Breezango are getting their shot at the NXT Tag Team titles next week.
It was announced tonight that Breezango will challenge Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) for their Tag Team titles on NXT next Wednesday. Breezango became the number one contenders to the titles by defeating Undisputed Era’s Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish and Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch in a triple threat match last week.
That number one contender’s match was Fandango’s return to the ring after being out of action since December. It was said on commentary that he opted for physical therapy instead of surgery to heal the UCL injury he suffered in his left elbow.
A video highlighting Breezango aired on NXT tonight. It covered Fandango debuting at WrestleMania 29, the success Breeze had during his first stint in NXT, and them losing their focus on SmackDown. Breezango said they’re going to focus on entertaining the fans until the first bell rings and on winning until the second one rings.
Imperium became the NXT Tag Team Champions by defeating Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher last month.
Wednesday’s NXT on USA show kicked off with a title change as Imperium (Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner) defeated Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher to win the NXT tag team championship.
The beginning of the end started when Riddle monkey flipped Marcel Barthel into the corner, accidentally hitting Thatcher in the process. An incensed Thatcher then walked out on Riddle leaving him to face Imperium two-on-one.
Riddle held his own against both men temporarily, but the numbers game was too much. Barthel and Aichner hit the European Bomb finisher (spinning back elbow from the top rope) for the pin and win, the first NXT gold for either man.
Afterward, Thatcher was doing a promo backstage where he explained that he was tired of Riddle’s antics and Riddle interrupted, resulting in both men needing to be pulled apart. It was later announced that the two will face off later in the show.
Riddle and Pete Dunne had won the titles in February, but with Dunne unable to travel due to the pandemic, Thatcher was put in his place although he was never officially recognized as a champion.
A Tag Team title match, Finn Balor in action, an appearance by Rhea Ripley, and a major announcement are set for tonight’s episode of NXT.
Matt Riddle and his temporary partner Timothy Thatcher are defending their NXT Tag Team titles against Imperium’s Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner tonight. After being attacked by them two weeks ago, Riddle & Thatcher accepted a challenge from Barthel & Aichner last week.
Balor is facing Cameron Grimes on tonight’s show. Last week, Balor issued a warning to whoever it was that attacked him in the NXT locker room. He also got into it with Grimes and dropped him with a slingblade and a double foot stomp after Grimes threatened to slap the taste out of his mouth.
We’ll hear from Ripley after she returned for the first time since WrestleMania 36 last week. WWE looks to be building an NXT Women’s Championship feud between Charlotte Flair, Ripley, and Io Shirai.
Plus, WWE has promised that there will be “a major announcement on tonight’s show regarding NXT.” The announcement will be made by Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Third week in a row for the commentary team of Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix and Tom Phillips on the call. Safe to say this could be a permanent team
The show is opening with a tag team title match. They did more typical WWE-style ring introductions instead of dimming the lights like they tend to do for title match intros on NXT.
Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) defeated NXT Tag Team Champions Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher to win the titles
Barthel pinned Riddle to win the tag team titles after Thatcher walked out on Riddle during the match.
Thatcher and Barthel started the match with some slick grappling. Aichner tagged in, and Barthel began brawling with Riddle at ringside. That drew Riddle away from the corner when Thatcher was trying to make a tag, and Thatcher seemed annoyed Riddle wasn’t there for him.
Riddle eventually tagged in moments later. Barthel got his knees up when Riddle went for a senton, and Riddle looked in trouble as the show went to a commercial break. Imperium was working over Riddle when the show returned from break.
Riddle was trying to create separation when he gave Barthel a monkey flip that sent Barthel crashing into Thatcher, and Thatcher took a bump off the apron. Thatcher grew angry with the second miscommunication of the match. Thatcher walked out on Riddle, and the match became an impromptu handicap match.
Riddle was fighting off a double team, but he was outnumbered. Imperium executed the European Bomb (uppercut Doomsday Device), and Barthel covered Riddle to win the titles.
In a post-match interview backstage, Mckenzie Mitchell asked Thatcher about him walking out. Thatcher was cuting a heel promo on Riddle when Riddle confronted him. They got into a pull-apart brawl. The new has apparently worn off for the Newly-Bros.
Tegan Nox defeated Indi Hartwell
Nox pinned Hartwell after delivering the Shiniest Wizard.
Hartwell gained an early advantage with an aggressive start. Hartwell went for a springboard, but Nox caught her with a gozzle. Nox gave her a chokeslam, and Ranallo called her “Lady Kane”.
Nox with a cannonball in the corner, and she followed with a flying crossbody off the top. Nox delivered the Shiniest Wizard, and covered Hartwell for the pinfall.
After a recap of the angle from last week in the women’s title match, Rhea Ripley in a pre-tape promo said WrestleMania didn’t quite grow her way. She said Charlotte Flair winning the title sickened her. She mentioned Io Shirai not being able to get the job done in defeating Flair, and Ripley said she would be the person to bring the title back to NXT. If Ripley has to beat that into Shirai, then she said so be it.
Ripley warned Flair she isn’t finished with her. As a “stupid old man used to say,” Ripley said talking about Ric Flair, “we’ve only just begun.” Ripley said the NXT Women’s Championship belonged to her.
Riddle was backstage video chatting with Regal, and he said Regal had booked a match with Thatcher for later in the show. Thatcher burst into the room to attack Riddle. He grabbed a monitor and nailed Riddle in the back with it. Riddle was down selling as the scene ended.
Jake Atlas defeated Tony Nese in a Group A match in the Interim Cruiserweight Championship Tournament
Atlas pinned Nese after a cartwheel DDT. Atlas improved to 2-1 in the tournament, and Nese dropped to a winless record of 0-3.
Nese was playing spoiler as he came into the match with a losing record of 0-2. Byron Saxton interviewed Atlas before the match. Atlas said he hoped Drake Maverick wins to force a tie bewteen them, but Atlas then said he had to focus on his match. Atlas had to “take care of businees” in his match with Nese.
Atlas countered Nese with some flips and a cartwheel. Nese cut him off when Atlas began grandstanding. They traded strikes as Atlas fired up on Nese, and then Atlas hit a step-up enzuigiri for a near fall. Atlas bled slighty from a cut above his eyebrow.
Nese tripped up Atlas when he went climbed the turnbuckles. Nese was talking trash and paid for it was as Atlas knocked him off the turnbuckles. Atlas stood on the top buckle, and he did a cartwheel on the rope into a DDT. Atlas then covered Nese for the pinfall.
Kyle O’Reilly returned the show in the form of a Zoom call with the rest of his Undisputed Era stablemates. Thay joked around, and all four agreed that Roderick Strong should be the one to face Dexter Lumis.
A cool vignette with Karrion Kross & Scarlett hyped their characters. This was tremendous. They looked maniacal as heavy metal music played. They signaled out Tommaso Ciampa so that looks to be their first program.
Another good vignette profiled Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez.
Isaiah “Swerve” Scott in an interview cut a cocky promo. Scott said if he can’t win a match in the tournament then you should quit wrestling altogether. That was a shot at his opponent’s losing record.
DX — Triple H & Shawn Michaels — were backstage at the Gorilla Position cutting a promo when Road Dogg popped up from behind the monitor. Michaels was wearing a bandana over his face, and Road Dogg was also wearing a face mask — but he took his off. That could be a first for WWE television with the face coverings during the pandemic. They were reminiscing about the anniversary of the first In Your House.
Road Dogg made a joke about pig crap that referenced the Arkansas Hog Pen Match that HHH had with Henry Godwin at an In Your House PPV in 1995. Anyway, since everyone is basically having to stay “in your house”, Triple H said on June 7th that NXT with present TakeOver: In Your House live on WWE Network.
And that was the big announcement.
Cameron Grimes defeated Finn Balor
Grimes pinned Balor after Damian Priest interfered using an expandable baton on Balor. Priest revealed himself as the attacker that had jumped Balor in a previous angle.
Grimes went for the Cave In double stomp at the outset, but Balor sidestepped. Balor was in control for a few moments until Grimes cut him off before a commercial break. Grimes had Balor grounded as the show returned from break.
Grimes dashed a hope spot with a lariat for a near fall. Grimes began to taunt Balor, and Balor fired up on him. Balor with a penalty kick running down the apron as Damien Priest walked onto the set. Balor hit Priest with a forearm smash as Priest climbed over the guardrail.
Balor used a slingblade on the floor, and he rolled Grimes back into the ring. As Balor was getting back into the ring, Priest broke out the expandable baton and hit Balor in the knee with it.
Grimes gave Balor the Cave In, and he covered him for the pinfall.
Priest after the match gave Balor his Reckoning finisher on a steal chair. He choked Balor with the legs of the chair as he indenified himself as the attacker from the angle a few weeks ago.
Editor’s Note: Due to a power outage, the rest of the live coverage is from Josh Nason.
Jack Gallagher (1-2) defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (1-2) in a Group B match in the Interim Cruiserweight Championship Tournament
Before the match, Scott was hit from behind by Nese and injuring his ribs as Scott was about to enter the ring, getting even for his earlier verbal jabs at Nese’s expense.
Gallagher immediately went on the attack, but could only muster two counts. Scott regained the momentum by ducking a Gallagher haymaker and landing some body shots. Gallagher later ran and flew in the air at Scott while his opponent was in the corner, taking a nasty bump on his head when Scott moved out of the way. Scott hit a beautiful House Call kick, but that could only garner two.
Gallagher caught Scott in a guillotine choke attempt as Scott charged him off the ropes, but Scott powered out of it temporarily, only to be caught by a Gallagher counter knee strike to a suplex attempt. Gallagher followed with a Judas Effect-style spinning elbow strike to pick up the pin and win.
With his first win in the tourney, Gallagher also eliminated Scott from contention in advancing to the finals. This was a fun, short match which sets up Scott vs. Nese in upcoming weeks.
Kayden Carter submitted Aliyah
Carter was working over Aliyah’s lags early looking for submissions. A shoving match led to Carter hitting a nice looking bottom rope dropkick, but her advantage didn’t last long as an aggressive Aliyah took control. As Aliyah was dominating, Robert Stone came out to get a closer look but that eventually led to her downfall.
As she was distracted in trying to impress Scott and adjusted herself on the top rople, Carter brought her down and started laying in chops. Carter eventually locked in her good looking spinning deathlock submission for the tap in a short, but entertaining, match.
Afterward, Aliyah tried to make things good with an unimpressed Stone who removed her hand from his arm and walked away.
Dinner With The Garganos
This was filmed at the Gargano’s dinner table as the two ate dinner and regaled over their recent achievements. The two would talk normally and then, the camera effects would change to a split personality deal to illustrate that they are heels. Gargano did get in a “five stars” reference for Candice LeRae. LeRae talked down Mia Yim and Kacy Catanzaro while Gargano had words for Keith Lee and what happens when fans suddenly don’t like you anymore. There was also the cup used in the Gargano-Ciampa “Final Heartbeat” match under glass on the table. This was ok, but the camera effects didn’t really work.
Matt Riddle pinned Timothy Thatcher
This was obviously set up from Thatcher walking away from Riddle at the top of the show, causing him to lose the NXT tag titles to Imperium.
The early part was a grappling fan’s dream as the two basically had a sparring session of sorts that also included strikes. Both men countered each other repeatedly until Riddle caught Thatcher with a kick that sent Thatcher to the outside which took us to break.
After the break, Thatcher had the advantage with an ankle lock as we were showing that Riddle got his foot stomped on while trying a gut wrench suplex, leading to Thatcher hitting a sweet belly to belly suplex off the ropes. We would later see the foot stomp happen again as Thatcher cut off Riddle’s mid-match surge of momentum.
Thatcher continued to work Riddle on the ground with a knee to the side followed by a chinlock. More grappling, slaps, and submissions attempts followed in this absoutely grueling match.
Thatcher hit a kick gear, but Riddle rallied back to hit a Bro To Sleep. Riddle followed with a Floating Bro that Thatcher reversed into a Fujiwa armbar that Riddle reversed into a powerbomb. Thatcher turned a Riddle taunt into an armbar and eventually a kneebar attempt that looked to be the end. But, while locked in the kneebar, Riddle worked to a position where he was able to pin Thatcher, using his weight against him.
Afterward, Thatcher attacked and repeatedly locked on the armbar again. Riddle kept tapping as Thatcher maniacally looked into the camera so, as Bryan Alvarez says, this feud must continue.
This was an excellent match. If you’re a fan of the Bloodsport events, and even if you like this style in general, you will love this match.
Next Week:
Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai
Roderick Strong vs. Dexter Lumis
Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tourney: Kushida vs. Drake Maverick
Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tourney: El Hijo del Fantasma vs. Akira Tozawa
Matt Riddle and his temporary partner Timothy Thatcher are set to defend their NXT Tag Team titles next week.
It was announced on tonight’s NXT that Imperium’s Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner will challenge for Riddle & Thatcher’s titles on NXT next Wednesday. The match was set up by Barthel & Aichner attacking Riddle & Thatcher during their Newly-Bros Show segment last week.
A promo where Barthel & Aichner issued a challenge to Riddle & Thatcher then aired on NXT tonight. Later in the show, Riddle & Thatcher did an interview accepting the challenge.
Thatcher made his NXT debut three weeks ago and was introduced as Riddle’s temporary partner. In their first title defense, Riddle & Thatcher retained against Undisputed Era’s Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish.
Riddle & Pete Dunne are the NXT Tag Team Champions, but Dunne is currently unable to travel and defend the titles due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Finn Balor vs. Cameron Grimes has also been announced for next week’s episode of NXT.
Balor appeared on tonight’s show and sent a warning to whoever it was that attacked him in the locker room two weeks ago. Grimes then defeated Denzel Dejournette with his Cave In double foot stomp. Grimes got on the microphone after and said he deserves more than he has now. He brought up Balor and said someone must have beat him to it by going after Balor first.
As Grimes was saying that he was going to slap the taste out of Balor’s mouth, Balor came back down and slid into the ring. He challenged Grimes to slap him. Grimes tried to back off at first, then went to attack him. Balor avoided it, gave Grimes a double foot stomp, and hit a slingblade.
Balor then looked into the camera and said there’s a snake hiding in the long grass backstage. Balor promised that he’ll find them and said the best way to kill a snake is to chop off its head.
Taped at York Barbican in York, England on January 17, 2020
Quick results —
Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan defeated The Hunt, then later said they were here to face Gallus.
Toni Storm said Kay Lee Ray still was in her head.
Eddie Dennis gloated over beating Trent Seven, who came out and challenged him to a street fight with all turnbuckles uncovered. The match will main event next week’s show.
Tyler Bate and A-Kid will meet in friendly competition next week.
Isla Dawn defeated Nina Samuels.
Ilja Dragunov is proud he did not miss Finn Balor and injured his nose. He also vowed not to miss against Joe Coffey.
Ridge Holland defeated Tyson T-Bone in a battle of the big men.
in the main event, Imperium (Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner & Alexander Wolfe) were victorious over Mark Andrews, Flash Morgan Webster & Dave Mastiff. WALTER ran out late in the match, but got bested by Mastiff.
Full rundown —
The show opened with a recap of Worlds Collide. Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews were then shown choosing Dave Mastiff as their partner for their six-man tag match against Imperium in tonight’s main event.
Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan defeated The Hunt (Primate & Wild Boar) when Lorcan pinned Primate after an assisted spiked DDT (7:27)
Burch and Wild Boar started out, with Burch getting the early advantage before Boar rammed his shoulder into Burch’s mid-section. That was followed up by a top rope double axe handle by Primate.
Burch and Lorcan then tagged in and out, beating on Primate. Boar ran hard into an elbow by Lorcan and found himself on the receiving end of a double back suplex.
Lorcan locked in an abdominal stretch, but Boar eventually powered out and tagged out. Primate ran wild on both opponents for a bit, then hit a hard lariat on Lorcan for a near fall. He missed a shoulder block into the corner and hit the post, allowing Burch to come back in with a German suplex and then hit an assisted powerbomb on Primate.
Burch and Lorcan went for a Doomsday Device, but Primate escaped and hit a Northern Lights suplex on Lorcan.
Boar was back in, but crumpled after a headbutt by Burch. Boar grabbed Lorcan after some miscommunication and threw him to ringside, but missed a splash off the apron. Lorcan and Burch then hit an assisted spike DDT on Primate for the victory.
– Toni Storm was interviewed backstage at Worlds Collide and asked what went wrong in her match with Rhea Ripley. She said what went wrong was that Kay Lee Ray was still in her head and this had to end.
Eddie Dennis in-ring segment
Dennis walked to the ring dressed in a gray suit. He said “I did this,” as a clip of him hitting the Razor’s Edge on Trent Seven to the outside at UK TakeOver: Blackpool II aired on the screen. He said he took a pillar, a founding father of NXT UK, picked him up over his head, and when the ref wouldn’t let him throw Seven into the turnbuckle, it forced his hand and he had to send him over the top rope.
At this point, Seven’s music played and he walked out. He called Dennis boring and a liar. Seven said that while the history books will forever say that Dennis beat him, they will miss that Dennis exposed the turnbuckles to gain the win. Seven then proposed they do it again, but take the turnbuckles off and have a steel corners street fight.
Dennis then looked to take a swing at Seven, but Seven ducked and threw Dennis out of the ring, leaving the Welsh Dragon in shock.
– Tyler Bate was interviewed at the NXT UK Performance Center. He was talking about his victory at TakeOver: Blackpool II when A-Kid walked up and congratulated him. A-Kid said he couldn’t wait until he could do what Bate could do and would be in the same position.
Bate then asked him why they should wait. Bate said he would go to Johnny Saint and they could have a match next week. A-Kid was ecstatic and they shook hands on it.
– A video aired on Aoife Valkyrie, who will make her debut next week. A graphic also plugged Ridge Holland.
Isla Dawn pinned Nina Samuels with a bridging German suplex (5:02)
They traded holds and throws early on until Samuels slammed Dawn’s face into the mat. Dawn came back with a bridging pinning combination and a standing dropkick before missing a knee in the corner and tumbling to ringside.
Samuels followed up with a forward handspring kick, throwing Dawn off the apron once more. Samuels threw Dawn around by the hair, then whipped her into the corner and followed with an axe kick. Samuels was on offense with various corner attacks, but she then missed a knee strike and received a release German suplex.
Samuels tried to go for Ninagoroshi, but Dawn escaped. Samuels went up the ropes, but Dawn hit a 619 through the ropes to kick her off. Dawn then pinned her with a bridging German suplex.
– Ilja Dragunov was interviewed backstage at Worlds Collide. Dragunov said he was always looking for the biggest battlegrounds — he could learn from every match and he was proud that he did not miss, as he bloodied up Finn Balor’s nose. He said Joe Coffey was waiting for him and he would not miss again.
– Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed Lorcan & Burch backstage. They said they were here to beat people up, and Burch said they were looking to match themselves against Gallus.
Ridge Holland pinned Tyson T-Bone after hitting Northern Grit (3:12)
They locked up and Holland backed T-Bone into the ropes. They traded forearms and punches. T-Bone repeatedly hit body shots, but Holland just took them before hitting an overhead belly-to-belly suplex for a two count.
Holland hit a short-arm clothesline and a few uppercuts, but T-Bone cut him off with a back suplex. T-Bone went for a powerbomb, but Holland escaped, grabbed him by the ears, and headbutted him a few times. He followed with an Alabama slam and Northern Grit for the victory.
– A graphic plugged Bate vs. A-Kid and Seven vs. Dennis in a steel corners street fight for next week.
Imperium (Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner & Alexander Wolfe) defeated Mark Andrews, Flash Morgan Webster & Dave Mastiff when Aichner pinned Andrews after an assisted brainbuster (11:24)
Andrews and Barthel started out. Barthel grounded Andrews to the mat and applied a number of submissions. Aichner tagged in and kept up the submissions. Andrews eventually flipped out of the move and tagged Webster.
Aichner used his power to stop Webster’s high-flying offense. Wolfe tagged in, but fell victim to Webster’s speed. Mastiff tagged in and beat down Wolfe, who tagged in Aichner. Andrews and Webster tagged in and out and they took the advantage over Aichner and Barthel.
Mastiff tagged in and hit a long vertical suplex on Barthel. Mastiff assisted Andrews on hitting a moonsault leg drop. Webster ran wild on Imperium, but Wolfe then threw him on his neck on a high-angle German suplex.
Aichner dismantled Webster and hung him in the corner in a tree of woe. Aichner and Barthel then hit dropkicks from in and outside the ring on him. They followed with a spinebuster/running soccer kick combo. Webster finally managed to evade Imperium and hot tag Mastiff.
The Bomber went wild, clearing the ring of Imperium and hitting a rolling senton on Aichner for a two count. Andrews went to the top, but Barthel threw him into a suplex by Aichner. Andrews managed to turn this into a Stun Dog Millionaire.
Webster and Morgan hit stereo dives on Aichner and Barthel. Mastiff threw Wolfe on them for good measure, then followed with a somersault senton off the apron.
Mastiff got up, rolled Aichner and Barthel back into the ring, and mockingly hit the Imperium/Ringkampf pose. WALTER ran out and looked to attack him, but Mastiff knocked him down with a forearm.
Meanwhile, Andrews got the better of Barthel and Aichner back in the ring and went for a springboard move, but Barthel caught him and threw him at Aichner. Aichner caught him in mid-air and hit a brainbuster for the win.
Imperium posed in the ring as the show went off the air.
Next week —
Tyler Bate will take on A-Kid, while Eddie Dennis and Trent Seven will face off in a steel corners street fight.
Alexander Wolfe was injured during tonight’s Worlds Collide main event.
The injury took place in the main event match between Imperium and the Undisputed Era. Wolfe was down on his knees as Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong were going for stereo knee strikes to the chest and back. It was here that Fish’s knee connected with Wolfe’s jaw.
Fish then went for the pin, but Wofle didn’t kick out. Referee Drake Wuertz stopped the match momentarily and threw up the “X” signal that someone was injured. Fish was taken to his corner as the announcers showed a replay.
Wolfe was then taken out of the match and escorted backstage. The match then continued as a 4 on 3 match. After a back and forth brawl, Imperium were eventually able to get the win after WALTER powerbombed Fish as everyone else was fighting on the outside.
“I’m fine,” he wrote on Twitter following the show. “I wish I could have finished the match but safety first. Thanks to @WWEDrakeWuertz & @wwe medical for taking care of me. You guys did an unbelievable great job today as always. Most importantly it was my own fault. #ChinUp”
NXT and NXT UK will face off as Worlds Collide takes place tonight at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The show will feature an eight-man match between NXT and NXT UK’s top factions. It will be The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong) vs. Imperium (WALTER, Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner & Alexander Wolfe).
Undisputed Era ambushed Imperium at the end of NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool earlier this month, and Imperium responded on NXT’s go-home show for Worlds Collide.
Rhea Ripley will put her title on the line against Toni Storm, who has wins over Ripley in two previous matches. Bianca Belair will challenge the winner at NXT TakeOver: Portland.
DIY will reunite against Moustache Mountain, Finn Balor takes on Ilja Dragunov, and Angel Garza defends the NXT Cruiserweight Championship in a fatal four-way match against Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Jordan Devlin, and Travis Banks.
The half-hour pre-show starts at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time and will feature Mia Yim vs. Kay Lee Ray.
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Worlds Collide pre-show
Charly Caruso, Sam Roberts and Andy Shepard, the NXT UK announcer, spoke in the aisle at the top of the pre-show. The crowd booed Roberts whenever he spoke. Next, we saw a video promo building tonight’s eight-man tag team main event, Undisputed Era vs. Imperium.
Kay Lee Ray defeated Mia Yim
Tom Phillips and Nigel McGuiness were on commentary here. Though Ray happens to be the current NXT UK Women’s champion, this was not announced as a title match.
Yim caught Ray with a shotgun dropkick just after the bell. She later hit a nice albeit slow-motion hurracanrana on Ray moments later. A few fans started chanting for Yim, which then led to for a slightly louder chant for Ray.
Ray countered and used a tornado DDT off the turnbuckles. She walloped Yim with a hard chop that the crowd sounded impressed by. When Ray missed a swanton bomb from the top, both sold for a couple moments before Yim launched into her counter-attack sequence. She used a nice modified swinging DDT using the bottom rope as a springboard, then used some awful-looking jabs on Ray before landing a tope suicida on the floor. Ray responded with an impressive running springboard somersault senton to the floor, which elicited the first “this is awesome” chant of the night.
Ray used Eat Defeat, Yim’s finish, for a two-count. Yim responded with a Liger Bomb, and later a Canadian Destroyer, both for two. When Yim went for an O’Connor Roll, Kay Lee Ray reversed the pin and pulled on Yim’s jeans plus used the ropes for leverage to secure the win.
This was a fine opener. Kay Lee Ray seems underappreciated and looked solid here, plus the fans seem to enjoy her a lot. Mia Yim, too. While Yim’s execution in the ring looked smooth tonight, she’s the opposite of what we’d call “crisp,” especially with her strikes. Aside from that, this was good.
Next up was a video package for tonight’s match of Mustache Mountain vs. DIY, followed by some more rhetorical analysis from Caruso, Roberts and Shepard. Roberts compared NXT wrestlers facing off against NXT UK is like “the Marvel Universe coming together,” even though it’s more like if the West Coast Avengers battled X-Factor in the early-’90s.
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Finn Balor defeated Ilja Dragunov
Dragunov came out to the Russian national anthem and I couldn’t help but keep my eyes peeled for the Bolsheviks to make their return.
Fans were wild for Balor at the top of this. They were deliberate and controlled early on and traded side-headlocks. Dragunov hit a short cross-body block, then taunted Balor. After missing a janky sunset flip, Balor wailed Dragunov with a slap in the face, then dropkicked him through the ropes while Dragunov was on the floor. Dragunov recovered quickly and used a standing armlock to wear Balor down, then jumped from the bottom rope and dove onto Balor on the floor. He went for a diving axhandle next but Balor moved out of the way and chopped him up. The announcers continued to put over Balor’s recent “aggressive side.” Balor unleashed a flurry of stomps atop Dragunov, which the crowd got loud for. Balor seemed mindful of when to bring the crowd up and down throughout this, always conscious of the pace alongside the more frenetic Dragunov.
Dragunov looked to rip Balor’s head off with a short lariat moments later. The crowd became more and more enthusiastic in their booing of him. The veins in Dragunov’s head looked like they were about to burst whenever he’d hulk up, like he was trying to induce a heart attack or something.
Balor came back with a stiff standing double-stomp, and then the two traded hard strikes until Dragunov caught and blocked Balor’s Pele kick. He put Balor down for a close two-count with a pump-handle German suplex. He came close again after landing a Van Terminator sans chair, which looks like it connected because Balor had a bit of blood over the bridge of his nose.
When Dragunov went for a diving senton from the top rope, Balor put his knees up. This put Dragunov in place for a diving double-stomp from Balor, then 1916 for the win. Great, intense little match to start the main show off.
Jordan Devlin defeated Angel Garza (c) defeated Isaiah Scott, Jordan Devlin, and Travis Banks to win the NXT Cruiserweight championship
Garza was very popular with the crowd. There were a few “Swerve” chants for Scott, too. Garza tried taking off his pants off but got beaten down by the three other competitors. They did a sequence of four dives early on, not even five minutes into the match. Garza jumped over Banks with a tope con giro, then Banks ran off the apron and put Scott down with a double-stomp off the apron.
Banks went on a small tear back in the ring, took Swerve and Garza out, then dove back out to the floor through the bottom ropes to take out Devlin, and then right back into the ring to land a cannonball in the corner onto Swerve and Garza, and later suplexed Devlin into the pile of people in the corner. Devlin used a crazy modified swing DDT on Swerve for two and a big pop.
Garza finally ripped off his pants, just like his dad (gracias, Rob Viper), which the crowd loved. Garza then caught Devlin in a powerslam position, and Banks jumped atop Garza after this and Garza caught him, too, so Garza was holding up two guys. Swerve then flew off the top rope and nailed Banks, who was basically up on Garza’s in a power bomb position, and nailed him with an insane diving double-stomp. I think it also means he was power bombed by Garza, who simultaneously slammed Devlin forward on the way down. Crowd erupted and chanted “This is awesome.” That took much longer to transcribe than to for the wrestlers to do, I assure you.
Banks spiked Devlin with a brutal Canadian Destroyer, but only seconds later was back up to pull off a double top rope Spanish Fly to Garza and Swerve. I guess the Destroyer wasn’t all that brutal after all. Banks took Swerve out with a Slice of Heaven flying gamengiri kick, then a Kiwi Crusher on Devlin for two. Swerve ripped Banks with a few chops, then an inverted Iconoclast in the corner that stunned the crowd. You could hear the authentic “ooohs.”
There were more innovative, dangerous moves all four went through in the next few moments, but the finish came when Garza landed the Wing Clipper on Swerve, but before he went for the pin, Devlin grabbed Garza by the hair and bonked him out of commission with a headbutt, then used his Devlinside back suplex with bridge for the surprise win.
Insane, innovative and athletic. Some will hate it, most will love it. Everyone worked their asses off and then some. Isaiah Scott is looking more like he did last year before he signed with WWE and has been able to integrate himself into the system without having to compromise much of his in-ring work.
“Do ya believe me now?!” Devlin has been on a tear for a while now, and after this he cut a great promo standing atop the announcers table, where he asked the crowd if they believed his claim, the claim that he’s the best pound-for-pound wrestler on the planet. He said he proved everyone wrong, and to never bet against an ace.
Production cut to Mia Yim and new NXT North American champion, Keith Lee, in the crowd. Chelsea Green, accompanied by Robert Stone (Robbe E from TNA), came to their seats next and the announce team talked about them a bit.
DIY (Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano) defeated Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven)
Tyler Bate and Johnny Gargano were in first and started this match off exactly as they should have after the insanity that was the cruiserweight four-way. It was all holds, counters, and escapes for the first couple minutes that’d often end in a stalemate. The two shook hands and then tagged their partners and the crowd started getting loud for Tomasso Ciampa, chanting “Daddy’s home.” He and Trent Seven had a short pose-down, which Seven quickly conceded. He and Ciampa, too, shook hands. Seems like Ciampa was the most popular among these four rather popular NXT wrestlers.
Bate tagged back in and he and Ciampa went back and forth in a Greco-Roman knuckle lock until Bate countered out of it. Ciampa and Gargano took the match to the floor later, Ciampa threw Bate into one of the announce tables, and then he and Gargano together posed on the apron. Big reaction for that.
Ciampa slowed things down for a while with Bate with a headlock. Bate finally tagged out to Seven, who went at it with Gargano and took him out, then put Ciampa down with a short lariat. Around here was when there began a dueling Moustache Mountain-DIY chant, with DIY sounding to get about 75% of said chant duel.
The match build finally hit a crux that laid everyone out, with Bate topping the sequence off with the Tyler Driver. He went for a standing shooting star press later but Gargano got his knees up, then put Bate in the Gargano Escape. Ciampa cut Seven off from breaking up the submission and threw a bridging armbar onto Seven, a mirror visual of how DIY won the NXT tag titles before, a touch of NJPW-style booking that they made sure to put over on commentary. Bate and Seven came out of the subs and each put Gargano and Ciampa into an airplane spin. DIY went for a double running knees but the Moustache boys blocked it and threw fake-out jabs to knock both Gargano and Ciampa silly. They then put Ciampa down with a burning hammer/diving knee combo, but only for two, much to the surprise of the audience. Bate landed a corckscrew moonsault, but Ciampa rolled through and happened to pin a prone Trent Seven. Bate broke the pin and the crowd again chanted “this is awesome.” DIY made one final comeback and took Seven out with Meeting in the Middle, their knee-strike/superkick combo, for the emphatic win. Very good match. All four shook hands afterwards.
We saw Mercedes Martinez in the crowd next, then a sour-looking Dakota Kai. Before the announcers could begin to introduce her, Kai was ambushed by Tegan Nox, Kai’s ex-best friend and tag partner. Security broke things up while the crowd chanted “let them fight!” It was a heated spot that did a great job of pushing their coming singles bout.
Rhea Ripley defeated Toni Storm to retain the NXT Women’s championship
Technical brawling from the start in this one. Deliberate pace with hard strikes and short power moves early on. Storm suplexed Ripley into the bottom turnbuckle, which saw Ripley roll to the floor to recover from. Back in the ring, Storm used an STF where she figure-foured Ripley’s legs, meaning it’s not a step-over toehold w/ facelock but a figure-four leglock w/ facelock. An FFF, if you will.
Storm worked Ripley over for a bit longer until Ripley powered out with strikes and kicks. Storm reveresed the RIptide into a pinning attempt and got two. She landed a German suplex with a bridge for two.The crowd sounded tired midway through this and were pretty quiet. When Storm missed a frog splash, Ripley used the Riptide slam to win, sort of out of nowhere.
This wasn’t good, though it wasn’t bad, either. The crowd was hardly there. Ripley’s in-ring work still isn’t up to where it needs to be and it doesn’t match the intensity of her charisma just yet. Storm looked good here but was booked like a jobber when, really, she should be at the top of one of WWE’s female divison.
A clip of Johnny Gargano getting attacked by Finn Balor backstage was shown next. It was announced as just happening moments earlier. We saw Moustache Mountain come to Gargano’s rescue as a brawl broke out.
Imperium (Walter, Fabian Aichner, Marcel Bartel & Alexander Wolfe) defeated Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly)
Fish and Strong gave Alexander Wolfe a double gourdbuster, then they hit him with a chop/low kick combo, but Wolfe didn’t kick out. Referee Drake Younger noticed this quickly and threw up and made the X call with his arms, the non-kayfabe signal to others that something went wrong and someone is injured. Production zoomed in on Fish as officials took care of Wolfe, and you could clearly hear someone yell “He has a lump in his throat!” off-camera. It didn’t seem like the audience knew what was happening but came off scary on television. Tom Philipps announced later on in the match that Wolfe was taken backstage, and that the main event would now be a three-on-four match. Not sure if that was communicated to the audience.
The injury early on set a strange tone, but everyone did their best to keep the match on track. There were tons of “Walter” chants, and midway through there was a dueling chant of “WAL-TER” vs” “UN-DIS-PU-TED.” It’s as though the fans view Imperium more as Walter and his friends than an established unit.
Walter entered the match and cracked O’Reilly with a shotgun chop, then used a double German suplex on both O’Reilly and Roderick Strong, surely a nod to his pal Daisuke Sekimoto, who popularized the spot over the past year or so. O’Reilly tried fighting his way out of Imperium’s corner but was rewarded by Walter with another blast-chop, which I think may haven gotten the loudest single reaction to a move all night. Nigel NcGuiness was even taken aback.
O’Reilly finally tagged out to Strong who cleaned house. The exchange he and Walter had was outstanding and had me jonesing for a singles match between the two, immediately.
They moved the match to the floor, which by this time in the match was pretty much just Walter vs. UE. Strong used an Olympic Slam through the announce table and the crowd chanted a lot for that. They chanted “mama mia,” though I’m not sure if they realized Mauro Ranallo was off tonight.
Bartel suplexed O’Reilly into the air and passed him to Aichner, he drilled O’Reilly with a brainbuster. What a killer spot. Aichner sprung off the top ropes later but Cole caught him with a superkick. Fans would periodically chant for Walter during deadspots, but they also seemed to love Undisputed Era, which makes the wrestlers’ jobs that more challenging, I imagine.
O’Reilly landed a diving kneedrop onto Bartel’s knee, then put him in a straight anklelock in an attempt at a submission. Aichner broke things up with a double springboard moonsault that was as ugly as it was athletic.
Walter got back up from the Olympic Slam through the table and got a loud response from the crowd. He landed a big splash from the top rope, but Cole broke up the pin with a Last Shot to the back of Walter’s head. The two teams then had a stand-off, jawkjacked a bit, then broke into a group version of the Frye-Takayama punching spot. People love that still.
This led to another sequence of dives to the floor, wrapping no-handed double jump plancha. Fish missed a pretty moonsault inside the ring, so Walter took the opportunity to put Fish away with a power bomb w/ stacking bridge, just like how Kawada pinned Misawa on 5/1/98. The crowd was satisified with the finish, it sounded like.
Final thoughts:
This was good for a cursory card. The actual wrestling part of the show ranged from good to great, with DIY vs. Moustache Mountain as the runaway show-stealer. The main event could have been, and at times in the match was as hot as that match, but it was derailed early by Alexander Wolfe’s sudden injury. Keep checking the front page for update’s on Wolfe’s status, and here’s to a speedy recovery from whatever happened tonight.
On the creative end, it didn’t do much more than an episode of NXT in terms of pushing angles forward. Dragunov vs. Balor was excellent, with Balor continuing his string of great matches in current NXT, but the crowd seemed to not have a clue who the hell Dragunov was. His charisma, while intense and impressive, didn’t seem to click with the audience tonight, so at times it felt disproportionate to the match’s positioning, both on the card and in the NXT landscape.
The four-way was nonstop action, almost all of it innovative, fresh-feeling, but lacked clear storytelling. It was a well thought-out spot fest, and the crowd ate it up. The finish was clever, and Devlin’s post-match promo was easily the promo of the night. I should also mention that Isaiah “Swerve” Scott had a stellar showing in this and needs that perpetual motion from his opponents to get into the groove.
The NXT Women’s title match wasn’t bad but disappointing. Storm was good and looked to carry much of the match, pretty much working Ripley over the majority of it, and then, out of nowhere, Ripley wins. It keeps the champion strong, but it also extinguished a lot of fire Storm may have had going for her.
Look out for some possible followup at tomorrow’s Royal Rumble, which we’ll also be covering here at f4wonline.com.
The 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will kick off on Wednesday’s episode of NXT.
WWE has announced that a first-round match between Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) and The Forgotten Sons (Wesley Blake & Steve Cutler) will take place on Wednesday’s NXT. The match is part of the left side of the bracket for the tournament.
Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne vs. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster is the other match on the left side of the bracket. The right side has The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) vs. Kushida’s team (partner yet to be revealed) and The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang).
There are four teams from NXT and four teams from NXT UK in the Dusty Classic.
Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes is also set for Wednesday’s NXT. The winner will become the number one contender to Roderick Strong’s NXT North American Championship.
NXT’s top faction will face off with the top group from NXT UK in an eight-man tag match over Royal Rumble weekend.
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Imperium (WALTER, Alexander Wolfe, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) has been announced for WWE Worlds Collide. The show is taking place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday, January 25 and will air live on the WWE Network.
The match announcement was made on tonight’s taped Christmas Day edition of NXT.
NXT vs. NXT UK is the theme of Worlds Collide. This is the first match announced for the show.
Worlds Collide is happening instead of a TakeOver special during Royal Rumble weekend. NXT UK’s next TakeOver is taking place before Worlds Collide, with the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, England hosting UK TakeOver: Blackpool II on Sunday, January 12. NXT US’ next TakeOver is TakeOver: Portland at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on Sunday, Febuary 16.
Taped at Bonus Arena in Hull, England on November 16, 2019
Quick results —
Kay Lee Ray pinned Isla Dawn after hitting the Gory Bomb. Piper Niven and Toni Storm then came out — and after Storm attacked KLR, Storm and Niven got in each other’s faces. Sid Scala then made a triple threat Women’s Championship match for NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II.
Jordan Devlin made fun of Tyler Bate in another one of his video presentations.
Trent Seven vs. Michael May never got started due to Eddie Dennis attacking May before the match.
Noam Dar sought out Johnny Saint backstage to talk about being on TakeOver and learned that he would be facing Tyler Bate next week instead.
Ridge Holland destroyed Jack Starz in an impressive squash.
Amir Jordan surprised Kenny Williams at the NXT UK Performance Center and announced he was back from injury.
A Tag Team title match between champions Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) and Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) went to a no contest when both The Grizzled Young Veterans and Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster interfered. Scala and Johnny Saint then announced that all four teams would compete for the titles in a ladder match at TakeOver: Blackpool II.
Full rundown —
The show opened up with a graphic for our main event, pitting Gallus against Imperium with the NXT UK Tag Team titles on the line.
Non-title match: NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray pinned Isla Dawn after hitting the Gory Bomb
They grappled for position early, then Dawn hit a running crossbody, evaded a dropkick, and rolled KLR up with a cradle. KLR went for the Gory Bomb, but Dawn countered out of it with a Destroyer for a near fall.
Dawn missed a flying knee in the corner, and KLR immediately went to attack the knee. KLR kept on the offense with a chop and a front suplex for a near fall of her own. Dawn got out of the way of a KLR kick in the corner and hit a back drop driver, then followed with a meteora from the top for another two count.
KLR came back with a kick, a super kick, and the Gory Bomb for the victory.
KLR cut a promo after the match and talked about her dominance. She talked about beating Toni Storm and having Piper Niven rattled. Niven’s music played and she entered in a jacket, which she slowly took off. As she was doing so, Toni Storm stormed right past her and attacked KLR, who quickly fled to ringside.
Niven and Storm then jaw-jacked in the ring as KLR was about to slink to the back. Sid Scala’s music played and the assistant GM came out with a mic in hand. He announced that Kay Lee Ray would defend her title against Niven and Storm in a triple threat match at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II.
– Jordan Devlin had another video presentation. After the last one only being about himself, he was now about to present the rest of the very talented NXT UK roster. Devlin then showed clips of Tyler Bate getting beaten up, first losing to the Grizzled Young Veterans alongside his “elderly father” Trent Seven. The next clip was of WALTER powerbombing him into the ring post at Download Festival and Trent Seven carrying him to the back.
The final clip was from the “five star classic” between WALTER and Bate, but featured only clips of WALTER beating Bate up. Devlin then concluded that Bate was a loser.
– Joe Coffey was interviewed on his way to the NXT UK Performance Center. He said that WALTER attacked him at the last TakeOver Blackpool, leaving a mark on his face after kicking him with his size 14 boot. He said that when he beats WALTER, this would be Gallus’ kingdom.
Trent Seven vs. Michael May never got started
As Seven was making his entrance, Eddie Dennis suddenly appeared, pulled May out of the ring, and slammed him into the steps. He beat May up some more, then rolled him into the ring, all the while smiling at Seven. Seven tended to May and helped him up as Nigel McGuinness and Tom Phillips talked about the situation.
– Radzi Chinyanganya talked to Noam Dar backstage. Radzi wanted to discuss the contractual claims Dar made before TakeOver: Cardiff. Dar told him to follow him to Johnny Saint’s office. As Scala and Saint emerged, Dar told them that he knew they’d announce his match last, but he was going to take a holiday.
Scala told him not to pack his bags yet, as next week he would face someone with plenty of TakeOver experience in Tyler Bate. Dar was livid at that.
Ridge Holland pinned Jack Starz after hitting Northern Grit
Holland immediately launched Starz halfway across the ring, then took him down with a shoulder block and hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. He stomped and kicked away at Starz, who briefly tried fighting back, but quickly got stopped in his tracks with a hard knee.
Holland hit a double underhook into another overhead belly-to-belly. He missed a charge into the corner, then Starz flipped out of a back suplex off a side headlock and hit a number of European uppercuts. Starz then quickly got pounced high into the air on an attempted charge, and Holland hit Northern Grit for the victory. Holland looked like an unstoppable monster here.
– A camera filmed Kenny Williams at the NXT UK Performance Center and told him it was “for a surprise.” Amir Jordan then came up to him and told him his shoulder was all healed up and they’d be tagging again next week. Williams was excited about that, but not that excited about Jordan wanting to dance again.
– A graphic confirmed Tyler Bate vs. Noam Dar for next week.
NXT UK Tag Team title match: Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) vs. Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) ended in a no contest
Both teams got into it even before the bell rang, with the referee having trouble separating the parties. Wolfgang and Aichner started out, but Wolfgang quickly tagged in Coffey. Barthel tagged in and took Coffey down with an arm drag. Barthel stayed in control with another quick takedown and armbar. Aichner tagged back in and Coffey finally came back with a shoulder block, then tagged out to Wolfgang.
Gallus isolated Aichner in their corner for a while, then sent him to ringside before hitting some unique double-team moves on Barthel. Barthel managed to trap Coffey in a tree-of-woe position and he and Aichner hit stereo dropkicks.
Now it was Imperium’s turn to isolate Coffey. Barthel went wild on Coffey and had to be restrained by the referee. The ring doctor and Wolfgang checked on Coffey, but he wanted to continue. He managed to hit Barthel with a hard right, but quickly got beaten down once more. Aichner hit a number of hard lariats on Coffey, but Coffey finally came back, clotheslining Barthel off the apron and throwing Aichner after him. He then back body dropped an intercepting Aichner and finally made the hot tag.
Wolfgang hit a crossbody into the corner on Aichner and a double axe handle off the top on Barthel. He press slammed Barthel onto Aichner, then hit a suplex on Aichner for a near fall.
Coffey was back and hit a slingshot/Samoan drop combo on Aichner for another two count, but Imperium quickly was back in control with some fast teamwork, ending in Aichner hitting a spinebuster on Wolfgang. Imperium went for the European Bomb on Wolfgang, but Coffey grabbed Barthel’s leg. Barthel hit a flatliner on Wolfgang, followed by a deadlift German suplex by Aichner.
Coffey came back in and traded shots with Barthel. Aichner hit a rolling senton and moonsault, but Wolfgang prevented the cover with a spear.
As all four men were down, the Grizzled Young Veterans suddenly ran out and attempted to steal Gallus’ NXT UK Tag Team title belts. Just as they were about to run to the back, Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster came out to stop them. The two teams brawled into the ring and the referee threw the match out. Chaos ensued as all four teams went at it, including Webster diving on top of everyone.
At this point, Scala and Saint came out and were livid with everyone. Scala took physical control of the belts and then told everyone that the next time they would see these titles again would be at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II, when they would be suspended over the ring and the four teams would compete for them in a ladder match.
Next week —
Noam Dar faces Tyler Bate. Kenny Williams & Amir Jordan will also be in action for the first time as a team in six months.
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.
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.
This week’s episode of Raw featured more involvement from NXT and NXT UK.
The show was taped in Manchester, England this past Friday and aired last night. WWE United Kingdom Champion WALTER answered an open challenge from Seth Rollins on the episode, with their match turning into an eight-man tag between Rollins, Kevin Owens, The Street Profits and Imperium after Imperium caused a disqualification
NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler also appeared during Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair’s match against Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka & Kairi Sane. Baszler was attacked by Bayley while at ringside for the match. The distraction led to Asuka rolling up Lynch, then Bayley laid out Lynch after the match was over.
Plus, WWE teased whether Randy Orton would get along with Ricochet as they teamed with Humberto Carrillo against The O.C. in the main event, the Lana-Rusev-Bobby Lashley storyline continued with Lana lying about being pregnant with Rusev’s baby, and former NXT UK Tag Team Champions Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster took on The Viking Raiders.
From the Midtown Cultural & Educational Center in front of an estimated 200
– Raul Mendoza defeated Cal Bloom
– Santana Garrett defeated Catalina Garcia
– Ridge Holland defeated Boa
– We had an in-ring segment with Jeet Rama about how much he loves it in NXT. He was interrupted by Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner who ran him down and told him to find a partner for later.
– Arturo Ruas defeated Tehuti Miles
– We had an early intermission as the top rope broke in the previous match
– Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan defeated Rinku and Saurav
– Killian Dain defeated Brendan Vink
– Kona Reeves defeated Aleksandar
– Mia Yim, Jessi Kamea and Kayden Carter defeated Deonna Purrazzo, Chelsea Green and Io Shirai
– Jeet Rama and Keith Lee defeated Imperium (Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner)
