. Both men showed some very good athleticism, trading submissions and counters in quick succession.
A-Kid transitioned from an armbar into a triangle, but Starz powerbombed his way out of it. A-Kid went for a backslide for a near fall, then transitioned into a flying omoplata for the win.
– Radzi interviewed Jinny and Jazzy Gabert backstage. Jinny called the state of the NXT UK’s women’s division cheap, like Radzi’s outfit. She said that the roster consisted of little girls and bashed both Rhea Ripley and Piper Niven.
Jinny called herself championship material and stated that Niven had never pinned her. Both statements drew barely noticeable annoyed looks from Gabert, so there may be some trouble with these two further down the line.
– Tom Philips and Nigel McGuinness were on camera and plugged the main event of Dragunov vs. Wolfe, when the Grizzled Young Veteran’s music played and they walked out in suits.
Grizzled Young Veterans in-ring segment
Gibson talked about how they still should be champions — if not for the three-way stipulation being added to their Tag Team title match at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff. They said they would bounce back and had Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster beaten a few weeks ago until Gallus and Imperium interfered.
Gibson complained that neither faction had been fined or reprimanded and called out Johnny Saint and Sid Scala on the issue. He said they were on their way to making the NXT UK Tag Team titles the most prestigious in WWE. He said just like Bill Shankly, all they wanted was to make the people happy. He called on Johnny Saint to make things right.
Gibson said Saint needed them at TakeOver: Blackpool so that the whole world would talk about the Tag Team title match.
– Jordan Devlin was backstage with a big television screen. He introduced an NXT UK highlight video that just consisted of him hitting various moves as he talked about the footage. He then made fun of A-Kid, saying the endorsement by Tyler Bate meant nothing. Devlin challenged A-Kid to a match next week.
Ridge Holland defeated Oliver Carter after hitting Northern Grit (4:05)
Holland (Luke Menzies) made his NXT UK debut here after having wrestled on NXT television a few times last year.
Menzies, 31, is a former professional rugby player who went into pro wrestling in early 2016 and was trained by Marty Jones. He wrestled for 3 Count Wrestling, Tidal Championship Wrestling, and others in the UK before attending a WWE tryout in late 2016 and being signed to a deal.
Holland made his television debut in May of 2018 against Keith Lee and was repackaged as Ridge Holland in June. He wrestled on NXT’s Florida house show circuit before finally coming back to his native country here.
Holland came to the ring carrying a wooden club. His trainer, Marty Jones, was shown cheering him on in the front row.
Holland threw Carter off his back, then no sold his offense and hit a high-angle judo-style hip toss. Carter came back with an enzuigiri to the back of the head, a kick, and a flying crossbody, but Holland caught him with an overhead suplex. He hit a number of uppercuts, blocked a backslide attempt, and hit another overhead suplex.
Holland applied a choke, but Carter eventually escaped and hit a backflip kick into the corner. Carter missed a quebrada, then was sent flying from a huge pounce. Holland then hit Northern Grit for the pinfall victory.
Ashton Smith came out to check on Carter, with Holland throwing him a nasty look.
– A recap of Joseph Conners attacking Travis Banks and Ligero was shown. Footage then aired of Banks and Ligero complaining about Conners. Conners was interviewed and just smiled and said he was happy to have been leaving a good impression on everyone.
– Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter were walking backstage when Noam Dar showed up and made fun of them. Smith challenged him for a match next week. Dar said he’d see him on his time.
– A graphic announced Piper Niven vs. Jinny for next week.
Alexander Wolfe pinned Ilja Dragunov after a sit-down powerbomb (16:45)
They locked up and immediately were all over each other for the first minute of the match. Wolfe finally shoved Dragunov away, with him motioning to Wolfe to bring some more. Dragunov hit a crossbody and they ended up at ringside, with Wolfe driving Dragunov’s back hard into the barricade.
Wolfe got a camera cable, but the referee watched him and he threw it down again. Dragunov went for the Six One Line, but Wolfe moved out of the way and Dragunov missed a double axe handle from the top to the outside.
Wolfe kicked the rope as Dragunov re-entered the ring, crotching him. Wolfe then hit a draping neckbreaker. He went for a sleeper, but Dragunov came back with a big chop.
Wolfe caught him with a kick to the face, then worked him over some more and hit a low dropkick to the back. Wolfe threw Dragunov to ringside, then grabbed a chair from the ring announcer, but threw it away and kicked Dragunov instead.
Wolfe applied a chinlock back in the ring, but Dragunov came back and eventually hit a jumping kick and a back suplex. They traded hard shots and elbows, with Dragunov coming out on top with some quick Kobashi strikes.
Dragunov hit an enzuigiri, a knee strike in the corner, and a lariat. He it another one in the corner and went for a top rope senton, but Wolfe hit an uppercut. Dragunov finally struck him down and hit a bombs away knee drop, then a Gotch-style powerbomb for a two count.
Dragunov then hit an impressive Gotch-style bridging deadlift German suplex for another two count. He went up top again, but Wolfe rolled into the opposite corner. Dragunov adapted and hit a coast-to-coast dropkick for a close near fall. He finally hit the top rope senton, but Wolfe got his knees up.
Wolfe went for a German suplex of his own, but his legs gave out. He followed up with a big boot and eventually a bridging German suplex for a two count. They battled on the top rope and Wolfe hit a superplex for another near fall. They traded hard slaps until Dragunov hit a back-fist that knocked Wolfe down.
Dragunov went for Torpedo Moscow, but Wolfe stopped it. Dragunov hit the Six One Line and set up for Torpedo Moscow again, but this time Imperium looked to interfere. Dragunov knocked down Barthel and Aichner. He went for the finish once more, but Wolfe caught him with a DDT in mid-air for a near fall. Wolfe then hit the sit-down powerbomb for the pin.
Imperium swarmed Dragunov after the match and stomped him, but Gallus quickly ran out for the save. WALTER briefly was alone with all three Gallus members, but Imperium pulled him out of the ring.
WALTER went to grab his championship belt, but Joe Coffey also grabbed it and they had a brief tug-of-war, with WALTER screaming at him to let go. WALTER finally yanked the belt free and Imperium retreated as Gallus posed in the ring and the show went off the air.
In a post-match WWE.com exclusive video, Imperium were backstage talking among themselves when Gallus and Dragunov barged down the hallway and they almost came to blows. Sid Scala and Johnny Saint separated them. The GM team then declared that Imperium will face Gallus & Dragunov in an eight-man tag team match next week.
Next week —
Jordan Devlin challenged A-Kid for next week and Ashton Smith challenged Noam Dar. Neither match was confirmed, but both seem likely. Jinny will battle Piper Niven. In the main event, Imperium will face off with Gallus & Ilja Dragunov
NXT UK kicked off two straight nights of television tapings at the Bonus Arena in Hull today. Here are the results from night one:
– The show began with Andy Shepherd announcing NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II for 2020. The exact date of the event was not mentioned. This will be the second NXT UK TakeOver to emanate from the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool.
– Dark Match: Mark Andrews defeated Kassius Ohno
Andrews rolled Ohno up for the win. The crowd was energetic from the start.
– Trent Seven defeated Kona Reeves
Seven hit Reeves with the Birminghammer for the victory. After the match, the returning Eddie Dennis grabbed Seven’s hand and stared him down.
– A-Kid defeated Jack Starz
This was a very good technical showcase for both men.
– The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) cut an in-ring promo and demanded an NXT UK Tag Team title rematch from general manager Johnny Saint. They stated that if if hadn’t been for the stipulation at TakeOver: Cardiff, they would still be the champions.
– Ridge Holland defeated Oliver Carter
Despite his very aggressive nature, hometown favorite Holland had most of the crowd on his side. Ashton Smith helped Carter get back up after the match.
– Alexander Wolfe defeated Ilja Dragunov
Wolfe’s victory came as a result of Imperium’s interference. After the match, Imperium beat down Dragunov before Gallus made the save. As the brawl came to an end, WALTER and Joe Coffey had a small tug-of-war with the WWE United Kingdom Championship.
– Piper Niven defeated Jinny (w/ Jazzy Gabert)
Niven cut a promo after saying that she is coming for Kay Lee Ray’s NXT UK Women’s Championship. She was then blindsided by the champion, but Toni Storm returned to make the save. Niven and Storm stared each other down afterwards.
– Eddie Dennis defeated Dreiss Gordon
The returning Dennis got the win with the Next Stop Driver. Dreiss was very impressive and had a lot of fan support.
– Noam Dar defeated Ashton Smith
Dar got the pinfall victory with a Nova Roller.
– Toni Storm defeated Killer Kelly
Storm made quick work of Kelly and put her away with the Storm Zero. Kelly is still yet to have a televised victory in NXT UK.
Kay Lee Ray attacked Storm following the match, then Piper Niven ran out to save her. Niven offered Storm a handshake, but she just walked away.
– The Hunt (Primate & Wild Boar) defeated The Outliers (Riddick Moss & Dorian Mak)
– Jordan Devlin defeated A-Kid
Tyler Bate came out to watch the match at ringside. Devlin got the win with the Devlin Side suplex, with that putting an end to a hugely impressive match from both men.
– Joseph Conners defeated Ligero and Travis Banks in a triple threat match
Conners pinned Banks with the Don’t Look Down cradle DDT. After being attacked by Conners on last week’s TV, Ligero and Banks teamed together during the early stages here. Conners got busted open on the bridge of his nose near the end.
– Imperium (WALTER, Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner & Alexander Wolfe) vs. Gallus ( Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) & Ilja Dragunov ended in a double countout
WALTER cut a promo after the match stating that no one on the NXT UK roster is able to beat him, then Tyler Bate ran out and hit him with a lariat and the Tyler Driver 97. The show finished with Bate standing tall.
Taped at The Brentwood Centre in Brentwood, England on October 4
Quick results:
– Ilja Dragunov beat Saxon Huxley and was intently watched by Alexander Wolfe, his actual former trainer.
– Aichner & Barthel beat The Hunt in a very good match.
– Xia Brookside scored an upset win over Nina Samuels.
– Gallus conquered the NXT UK tag team titles, beating Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster in a tremendous match.
Full rundown:
The show opened with a video recapping Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster at TakeOver and then focused on their history with Gallus, leading up to their title defense tonight.
Ilja Dragunov pinned Saxon Huxley (5:23)
Dragunov started off strong with an elbow and a senton. He was in control until Huxley caught him off a bodypress and applied a chin lock. Dragunov came back with hard chops and punches in the corner. He suplexed Huxley into the ring as he was on the apron and then hit a high angle German suplex off a body lock. Alexander Wolfe of Imperium came out at that point to watch the match.
Huxley caught Dragunov off a Konstantin Special attempt and suplexed him and then covered him for a near fall. Dragunov sent Huxley to the outside and then hit a top rope clothesline to the outside. He followed that up with a senton off the top and followed with Torpedo Moskau for the win. Wolfe smiled and applauded him from the aisle when Dragunov noticed him.
At that point, Imperium’s music played and Wolfe’s smile vanished. Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner came out and it looked like the three men would face off with Dragunov. However, Barthel and Aichner just walked to Dragunov’s left and right and went into the ring for their upcoming match.
Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) beat The Hunt (Primate & Wild Boar) (7:54)
Primate and Aichner started and got into a battle of hard hits. Barthel and Wild Boar were in next and The Hunt quickly sent both members of Imperium to ringside. Barthel slammed Boar as Primate went for a dive but got caught by Aichner who slammed him into the stairs and hit the running knee ot the face. Barthel kicked a mud hole into Boar as Aichner took over. They hung Boar upside down in the ropes and hit stereo dropkicks on him from in and outside the ring.
Barthel worked over Boar until he managed to make the hot tag. Primate took out both members of Imperium but the Europeans quickly foiled his plans and Barthel hit an Air Raid Crash for a two count. Primate hit a spear on Aichner as Boar hit a senton into the corner on Barthel. They hit stereo diving headbutts on Aichner.
Barthel pulled him out of the ring and they quickly regrouped, hitting the European Bomb on Primate for the win.
— Alicia tried to interview Rhea Ripley when Piper Niven came up and asked her about interfering in her match last week. Ripley said she didn’t like Niven but could co-exist with her if they could make a tag team match with Jinny and Jazzy Gabert happen. Niven was left speechless.
— Gallus were shown warming up backstage.
Xia Brookside pinned Nina Samuels (4:06)
Samuels applied a wrist lock but Brookside quickly escaped and applied one of her own. They went back and forth for a bit until Xia got the upper hand and sent Samuels to the outside. Nina came back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, then slammed Xia into the corner and went for a cover. Samuels locked in a full nelson and then worked over Xia’s back. They traded roll-ups, leading to Xia using her quickness to evade some more offense. Samuels went for a roll up off a whip-in, but Xia countered and sat down on Samuels, hooking the legs for the surprise win.
— We saw a hype video for A-Kid, promising we would soon see the young Spaniard in action.
— Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster were shown warming up backstage.
Jordan Devlin in-ring segment
Devlin came out in street clothes. He said many people called him arrogant, but he was here to set the record straight. He said that arrogant meant that he thought that he was better than he was, but he knew he was better than anyone else. He ran down a few names in the back when Dave Mastiff came out. Devlin kept berating him on the mic. As Mastiff grabbed the mic from him, Devlin decked him with a hard right, then tried to it Devlinside him, but could not get him off the mat. Mastiff then came back with a senton and talked down to Devlin who was writhing on the mat in pain.
— A video recapped the storyline between Noam Dar and Trent Seven from the past couple of weeks.
— Travis Banks vs. Ligero and Noam Dar vs. Trent Seven were announced for next week.
Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) beat Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster to win the NXT tag team titles (12:30)
The champs hit dropkicks to the challengers right away, sending them to the outside where they followed up with somersault planchas. Andrews then hit a suicide dive on Coffey and tagged in Webster. They sent Wolfgang over the top and then Andrews hit a dropkick off a pounce attempt by Coffey and tagged Webster. They hit their somersault senton/moonsault combo. Wolfgang eventually came back in and evened the odds, attacking Andrews.
Gallus worked over Andrews with Wolfgang ramming him into the corner off his shoulders and Coffey decking him with a hard shot. He took out Webster on the apron and locked in a chinbar as Joe Coffey walked out and watched the match from the entrance. Andrews finally got the hot tag and Webster ran wild, hitting a quebrada on Wolfgang and disposing of Coffey before hitting a dive on Wolfgang.
He hit a somersault dive on both members of Gallus as Joe Coffey frantically paced the aisle. Andrews hit the assisted standing 450 on Coffey. Coffey kicked out and Gallus cae back with a uranage and choke slam on Webster. They hit an assisted slingshot/Samoan Drop followed by a moonsault by Wolfgang but Andrews made the save, nicking the referee in the head in the process. Andrews hit a barrage of strikes on both men, then tagged out. Webster hit Wolfgang with a knee to the jaw and a head butt, but Wolfgang came back with a double clothesline and collapsed as Joe Coffey continued to look on.
Both teams regrouped in their corners until they clashed again. Andrews turned a slingshot into the Stunt Dog Millionaire and then proceeded to kill Wolfgang with a knee assisted poison rana, followed by a somersault senton by Webster on Coffey for a near fall. On the outside, Wolfgang launched Andrews horizontally into the ring post as Webster (in the ring) went for a Welsh Dragon which missed.
Wolfgang hit the Glasgow Sendoff, followed by their enzuigir/powerslam finish for the pin, win, and title change. Joe Coffey entered the ring and Gallus shook hands and posed as the show went off the air.
Next week:
Travis Banks faces off with Ligero while Noam Dar and Trent Seven continue their ongoing feud with another match.
Ilja Dragunov answered Cesaro’s open challenge at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff.
At the end of the match, Cesaro hit a pop-up uppercut as Dragunov was going for Torpedo Moscow. Cesaro then hit the Neutralizer to get the win.
Cesaro came back to the ring after the match and faked like he was going to attack Dragunov, but he instead offered a handshake. They shook hands and Cesaro spoke in Dragunov’s ear.
WWE posted a video earlier this week revealing that Cesaro would be appearing at UK TakeOver: Cardiff. Cesaro teased that he’d be taking a more “hands-on approach,” and it was announced prior to the show that Cesaro would be issuing an open challenge.
Dragunov walked up to Cesaro during a backstage interview at TakeOver, then went out to the ring and told Cesaro that he was waiting.
Dragunov has now lost two televised matches in NXT UK, with his losses coming against Cesaro and Kassius Ohno. Dragunov defeated Tyson T-Bone on the go-home show for TakeOver.
January’s NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool special also featured a match that involved a member of the main roster. Finn Balor made a surprise appearance and defeated Jordan Devlin at that show.
Taped July 19 and 20 at Plymouth Pavilions in Plymouth, England
Quick results —
Flash Morgan Webster defeated Mark Coffey in a fun opener, getting his team with Mark Andrews one step closer to an NXT UK Tag Team title match. Travis Banks pinned Kenny Williams, but his victory was soured by Noam Dar mocking both men on commentary. Nina Samuels also defeated Isla Dawn.
WALTER was shown at the wXw Academy in Germany, beating up a number of students and telling him they weren’t worthy of being there. He challenged Tyler Bate to meet him in a face-to-face segment next week.
In a great, hard-hitting main event with good psychology, “The Wrestling Genius” Kassius Ohno handed Ilja Dragunov his first NXT UK loss. This was probably the best NXT UK match to date not involving any combination of wrestlers in British Strong Style or Imperium.
Full rundown —
– The show opened with a graphic that promised us exclusive training footage of WALTER from Germany.
Flash Morgan Webster (w/ Mark Andrews) pinned Mark Coffey (w/ Wolfgang) after a small package (5:28)
On last Wednesday’s show, Johnny Saint informed Webster & Andrews that they’d need to prove themselves over the next few weeks to earn a Tag Team title shot. Webster used his speed and agility early to send Coffey to ringside. He went for a plancha over the top. Coffey avoided it, but Webster landed on his feet.
Wolfgang and Andrews briefly got involved, but the situation quickly was defused as Coffey took over back in the ring. He manhandled Webster, wore him down with some submissions, and hit a huge slam at one point.
Webster came back with leg kicks that hurt Coffey, but he managed to throw the smaller man to ringside. As Coffey argued with Andrews outside, Webster caught him with a dive and hit a nice moonsault back in the ring for a near fall. Coffey came back with an enzuigiri and a chokeslam for another near fall of his own.
Webster came back and went to the top, but was distracted by Wolfgang, resulting in him missing a top rope somersault senton. Andrews had seen enough and took out Wolfgang at ringside. In the chaos that ensued, Webster managed to small package Coffey for the win.
– Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm backstage and asked about Kay Lee Ray stating she knew all about Storm’s secrets. Storm was so excited about TakeOver being in Wales that she lost her train of thought and had to ask what the question was. She thought a long time about KLR and finally just said that at TakeOver, she’d be ready for her.
– A video of “Brick by Brick” by Mark Andrews’ band Junior aired, proclaiming it the official theme song for NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff
– Jordan Devlin was being interviewed backstage when suddenly there were loud screams and Piper Niven and Rhea Ripley brawled into the room. They had to be separated by a number of officials.
Travis Banks pinned Kenny Williams after hitting the Kiwi Crusher (5:34)
Just as the match was about to start, Noam Dar’s music hit and he came out, waving to the competitors in the ring. Dar joined Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness on commentary, which delighted McGuinness to no end.
Banks managed a backslide right off the bat for a two count. They traded holds and counter-holds in classic babyface vs. babyface match fashion. Dar made fun of both men on commentary as Banks hit a running knee in the ring for another cover. Dar reiterated that Williams never beat him.
As Joseph said Banks might be worthy of being on TakeOver, Dar said he also beat him at Royal Albert Hall. Williams threw Banks to the outside. He then tried to go for a dive, but Banks slid back into the ring, hit a dive of his own, and followed up with a double foot stomp from the top for another near fall.
Williams came back with a snapmare driver for a two count, then traded shots with Banks. Meanwhile, Dar on commentary asked what a Kiwi Buzzsaw even was.
Williams hit a jumping back elbow off the ropes, then hit a dive to the outside and hit a top rope back elbow from off the top once Banks was back in the ring. Banks then suddenly came back with A Slice of Heaven and hit the Kiwi Crusher for the win.
Banks fist-bumped Kenny Williams on his way out, then stared at Dar, who mockingly clapped for him. Banks went over to confront him, but Dar would have none of it.
– Kassius Ohno laced up his boots in preparation for his main event match.
Nina Samuels pinned Isla Dawn after hitting the Nina-goroshi (5:38)
They locked up and traded holds early, with Dawn impressively escaping various wristlocks until Nina grabbed a fist of hair and pulled her down. Samuels had Dawn in a straightjacket hold, but as she released it, she ate a dropkick from Dawn.
Samuels rammed Dawn’s head into the turnbuckle, then added more punishment on top. Dawn came back with some kicks and got a two count off a knee strike. Samuels ended up on the apron but hit a head kick and launched herself over the top with a spinning splash for another close two.
Dawn immediately came back with a bridging German suplex, but she couldn’t get more than a two count either. Samuels then picked her up and hit the Nina-goroshi for the win (this was the second match these two had at this set of tapings, with Dawn originally winning, so it looks like they re-taped it to get the result they wanted).
– The finishing stretch from last week’s Dave Mastiff vs. Joe Coffey match aired, including both men brawling after their double countout. Sid Scala and Johnny Saint announced Mastiff and Coffey would have a rematch at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff in a last man standing match.
– Ilja Dragunov was shown preparing backstage for his match against Ohno.
WALTER training segment
A video from the wXw Academy aired, with WALTER training a number of wrestling students. He berated them and told them none of them belonged here, asking them if they wanted to play fight. He said this was a professional wrestling school and if they wanted to fool around, they could go to England.
WALTER let some students hit him with European uppercuts, then chopped them down. He singled out one student and told him he reminded him of Tyler Bate.
He beat the student down, then stepped on his throat and told him to say “I’m Tyler Bate.” He looked into the camera and dared Bate to meet him on NXT UK next week for a face-to-face segment.
– A graphic announced the WALTER/Tyler Bate face-off as well as Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner vs. The Hunt for next week.
Kassius Ohno pinned Ilja Dragunov after hitting the rolling elbow (15:01)
Dragunov was super intense, but Ohno managed to keep him at a distance early on. He then locked in a headlock, but Dragunov quickly countered it into Ohno’s signature cravat hold. Ohno caught Dragunov off a body press, but Dragunov managed to still turn it into a cover.
Ohno hit a chop, which only pumped up the Mad Russian and he quickly struck Ohno down, hit a hard senton, and locked in another cravat, forcing Ohno to flee to the corner in order to break the hold. Dragunov ended up on the apron and Ohno drove him into the ring post, then followed up with a big boot on the shoulder.
Ohno kept working over the shoulder and elbow of Dragunov, transitioning into a overhead wristlock. Dragunov came back briefly, but Ohno used Dragunov’s momentum and drove him head-first into the middle rope, which looked brutal.
Ohno used some innovative offense to further work over Dragunov’s arm. Dragunov briefly escaped, but was immediately caught in a guillotine and hammerlock combination.
Dragunov finally managed to hit a huge vertical suplex, but this took a lot out of both men. Dragunov hit a few clotheslines into the corner and then tried a few consecutive lariats, but clearly was hurt. He finally hit another clothesline with his good left arm, then hit the Konstantin Special but only was able to get a two count.
Dragunov went for a Gotch piledriver, but he couldn’t get Ohno up. Ohno double-legged the Russian, then focused on the arm once more, including picking him up for an over-the-shoulder backbreaker, then threw him to the mat right on Dragunov’s injured shoulder.
Ohno gave himself a chant of “Wrest-ling-Gen-ius,” but he took too much time, allowing Dragunov to hit a German suplex after a brief struggle. Dragunov hit a big dive through the ropes, which took him all the way to the beginning of the ramp. He hit a another huge dropkick from the top, hitting Ohno’s wrist and then managing to get another two count.
Dragunov went to the top once more, but got stopped by Ohno, who applied a cravat on the top, looking to hit a cravat suplex. Dragunov managed to somersault over Ohno and hit a powerbomb off the ropes, but Ohno kicked out at two again.
The crowd broke into a loud NXT chant at this point. Dragunov went to the top again, but Ohno smartly positioned the referee between himself and his attacker, then pushed Dragunov off the top, sending him crashing shoulder-first into the post, then rammed his shoulder into the post on the outside once more.
As Dragunov was dazed back in the ring, Ohno hit the rolling elbow to the back of the head for the pinfall victory.
Next week —
WALTER and Tyler Bate will go face-to-face. Imperium will also be in action, with Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner taking on The Hunt.
Taped April 19, 2019 at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow, Scotland
Quick results —
Piper Niven squashed the debuting Jaimie Hayter in just under two minutes. Ilja Dragunov made his NXT UK debut, quickly beating Jack Starz and giving the fans a glimpse of what is to come from the Mad Russian.
Killer Kelly and Xia Brookside went to a no contest when Jinny came out and introduced “The Alpha Female” Jazzy Gabert, who went on to destroy Brookside.
Jordan Devlin and Dave Mastiff both won qualifiers and advanced to the fatal four-way match to decide a challenger for the WWE United Kingdom Championship. Mastiff was beaten down by Gallus after his match.
Full rundown —
– The episode opened with two graphics, announcing tonight’s two WWE United Kingdom Championship number one contendership qualifying matches. Joe Coffey was the first wrestler to qualify for the match last week.
Piper Niven pinned Jamie Hayter after a Michinoku Driver (1:48)
Hayter, 24, is from Southampton and has been active since 2015. She is a regular with Pro Wrestling:EVE and Revolution Pro (where she held the Women’s title for about six months) and also started doing tours with Stardom in 2018. She has wrestled all over the UK and regularly appears for the German Wrestling Federation out of Berlin.
Hayter started out aggressively, immediately grabbing Niven’s arm and trying to get her to the mat. Niven worked her way out of the move and received a slap, which didn’t sit well with her. A headbutt, flying body press, cannonball into the corner, and a Michinoku Driver later, Niven picked up the win.
– Toni Storm was interviewed by the press. She was asked about Nina Samuels talking about her leaving her family. She said if you mess with her head, she becomes dangerous.
Storm now wants the match worse than Samuels — and if Samuels wants her 15 minutes of fame, she will get that.
– Sid Scala was being interviewed as he entered the building. They asked him about WALTER vs. Pete Dunne and he talked about the qualifying matches, then Kassius Ohno entered and called Scala “Psycho Sid” and was being all amicable.
Ohno asked why he was overlooked and wasn’t in a qualifying match. He asked Scala what he would do about it. Scala said he’d talk to Johnny Saint and get back to Ohno next week.
Qualifying match for number one contender’s fatal four-way: Jordan Devlin pinned Ligero with Devlinside (10:30)
Devlin looked to work over Ligero’s arm and shoulder right away, but Ligero used his athleticism to escape. Devlin took back over, but again, Ligero managed to get a sunset flip powerbomb in for a two count, following up with a plancha over the top and a dropkick to Devlin’s face.
They fought back and forth until Devlin hit his uranage/standing moonsault combo for a near fall and followed up with a modified kneeling abdominal stretch and armbar.
Ligero, with his ribs hurt, got a second wind and came back with a dropkick off the top, but it was obvious that he was hurt and a tad slower than usual. Still, he got in an impressive pinning combination for another close two count. Ligero came off the top with a splash, but Devlin pulled his knees up, hurting Ligero’s ribs even more.
Devlin hit a beautiful moonsault, but this time, Ligero got his feet up, prompting Devlin to tumble to ringside. When coming back, Ligero took a bump onto the top rope but still managed to gain the upper hand as he followed up with a running sit-down powerbomb and another splash, but it wasn’t enough to put Devlin away.
As Ligero went for the tornado DDT, Devlin hit him with an enzuigiri to the back of the head, then hit Devlinside for the win.
– Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed Devlin after the match. Devlin said this match didn’t need to happen, as he already was the number one contender. He said whatever way you shuffle the deck, you always fall short of the Ace.
– A video on WALTER aired. WALTER said he’s the Ring General and usually, there’s pressure on the champion, but he isn’t a normal guy and he never feels pressure. He said he appreciated Pete Dunne and liked the match with him and granted him a rematch because he was the first one to step up and ask.
WALTER said it’s good Dunne was training hard and will be prepared, but he will be prepared too.
– We saw Ilja Dragunov hyping himself up for his debut, which is next.
– Moustache Mountain were interviewed about WALTER vs. Dunne next week, which is being called the greatest rematch in NXT UK history. Trent Seven said that the greatest rematch would be Moustache Mountain taking on the Grizzled Young Veterans for the NXT UK Tag Team titles.
Ilja Dragunov pinned Jack Starz after the Torpedo Moscow (3:07)
Dragunov, 25, was born in Russia and moved to Dresden, Germany with his mother as a child. He started wrestling in 2012 and was trained by Axel Tischer (Alexander Wolfe) and Rick Baxxter in Dresden. He appeared for Next Step Wrestling and the German Wrestling Federation, before debuting in wXw in 2013.
Dragunov became wXw’s first Shotgun Champion, then also won the promotion’s Tag Team and World Unified Wrestling Championship (in one of the most emotional surprise returns of the past decade), along with the 2017 16 Carat Gold tournament, beating none other than WALTER in the finals.
After focusing on Germany for the first few years of his career, Dragunov made his debut for PROGRESS and PWG in 2018 and became a regular for PROGRESS, wrestling Dunne at their big Hello Wembley show in October 2018.
Dragunov’s career almost ended in 2013, as he broke his skull during a WWE tryout in November of that year and was kept out of action for almost a year after that. He brings a unique intensity and almost a desire for punishment to the ring and has immense charisma and good promo skills, which makes him work well both as a heel and a babyface.
Dragunov came out to a sort of Russian hymn, which sounded okay for his character. It sadly didn’t have the intensity of his usual music (which, since it stems from a computer game, can’t be used here).
Dragunov immediately started out with great intensity, grabbing Starz arm, driving him into the corner with a lariat, and proceeding to beat Starz down from one corner of the ring to the other. Starz briefly got his feet up on a corner charge and hit a few uppercuts, but Dragunov just smiled and enjoyed the pain.
Dragunov hit a number of lariats into the corner, then finished up with another one in the ring. He then flipped into the ring backwards and hit another lariat. He enjoyed some offense by Starz, then hit a standing senton. Dragunov did his UN-BE-SIEG-BAR (invincible) chant and put Starz away with the Torpedo Moscow for the win.
– Radzi interviewed Mark Andrews and Noam Dar backstage. They said they were not happy with how their last match ended and were looking forward to meeting in the ring. They shook hands and vowed that the best man would win.
Killer Kelly vs. Xia Brookside ended in a no contest (3:30)
Kelly worked over Brookside’s arm, but Brookside managed to escape repeatedly — only to be taken back down to the mat over and over. Brookside got a headlock takeover, but quickly found herself in some headscissors, which she escaped from by way of a headstand.
Kelly then escaped some headscissors of her own. They shook hands as a way to show respect, then suddenly the lights went down and Jinny’s music played.
Jinny stood in the aisle, then another theme played and “The Alpha Female” Jazzy Gabert came out. Brookside and Kelly bumped fists and made a pact to fight together, but Kelly left just as Gabert entered the ring. Brookside tried fighting Gabert, but quickly got disposed of with a Dominator. Jinny and Gabert then posed in the ring together.
– Johnny Saint announced via Twitter that Toni Storm would defend her NXT UK Women’s Championship against Nina Samuels
Qualifying match for number one contender’s fatal four-way: Dave Mastiff defeated Wolfgang with a running cannonball into the corner (4:36)
The two big men locked up and Mastiff quickly tackled Wolfgang down, then followed up with a running body press for a near fall. Wolfgang quickly came back with some offense in the corner and a shoulder block off the second turnbuckle, then went to lock in a full nelson, but Mastiff briefly powered out of the hold before getting caught again.
Mastiff eventually managed to flip Wolfgang over and hit a huge senton on the Scotsman.
Wolfgang came back with a double ax handle off the top and a huge slam, but then missed the Howling Senton off the top. Mastiff hit a release German suplex into the corner, then followed up with the running cannonball into the corner for the pin.
– Radzi entered the ring to interview Mastiff, but the Coffey Brothers ran out and Gallus proceeded to beat down Mastiff three-on-one. Joe and Mark held Mastiff down as Wolfgang hit the Howling Senton on him. Gallus’ music played as the show went off the air.
Next week —
In what is being billed as the biggest rematch in NXT UK history, WALTER will defend his WWE UK Championship against former champion Pete Dunne.
WWE has confirmed five new additions to the NXT United Kingdom roster.
It was officially announced today that Ilja Rukober (Ilja Dragunov), Kay Lee Ray, Jazzy Gabert, “Primate” Jay Melrose, and Oliver Sauter (Oliver Carter) have signed with WWE for NXT UK. WWE.com noted that the five wrestlers are joining the company’s UK Performance Center in North London.
Dragunov made his NXT UK debut in a dark match at last weekend’s television tapings in Coventry, England. He’s a standout wrestler for wXw and has also appeared for PWG and PROGRESS.
Kay Lee Ray and Gabert were introduced to NXT UK when they were shown in the front row at UK TakeOver: Blackpool last month. Both wrestlers were participants in WWE’s first Mae Young Classic in 2017.
Kay Lee Ray made her NXT UK in-ring debut at last weekend’s tapings, which also featured the debut of former Mae Young Classic entrant Piper Niven (Viper).
Gabert was set to sign with WWE after her appearance in the Mae Young Classic, but a neck injury “disqualified” her from being able to sign then. Gabert underwent neck surgery in January 2018.
Melrose has already wrestled on NXT UK episodes and is part of a team with “Wild Boar” Mike Hitchman.
Carter is from Switzerland and has wrestled for wXw.
Here are spoilers from today’s NXT UK tapings in Coventry, England:
– Dark Match: Ilja Dragunov defeated Ashton Smith
Dragunov pinned Smith with the Torpedo Moscow.
Johnny Saint started the tapings by announcing a WWE UK title match between WALTER and Pete Dunne for NXT TakeOver: New York.
– Tyler Bate defeated James Drake.
– Jordan Devlin defeated Dee Moloney.
Kassius Ohno came out and read a an apology off his phone to Ashton Smith, who he attacked at yesterday’s tapings.
– Rhea Ripley defeated Xia Brookside
After the match, Ripley cut a promo saying that she is the most dominant woman in all of NXT UK. The debuting Piper Niven (aka Viper) came out to dispute that as the two had a staredown.
– Mark Andrews and Noam Dar ended in a no contest
The referee held up the X sign and the match was stopped after a reverse rana. Dar looks like he injured his knee. Andrews was also stretchered out.
Pete Dunne and WALTER came out for a contract signing. Dunne says he wants the match as much as everyone in the building does.
– Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan defeated Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel.
– Kay Lee Ray defeated Isla Dawn.
– Joe Coffey defeated Trent Seven.
Coffey submitted Seven.
– Travis Banks defeated Kassius Ohno.
– Piper Niven defeated Killer Kelly
After the match, Rhea Ripley came out. Niven invited her to the ring, but Ripley didn’t oblige and left.
– Joseph Conners defeated Jack Starz.
Grizzled Young Veterans came out and acknowledged that Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams have a NXT UK team title shot in the future.
– Toni Storm defeated Jinny to retain the NXT UK women’s title
Storm pinned Jinny with the Storm Zero to retain the title.
Image: Rob Naylor. Report submitted by Brian Reznick.
– Night one of PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles is in the books, and it was a very good show. Without looking back to verify, I think it was a little behind night one last year and 2016, but it was in no way disappointing. The crowd was great and seemed to enjoy the show throughout.
– Rey Horus defeated Adam Brooks in a Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round match
This was a fun opener. Brooks has never grabbed me in the way that he has others, but he had a good showing here. I like Horus a lot and thought that he looked great.
Brooks played the heel throughout the match. Horus hit a big dive over the corner post that looked great, and Brooks hit a Fosbury flop to the outside. They had a nice sequence late where Brooks hit a Canadian Destroyer, only to have Horus pop up immediately and hit a standing Spanish Fly and both guys collapsed for the “This is awesome” spot (There were no “This is awesome” chants all night, but the crowd did cheer).
Brooks got a great near fall late when he reversed an attempt at a top rope rana into a powerbomb and followed with an Aoi Shoudou. Horus won with a super victory roll. Good pop for the finish and a bit of money thrown in the ring.
– Flamita defeated Puma King in a Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round match
A great showcase for lucha libre and a nice intro to PWG for Puma King. They did a great series of counters and reversals to a stalemate early. Flamita hit a series of topes to the outside. Puma King got a near fall with a reverse rana, spring board crossbody splash, and a diving double stomp. Flamita also got a near fall with a top rope 450, and it looked like he landed on Puma King hard.
The finish came when Flamita reversed a top rope rana into a powerbomb, followed up with a superkick, and then hit a Phoenix Splash.
This match was a sprint and was great. There were cheers for Puma King afterwards (the crowd might have wanted him to win more than Flamita), followed by “Please come back” chants and money thrown into the ring.
– CIMA defeated Jody Fleisch in a Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round match
Another well-worked match. There was plenty of flying, but these guys were smart to recognize that they couldn’t match the rest of the card — so they worked some comedy and other clever spots.
They had a series of reversals that led to a stalemate early. Here’s a benefit of having agents on a show, each of the first three matches had similar early sequences of reversals capped by both guys doing a dropkick and then rolling kip-ups so that they were facing each other. It’s a cool sequence, but it probably shouldn’t happen in three straight matches.
After the stalemate, Fleisch and CIMA worked some comedy when Fleisch said he could get the crowd to cheer louder for him. He went to two corners on one side in succession and got a decent response. CIMA then did the same to the other two corners and did better. Fleisch wanted to repeat, and they got the same result.
Fleisch then offered a handshake, noting that “we’re both babyfaces” to entice the reluctant CIMA. After a successful shake with the right, Fleisch said they should shake with the left. They did so, but CIMA pulled the double cross. The match spilled outside with Fleisch hitting an Asai moonsault.
They eventually ended up back in the ring and did two great sequences where they rolled around, each trying for pins, but only getting a one count each time. They ended the sequence and then went into a similar sequence with the same results before both collapsing. This was great and got a strong reaction from the crowd. Fleisch hit a step-up rana to take CIMA off the corner turnbuckle and hit a springboard tornado DDT for a near fall.
Fleisch missed a Shooting Star Splash. CIMA hit a White Noise and a great looking diving double knees off the top turnbuckle to win. Nice reaction for Fleisch after the match, though not quite as big as the one for Puma King. There was a decent amount of “Please come back” chants.
– Bandido defeated T-Hawk in a Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round match
Outstanding match. Bandido is so over as a baby face with this crowd. It sounded like WALTER and Bandido got the biggest pops of the night to me, though Brody King and PCO were close. T-Hawk was great here playing heel. Everything he did looked crisp and his facials and crowd work were top notch.
T-Hawk got the heat early with some stiff chops and worked the crowd well. The match went outside and Bandido hit a moonsault from the second turnbuckle to the floor. T-Hawk came back in the ring with hard slaps and two chops to the throat. He then flexed his pecs for the crowd as the boos rained down — really well done.
T-Hawk hit some vicious strikes into a reverse powerslam, but Bandido popped up right away and hit a big boot, then both collapsed. The crowd loved this. They had a long Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee type sequence of chopping the hell out of each other, and the crowd went nuts for it after they had gone for awhile. They then slowed down and suddenly sped back up to a bigger pop.
The end came when Bandido hit his backflip fallaway slam off the top turnbuckle. Great move, great finish, and great match. Everyone went nuts and threw money in the ring. This was 4.5 stars for me. Great post-match reaction for T-Hawk — I really hope he is back.
– Joey Janela defeated David Starr in a Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round match
This match was an intense, brutal affair. They have great chemistry together, but this was one of those matches where, in my opinion, they had a few spots that were too dangerous that subtracted from the match. I still liked the match a lot, but I think these guys are good enough that they didn’t need to do everything that they did.
Early on, it was a stiff well-worked match. Starr worked heel well and Janela took a stiff chop and bumped over the ropes to the floor. They worked outside a bit. After coming back in, Janela hit a top rope rana and followed with a top rope elbow drop for a near fall. They brawled for a bit and Janela eventually hit a spot where he knocked Starr down while Starr was on the turnbuckle. Janela pulled Starr so he was flat on his back across the buckle and then jumped down to the floor so Starr landed on the back of his head on the apron.
This looked so brutal. I had a good line of sight and it looked like the back of Starr’s head smashed on the apron. Starr came back and hit Janela with a DDT on the apron.
Starr then hit a Canadian Destroyer, but Janela popped up right away and hit a superkick before they both collapsed. A version of this appeared in every match, and it always worked. They went back to clubbing the hell out of each other, then Starr put on a submission that looked like a half Sharpshooter and half Liontamer, with Starr wrenching Janela at a high angle and grabbing his left arm. Janela wouldn’t tap and eventually made the ropes.
They went back outside and exchanged a series of four topes: Starr hit one, Janela popped right up, slid in the ring, and hit a tope, Starr popped up and did the same — and then hit another for good measure. Janela hit a top rope Swanton Bomb to the floor and then a package piledriver back in the ring for two.
They had another brutal sequence where Starr took Janela off the top turnbuckle and dropped him on the back of his head on the ropes, then hit a crushing clothesline and a painful looking Last Shot for a near fall. Starr then landed a superkick for a near fall. Starr went for his half Sharpshooter/Liontamer submission, but Janela rolled him into a small package for a two count. As soon as Starr kicked out, Janela popped up and hit a superkick for the win. The crowd loved this.
– Brody King defeated PCO in a Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round match
This match was sort of a disaster. It had elements of a Tomohiro Ishii vs. Togi Makabe NEVER Openweight title match. It also wanted to be Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak from last year, but it felt like both guys almost died in the process. The crowd loved this match, but there were a few bad botches and a ton of danger — so I have no idea how to rate this.
They did good big man stuff early: a long collar-and-elbow tie up, running the ropes for shoulder tackles where no one budged, chops, etc. They ended up outside, and PCO hit a tope suicida. King then went for a tope con hilo, but he didn’t go as far as PCO expected, so King landed hard on the floor.
Back in the ring, PCO hit a rana to take Brody off the top turnbuckle. King then tried to answer with a standing rana of his own, but it was a mess. It was slow and PCO had trouble going over for it. King hit a disgusting looking cannonball onto PCO’s back while PCO was laying prone over the ropes (like he was setting up to take the 619 but instead had someone do a rolling splash onto his upper back). King hit another cannonball into the corner and a second rope moonsault for a near fall.
King then hit a springboard crossbody and a piledriver, but PCO kicked out at one for a big pop. PCO hit a pop-up powerbomb and then a stiff knee.
Now for the total madness: PCO set King up so he was laying in the ring with his upper body under the ropes on the apron. PCO then climbed to the top turnbuckle and hit a somersault senton. PCO climbed the ropes again, this time with his back to King, who was still laying in the ring with his upper body on the apron. PCO tried some sort of splash where he turned in mid-air to, presumably, land chest first on King. But PCO entirely miscalculated and landed chest first on the top rope and then fell off to the floor.
PCO somehow got up. They returned to the ring, where PCO eventually went for a top rope moonsault onto King in the center of the ring. PCO sort of made it over, but it looked like he landed on a lot of head and neck. Not as bad as the Brock Lesnar Shooting Star Press landing, but it also wasn’t a lot better.
PCO went for another moonsault, but King stopped him while he was still on the turnbuckle. He lifted PCO onto his shoulders like a reverse fireman’s carry, then turned him and piledrove him for the victory. PCO got up, eventually, to huge cheers.
I love both guys and they worked really hard, but their reach exceeded their grasp here, and it was way too dangerous for me.
– Ringkampf (PWG World Champion WALTER & Timothy Thatcher) defeated Ilja Dragunov & Shingo Takagi in a non-tournament match
This was just awesome and the best match of the night for me — 4.75 stars easily. Great chemistry between all four wrestlers and everyone got time together. Dragunov and Takagi were outstanding.
Thatcher and Dragunov started and battled to a stalemate before tagging in their respective partners. Takagi and WALTER were great together — I felt like that was the singles match that the fans wanted most for the future. WALTER built great heat by continually attacking
Takagi while he was on the apron. It was like every time WALTER was in, he’d beat up Dragunov and then explode over to the corner and hit Takagi with a running boot to the face. He did this to Dragunov as well.
Dragunov’s overall charisma and fire are unbelievable live — he should be a superstar. There were many great striking and transition sequences. Everything made sense and everyone was on. Dragunov was setting up for a top rope move on Thatcher, but WALTER broke it up by slugging Dragunov. He then picked up Takagi into a powerbomb and hurled him into Thatcher doing a European uppercut. Thatcher went for the cover, and Dragunov jumped off the top rope and over WALTER to break it up.
Thatcher was setting up a German suplex on Dragunov in the corner. Dragunov grabbed the ropes, but WALTER came over and grabbed Thatcher in the German suplex position and German’d both guys. Takagi came in to attack Thatcher, but WALTER hit him with a John Woo dropkick.
Dragunov got up and fought with WALTER out of the ring. Takagi hit some strikes on Thatcher, but Thatcher grabbed a Fujiwara armbar. As Takagi fought the armbar, Thatcher rolled him over into a pin for the win. I feel like I didn’t do this match justice, it was so great.
After it was over, Thatcher and WALTER wanted to shake hands with their opponents. Dragunov did, but Takagi would not. He wouldn’t shake anyone’s hand and walked out on Dragunov. Thatcher then wanted to shake WALTER’s hand. WALTER was reluctant, repeatedly saying something about how he was champion and talking about how they had to wrestle each other on night two. WALTER eventually shook his hand.
