Last week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Simmons Bank Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas, before Raw.
Nikki Cross defeated Isla Dawn (4:59)
This was good, but putting a match with this kind of natural storyline on a show like Main Event is a waste.
In the real world, Dawn and Cross grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, about a mile away from each other. Despite the five year age gap, it was Cross who gave Dawn her first ever wrestling match ten years ago. This was all glossed over on commentary, but seems like an angle that they could have done way more with.
Currently one half of the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions, Dawn made a good debut here. Cross gave her plenty of shine, but beat her clean in the end.
They gave Dawn an inset promo on her way to the ring where she alluded to the fact that she and Cross had worked together in a previous life and was looking forward to their encounter tonight.
Dawn used a cobra clutch several times to try to wear Cross down. She worked her way out of it twice and they exchanged clubbing blows.
Dawn didn’t get to show off much of her moveset as they kept this one fairly basic. After a couple of dropkicks, Cross came off the second rope with a tornado DDT and then finished Dawn with a whiplash.
Dexter Lumis defeated Eddy Thorpe (8:02)
This was again very basic. Neither looked bad and Thorpe had plenty of offense, but neither dazzled and the more experienced man went over.
They gave Lumis an inset promo where he basically stared at the camera. It would have been better to give Thorpe, the former Karl Fredericks, the air time so that new viewers could have seen a little of what he was about. If you aren’t catching NXT Level Up when he works matches there, you have likely never heard of him.
Lumis has generally had a winning record since he started to make Main Event appearances, but a losing effort to Bronson Reed two weeks back marred his run on this show.
Thorpe worked over Lumis’ left arm in various ways throughout the match. He tried for a quasi kimura and used an abdominal stretch. It didn’t play into the finish, but Thorpe is certainly slick in his transitions and knows his way around the ring.
After the commercials, Thorpe used a lep whip and went back to the abdominal stretch but Lumis worked his way out and nailed him with a suplex.
The finish was Lumis’ kip-up leg drop, followed by a side slam. The crowd seem to be warming to Lumis and he seems to be gradually getting over.
Final Thoughts:
After the two strong matches last week, this show wasn’t as good. The fresh faces always make it an intriguing show, and credit to Dawn and Thorpe who did well, but two rather rudimentary bouts meant it was one to miss.
Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre defeated Kiana James and Fallon Henley Saturday afternoon at NXT Stand & Deliver to win the NXT Women’s Tag Team titles for the first time. The finish had James asking Brooks Jensen at ringside for her bag. Jensen debated whether or not he would use the bag, arguing with Henley and Josh Briggs. As James was distracted, she was hit with a backstabber/swanton combination, giving Dawn and Fyre the victory.
Henley and James’ reign ended after 56 days. They had defeated Kayden Carter and Katana Chance at NXT Vengeance Day back on February 4.
Henley and James have been embroiled in drama regarding James’ relationship with Jensen. Henley and Briggs found out after breaking into James’ office that she has been having an affair with someone named Sebastian. Henley has attempted to tell Jensen about the affair, but hasn’t been able to. On last week’s NXT, Henley confronted James and told her to tell Jensen about Sebastian. In the ring, James teased she was going to tell Jensen, but instead kissed him.
We interviewed Dawn & Fyre prior to Saturday’s title win. You can view that video below:
A Women’s Tag Team title match has been added to NXT Stand & Deliver.
Kiana James and Fallon Henley will defend the titles against Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn, who defeated Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley and Katana Chance & Kayden Carter on Wednesday’s show to become the new number one contenders. Later in the show, Kiana James was attacked by Fyre and Dawn after she failed to qualify for the women’s title ladder match at Stand & Deliver.
In addition, a five-way match for the NXT North American title was added after Wes Lee’s open challenge on NXT went awry, causing a number of wrestlers to brawl around the ring. In a video posted by the NXT Anonymous Twitter account, Lee demanded Shawn Michaels give him ten of the best NXT has to offer at Stand and Deliver. Micheals said he would give him four, making it a five-way match for Los Angeles.
After losing their NXT Tag Team title match earlier in the show, Pretty Deadly wondered in a backstage interview how they would get to Stand and Deliver. They eventually decided they would host the show.
Here is the updated lineup for NXT Stand and Deliver:
NXT Championship: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Carmelo Hayes
NXT Women’s title ladder match: Zoey Stark vs. Gigi Dolin vs. ???
NXT Women’s Tag Team titles: Kiana James & Fallon Henley vs. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn
NXT North American title: Wes Lee vs. ??? vs. ??? vs. ???
The NXT Women’s Championship match on Tuesday saw Isla Dawn interfere and cost Alba Fyre her shot at the title.
Mandy Rose put her belt on the line against Fyre in a Last Woman’s Standing match to headline this week’s show. In the closing moments of the match, Dawn shoved Fyre off a ladder and down through the announce desk below. Fyre was unable to meet the referee’s ten count and Rose was declared the winner. Dawn then stood tall over Fyre to close the show.
Bron Breakker also successfully defended his title on NXT. He defeated Von Wagner in the opening match of the night.
Zoey Stark cut a promo this week explaining why she turned on Nikkita Lyons last week. Stark said she was tired of carrying Lyons on her back.
Also on Tuesday’s show, The Dyad, Indi Hartwell, Indus Sher, and Apollo Crews all picked up victories.
Hey there, welcome to another weekly episode of Speak Now Pro Wrestling hosted by Denise Salcedo.
There’s lots to talk about for today’s show including: The Iron Survivor Challenge, Bron Breakker vs. Von Wagner, Mandy Rose retaining her NXT Women’s Championship, and more! Tune in for a fun and interactive podcast!
Isla Dawn made her NXT debut on Tuesday, costing Alba Fyre the NXT Women’s Championship.
The end of Tuesday’s show saw Isla Dawn appear on top of a ladder Fyre was on. She misted Fyre in the face, causing her to fall off the ladder and through the announcer’s table. Mandy Rose was able to get on her feet before the count of ten, allowing her to retain the NXT Women’s Championship.
Announcers identified Dawn as formerly from the NXT UK brand. She hadn’t appeared on NXT television following the closure of NXT UK, and her status within the company wasn’t known. Her last appearance was on the final episode of NXT UK, where she competed in a four-way match to determine the next challenger for the NXT UK Women’s title, which was won by Blair Davenport.
Tuesday’s show marked the second time that Fyre had failed to capture the NXT Women’s Championship. She and Mandy Rose last wrestled at NXT Halloween Havoc, with Fyre losing thanks to the help of Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne. Fyre had taken out both women in the lead-up to Tuesday’s title match.
The segment took place inside the ring instead of at a set in the arena, which was a step down from the past.
Sha Samuels offered Legend his chair. Noam Dar then gave Legend some stale flowers, and Samuels gave her a beautiful bouquet. They aired a highlight reel of Legend in NXT 2.0 on the big screen.
Dar accidentally poured water all over himself, then Samuels ran the odds of all the NXT 2.0 “exchange students” (during which he insulted Damon Kemp). Legend then spewed a few catchphrases before the segment was over.
This didn’t get over with the crowd and the story was that both Dar and Samuels fawned over Legend.
– Sid Scala announced a four-team mini-tournament, with the two winning teams advancing to challenge for Moustache Mountain’s NXT UK Tag Team titles in a triple threat match. During the announcement, Von Wagner interrupted and told Scala the only important announcement was Wagner being here. Sam Gradwell appeared and took offense at Wagner putting his hands on Scala. They had words and we got more NXT 2.0 catchphrases. Looks like those two will meet in the ring down the line.
– Sha Samuels was backstage with Lash Legend, who took selfies. Samuels was hitting on her, but she wasn’t into it. Damon Kemp turned up and looked at the odds, prompting Legend to leave, which upset Samuels. Kemp said his odds meant “mad disrespect” and told Samuels to watch his match.
Tiger Turan defeated Tate Mayfairs (4:05)
The debuting Turan dominated the early minutes with some nice lucha offense. Mayfairs actually took over and scored a few near falls. Turan came back with a missile dropkick from the middle turnbuckle, then followed up with a somersault senton for the pinfall victory.
– Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter had words with the Coffey brothers backstage. The two teams will meet in a match next week, with the winners getting a title shot in the triple threat.
– A highlight video for next week’s special 200th episode of NXT UK aired. It looked at some of the past and present stars of the brand.
– Drew McIntyre narrated a video for Clash at the Castle, WWE’s first major UK pay-per-view in 30 years.
– A highlight video on Ivy Nile aired. Nina Samuels announced that she would personally welcome Nile to the show next week.
Damon Kemp defeated Danny Jones (4:15)
Kemp used some amateur-style takedowns and mat wrestling early. Did you know Kemp is from the same alma mater as Brock Lesnar and Gable Steveson, who he also looks similar too? What a coincidence, huh?
Jones floored Kemp with a short-armed clothesline and actually scored a two count. Kemp quickly came back, then hit a rolling fireman’s carry and running powerslam to get the win.
After the match, Sha Samuels ran in and beat down Kemp.
– A few people were backstage and clapped for Tiger Turan as he came back from his match. Kenny Williams ran after Turan and was upset the people didn’t take notice of his wanted posters for Turan.
– A highlight video on Die Familie aired and was narrated by all three members of the group. Charlie Dempsey said he would again defeated A-Kid, while Rohan Raja said that him and Teoman would become NXT UK Tag Team Champions. They toasted to conclude the segment.
– A tremendous video on next week’s Loser Leaves NXT UK match between NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov and Jordan Devlin aired. It showed highlights from their previous empty arena match and the contract signing from last week.
Devlin said his father told him when he was a young kid that he could be whatever he wanted, but also to rise. Dragunov said he was in constant pain and was always sore, but he wants it no other way. Dragunov said Devlin will have a lot of time to think about his decisions when he has to leave NXT UK next week. Devlin said he would want himself gone too if he was sharing a locker room with himself. He told Dragunov to never bet against an Ace.
World of Darkness match: NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura defeated Isla Dawn to retain her title (12:49)
The rules of a World of Darkness match are no DQs, no countouts, and the match is contested in a “low light setting.”
Satomura attacked Dawn before the bell rang. Once the match started, Satomura ran wild until Dawn caught her with a kick to the head. Dawn stumbled to ringside and Satomura hit her with a soccer kick from the apron. Dawn came back and got some plunder from under the ring, including a broom.
Satomura kicked a chair into Dawn’s face, but Dawn rammed her into the barriers. Dawn got on her knees and conjured up some smoke and spooky noises. She got her box of trinkets and pulled out a strand of Dani Luna’s hair, then used it to choke Satomura across the mouth and eyes.
Satomura stepped onto the box as Dawn went to get something from it again. Satomura got on the top rope, but Dawn attacked her with a chair. Satomura blocked an attempt at a backdrop driver on a pile of chairs. They brawled on the outside and Dawn broke the broom over Satomura’s back.
Dawn used a cable to tie Satomura’s hands to the ring post, then started whipping and choking her with a thick piece of rope. Satomura managed to kick Dawn and free herself. Satomura ran at Dawn, but Dawn caught her with a drop toe hold into the ring steps. Satomura evaded Dawn and threw her into the steps herself. Satomura then got a kendo stick and beat Dawn with it before hitting a DDT and handspring knee drop.
They got into it with a kendo stick and a chair before tying each other up in the ropes with mutual leg holds. Dawn hit a meteora from the top rope, which drove the champion into a pile of chairs neck-first. Satomura narrowly kicked out from the subsequent cover.
Dawn set up two chairs and went for a half-nelson suplex through them, but Satomura blocked it and hit a Death Valley Driver on a chair, followed by a chair-assisted Scorpio Rising for the pin and successful title defense.
Final Thoughts —
The main event was a fun, creative street fight with a few original spots I’ve never seen done like this. This was probably Isla Dawn’s best match thus far. The rules sounded campy, but the dark atmosphere actually added to the match and things made sense within the context of it, unlike past “Bray Wyatt Red Light District” fiascos.
Tiger Turan, who will turn out to be Amir Jordan, looked good, as did Damon Kemp, who incorporates his amateur background well into his style. Them not acknowledging his family connections is beyond stupid, though.
Lash Legend does nothing for me as a character. The Supernova Sessions segment moving from a set to the ring detracted from it, as did the interaction between Dar, Samuels, and Legend feeling fake and forced. I also hate the NXT 2.0 rookies being portrayed as being bigger stars than the established and far better talent on the UK brand, but I guess it is what it is.
Next Week (NXT UK #200) —
Loser Leaves NXT UK match: NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov defends against Jordan Devlin
Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter vs. Mark & Joe Coffey (winning team advances to future triple threat match for the NXT UK Tag Team titles)
WWE has revealed when Meiko Satomura and Ilja Dragunov’s next title defenses will be taking place.
On the NXT UK episode that airs in two weeks (Thursday, May 5), Satomura will put her NXT UK Women’s Championship on the line against Isla Dawn in the first-ever “World of Darkness” match.
Dawn challenged Satomura to the match after stealing possession of Satomura’s title belt. Dawn said the match will be held under her own “chaotic” rules.
WWE has also announced that Dragunov will defend his NXT United Kingdom Championship against Jordan Devlin on the Thursday, May 12 edition of NXT UK. That will be the 200th episode of NXT UK since the show launched in 2018.
A contract signing for Dragunov vs. Devlin will take place on NXT UK next Thursday.
Satomura vs. Dawn and Dragunov vs. Devlin are both rematches. Satomura retained against Dawn on NXT UK last month, but Dawn took the NXT UK Women’s title belt from the referee after the match and left through the crowd.
Satomura regained possession of the title belt last week when she agreed to give Dawn a rematch. Dawn spit black mist into Satomura’s face after she gave the belt back.
Dragunov defeated Devlin in an empty arena match this January to retain the NXT UK Championship. Devlin confronted Dragunov on NXT UK last week and said that Dragunov wouldn’t be able to beat him without the weapons that Dragunov was able to use in the empty arena match.
Die Familie (Charlie Dempsey & Rohan Raja) beat A-Kid & Saxon Huxley (08:25)
A-Kid and Dempsey started out and picked up where they left off in their last singles match. Both tagged out and Huxley slammed Raja to start things off but missed an elbow drop.
Dempsey and A-Kid met again with Dempsey gaining the upper hand. Raja and Dempsey worked over A-Kid in their corner and quickly tagged in and out to prevent A-Kid from tagging in Huxley.
A-Kid finally hit a dropkick on Dempsey in the corner, then evaded Raja to get Huxley back in the match. Huxley ran wild, then scored a near fall with a Thesz Press on Dempsey.
Dempsey got on a double wristlock before both tagged out again. A-Kid dropped Raja with a German suplex before double-teaming Raja with his new partner. As they looked to put Raja away, Teoman pulled A-Kid off the top rope, then shoved him into the stairs, allowing Raja to hit Seek and Destroy on Huxley for the pinfall victory.
**********
Amale was talking about tonight’s main event; Xia Brookside interrupted her and asked her for a rematch; Amale said she’d see what she could do. Xia was excited, then called her daddy and told him it was time.
**********
Wild Boar pinned T-Bone (04:38)
Boar came through the crowd and attacked all three members of Symbiosis before the match.
T-Bone briefly dominated, but Boar came back and ran wild. A distraction by Primate allowed T-Bone to take over at ringside. T-Bone attacked Boar’s previously injured knee, then got a near fall off a vertical suplex.
Boar eventually came back with a spear into the corner and a DDT for the win.
After the match, Boar chased Dennis backstage.
**********
Ilja Dragunov accepted Roderick’s Strong title challenge. He said they both knew that diamonds were made under pressure but he was a diamond that would not crack. They will meet in two weeks
Kenny Williams didn’t want to talk to the camera. He found his car tampered with and missing a tire. He said when he found out who had done this, they would pay.
**********
Jordan Devlin beat Danny Jones (4:45)
Devlin manhandled the larger Jones and beat him down with strikes and kicks. He took Jones down with a vicious knee off both men running at each other.
Devlin taunted Jones, who briefly got on offense and even scored two near falls.
Devlin hit a spinning cutter from the apron, then hit a brainbuster for the pin.
After the match, Devlin claimed he was way ahead of the roster.
**********
Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter talked about Smith’s upcoming match with Trent Seven. Smith vowed he would beat Seven and had scouted him well. Seven did some zen training with Tyler Bate and said he’d do whatever he needed to win. The match takes place next week.
Mark Coffey and Noam Dar talked about their Heritage Cup match next week. Dar beat the other two members of Gallus already and didn’t take Mark seriously. Mark vowed to win.
**********
NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura (c) defeated Isla Dawn to retain the title (08:04)
Dawn pushed Meiko’s face away and received forearms and leg kicks for an answer. She then quickly tied up and choked Satomura in the ropes. The champ came back with a number of kicks, leading to a near fall.
Dawn dominated an exchange at ringside, then scored a two count of her own. She followed with a chinlock but Meiko eventually escaped. Dawn kept the pressure up with more kicks and a double knee press.
Meiko came back with more strikes and a backdrop driver that almost won her the match. She followed with a frog splash, but Dawn got her knees up. Dawn followed with a fisherman’s suplex, but Meiko narrowly kicked out.
Dawn missed a top rope kick, then got hit with a Pele kick and dropped with a Death Valley Driver for another super close near fall. Isla got hit with a DDT, but evaded a handspring kneedrop.
Isla had Meiko on her shoulders, but the champion escaped and used a unique pinning combination to win the match.
After the match, Dawn stole the title belt and was being creepy with it.
Final Thoughts —
A fun show with nothing really standing out as spectacular.
The main event was good in the latter stages and the opener was good for brief periods when A-Kid and Dempsey were in with each other.
The Devlin match was a glorified squash and Wild Boar’s return match felt more like an angle to build up more matches with Symbiosis.
Next week —
NXT UK Heritage Cup: Noam Dar (c) vs. Mark Coffey
Trent Seven vs. Ashton Smith
Amale vs. Xia Brookside
In two weeks —
NXT UK Championship: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Roderick Strong
As always, this week’s show was taped at BT Sports Studios in London, England.
Pretty Deadly defeated Sam Gradwell and Saxon Huxley (9:22)
Before the match, they aired a funny video of Gradwell searching for tag team partners throughout the week. This included tweeting Steve Austin, Elon Musk and asking Nathan Frazer, A-Kid, and a person working at a fast food drive-in.
He also encountered Kenny Williams backstage, but chewed him out, grabbed him by the ear and told him to remember where a cockroach’s place on the food chain was. In the end, Huxley was his surprise partner.
Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley) worked over Gradwell until he grabbed Stoker by the ear and slapped him before tagging in Huxley. Huxley hit a big running elbow and a crossbody into the ropes on Stoker before Howley tagged in.
Later, Pretty Deadly used some tag team magic to regain control and then slingshot suplexed Huxley on the top rope. Gradwell took back over, but suddenly Williams appeared and balanced on the ringside barriers which distracted Huxley.
Williams attacked Huxley behind the referee’s back and stomped him. With Huxley incapacitated, Pretty Deadly hit Spilled Milk on Gradwell for the pinfall victory.
— Jinny cut a promo on Amale, pointing out that their lives were similar (children of immigrants, successful out of WWE, college degrees), but unlike Amale, she doesn’t exploit her past. She said the fans pity Amale every time she comes out and if Amale steps into the ring with the “queen of NXT UK,” she would lose every time.
— A video package detailed the ongoing feud between Gallus and Die Familie with both factions cutting promos on each other. Metehan said they would be successful in their war. They collide in a trios match next week.
— Blair Davenport walked through an estate and said she came from a long line of Davenports and ever since she was a child, she was taught that Davenports only care about Davenports. People could hate her all they wanted as long as they feared her. She said she was fire and fury, the rightful heir to the NXT UK Women’s championship, and enemies of the heir should beware.
Isla Dawn defeated Emilia McKenzie (5:30)
They showed a clip before the match of Isla Dawn stealing McKenzie’s watch and putting it in her box of trinkets last summer. Earlier this week, McKenzie demanded it back backstage.
McKenzie took Dawn to the mat with a waistlock takedown and then worked her over with submissions on the mat. Dawn eventually came back with a backdrop driver.
McKenzie thwarted a superplex attempt and hit her own top rope sunset flip off the top for a near fall. She followed with a belly to back suplex and spear for another near fall. A shotgun dropkick sent Dawn to the outside and McKenzie followed with a dive through the ropes.
McKenzie missed a crossbody off the top. Dawn then hit a fireman’s carry into a side slam for the win. McKenzie’s nose was busted open from something in the match.
After the match, Dawn prayed to her box and returned McKenzie’s watch so Emilia is probably cursed now. This is still creepier than Alexa Bliss and her doll.
— Amale cut a promo, saying Jinny misunderstood her. Her story was about representation and unlike Jinny, she hasn’t forgotten where she came from. For someone who graduated college, Jinny didn’t sound very smart. She said she was Amale, she was hope, and that hope never dies.
— There was a tremendous video package supercut of previous Ilja Dragunov vs. Jordan Devlin promos. There was some new material where Devlin mused about a level playing field and then came up with an empty arena match for next week because he wanted Dragunov with “nobody in his corner.” Dragunov accepted. This should be a great match, but in the COVID era, empty arena matches are not the most desirable.
NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar (w/ Sha Samuels) vs. A-Kid went to a draw (19:00)
Last week, “bookie” Samuels had put money on Dar winning the match in round four.
Round 1:
They started with a test of strength and some mat wrestling. A-Kid attempted some submission holds and Dar got a brief two count in. He tried striking A-Kid just as the round ended.
Round 2:
A-Kid locked on a cravat, but Dar eventually escaped. A-Kid turned a chinlock into a pinning combination and scored a close near fall. Dar set A-Kid up on the top rope and went for a running knee strike, but missed and tumbled to ringside just as the round was ending. A-Kid gave him the double bird salute.
Round 3:
Dar went for a draping DDT, but the referee stopped him from hitting it, so he kicked A-Kid flush in the face. Dar hit more kicks and set up for the Nova Roller, but A-Kid caught him with a kick. Dar hit a kick of his own, then hit the Nova Roller to take the first fall in 1:36 of the round.
Round 4:
A-Kid quickly rolled into a flying armbar, transitioning to the omoplata. Dar got a rollup and held the tights, but A-Kid still kicked out. Dar tried another pin with his feet on the ropes but the referee caught him. A-Kid rolled him up, but only got a two count.
A-Kid hit a dive after Dar rolled to ringside, but missed and crashed. Samuels then rolled Dar back into the ring and A-Kid narrowly made it back in a nine. Dar scored another near fall. A-Kid went for a springboard move and Samuels tried attacking him as he was on the top rope. He hit a backflip into a DDT off the top and managed to score a fall at 2:35 of the round, tying this up at one fall apiece.
Samuels was livid that he had lost money on the match after the round ended.
Round 5:
A-Kid hit a superplex off the top early in the round for another two count. Dar got the ankle lock and both transitioned into various submission holds on each other with pinning attempts interspersed. A-Kid hit a running knee seconds before the round ended, but had no time to finish a pinfall attempt.
Round 6:
They traded strikes and then traded pinning combinations. Samuels held onto Dar’s legs on an O’Connor roll attempt, so A-Kid took him out with a dive. Dar reached the ropes on a kneebar by A-Kid. Dar scored another close two count off a spinning back elbow. A-Kid hit a flying superkick, but Dar kicked out of the cover that followed. A-Kid locked in the omoplata with ten seconds left, but Dar was saved by the bell, ending this match in a 1-1 draw.
Dar and Samuels celebrated as A-Kid looked distraught.
Final Thoughts:
This was a fun show with a great main event. A-Kid and Dar are among the best workers in WWE right now, but are flying under the radar of most.
The tag match was the first step back for Pretty Deadly on their way of redemption to reclaim the tag titles. The women’s match was mostly just there and was more of a backdrop for Dawn’s mysterious box of stolen/cursed items.
Next week:
NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov vs. Jordan Devlin in an empty arena title match
The show opened with a preview of the women’s number one contender’s gauntlet match. Nigel McGuinness stated that Xia Brookside had been injured when she was attacked by Amale last week and Sid Scala was searching for a replacement.
Heritage Cup rules match: Noam Dar defeated Nathan Frazer 2:1 in round five (12:25)
Round One —
They traded holds and mat-wrestled for most of the round. Dar slapped Frazer after the round ended.
Round Two —
After some back and forth and a long backslide spot, Frazer got the first fall with a small package at 0:58 of the round. Frazer took the lead 1-0.
Round Three —
Frazer hit a great dropkick and a running Shooting Star Press as Sha Samuels sauntered down to ringside and kicked Dar’s corner man out of the arena. Dar had the upper hand for most of the round after kicking Frazer from the turnbuckles. Frazer was on the top rope ready to hit a move when the time expired.
Round Four —
Frazer missed a top rope foot stomp early on, then nearly got pinned after an elbow strike. Frazer got a near fall by evading the Nova Roller. Dar applied an ankle lock and Frazer tapped at 1:13 of the round. Dar tied things up at 1-1.
Round Five —
They traded quick pinning attempts early on. Frazer was on the apron and managed to kick off Samuels, who grabbed his leg. Frazer missed a springboard senton and fell victim to the Nova Roller at 0:50 of the round, giving Dar the win 2-1.
Samuels and Dar teased Frazer after the match.
– The clip from last week that set up a future Rampage Brown vs. Wolfgang match aired.
– A video recapped Pretty Deadly winning the NXT UK Tag Team titles. Pretty Deadly said they’ll be on top for a very long time.
– Trent Seven talked to Jack Starz at the UK Performance Center. Sam Gradwell walked up and berated Seven, calling him over the hill and saying he could see through Seven’s “concerned dad act.” Seven decked Gradwell and they were pulled apart, with Gradwell repeatedly calling him an idiot and a stupid man.
Mark Andrews pinned Levi Muir (4:32)
Andrews had new music and gear. The screen also turns black and white and has “Subculture” scrolling at the border of the screen during his entrance. Andrews came out with his Subculture stablemates Dani Luna and Flash Morgan Webster, but they left ringside after the entrance.
Muir used his power early, but Andrews overwhelmed him with speed and hit a standing moonsault. They went back and forth, with Muir getting Andrews in a Torture Rack and hitting a rope-assisted suplex. Andrews hit Stun Dog Millionaire off another suplex attempt, then hit a dive through the ropes. He followed with a top rope Shooting Star Press to the back of a kneeling Muir for the pinfall victory.
– Sid Scala was asked about Xia Brookside’s replacement for tonight. Amale walked up and demanded to be in the match, but Scala said she would not be rewarded for her actions. Scala said Amale would face Brookside once she returns. Amale flipped her lid and berated Scala in French, then stormed off. Scala’s facials here were every bit of William Regal back in the day.
– A video recapped Kenny Williams defeating Amir Jordan in their Loser Leaves NXT UK match last week. They focused on Jordan crying after the match but showed more of what happened backstage with Jordan breaking down and being helped out of the arena
– A graphic plugged A-Kid and Tyler Bate’s Heritage Cup Championship match for next week. A-Kid and Bate then had a sit-down interview with Sid Scala.
A-Kid said winning the Heritage Cup showed him he was in control of his life. Bate said the Heritage Cup represented the hold-for-hold British style and was made for him, but A-Kid smiled and said it was his. Bate said it was A-Kid’s for now.
A-Kid said he beat Bate the last time they faced off for the Heritage Cup. Bate replied that A-Kid did, but he seems too sure of himself and this will be where he fails. Bate said A-Kid may be the master of the Heritage Cup rules, but Bate has the experience edge and has big matches under his belt.
A-Kid said he always looked up to Bate and watched at home when Bate won the NXT United Kingdom Championship. A-Kid said Bate was chasing him now, but Bate smiled and asked A-Kid if that was what he believed. He said A-Kid couldn’t see the bigger picture and that Bate was in his own league. They shook hands as Scala told them that may the best man win. This was a great segment.
– Ilja Dragunov will be the guest on Noam Dar’s Supernova Sessions next week.
Number one contender’s gauntlet match: Meiko Satomura won the match over Emilia McKenzie, Dani Luna, Isla Dawn, and Jinny (16:34)
They did not announce who the fifth woman would be before the match.
Dawn and McKenzie started out. Dawn was in control early, but McKenzie came back and hit a spear for a near fall around the three-minute mark. Dawn pinned McKenzie after a bridging Saito suplex at 3:30.
Luna was in next and hit a deadlift suplex on Dawn. Luna hit an exploder and some other offense but crashed into the corner post and got rolled up around 5:30.
Satomura was the surprise replacement for Brookside. Dawn immediately attacked her and they briefly fought at ringside. Satomura came back and started dismantling Dawn. Satomura missed a handspring attack and Dawn kicked her leg and head. Dawn hit two Saito suplexes and got a near fall off a double knee attack. Satomura got an armbar and transitioned into a pinning combination to pin Dawn around 9:45
Jinny (with Joseph Conners) was in as the final participant. She attacked Satomura right away and they went back and forth for a few minutes. They traded submissions and Jinny hit a nice suplex from a seated position to escape. Satomura locked in an STF, but Jinny made the ropes. Satomura had Jinny on her shoulders when Conners got on the apron, but he caught a kick for his trouble. Satomura then pinned Jinny with Scorpion Rising to win the gauntlet.
NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray walked out after the match and got in the ring, posing with her championship. She bowed to Satomura but laid her out with a superkick when Satomura bowed back. KLR screamed at Satomura and posed with the belt as the show faded to black.
Final Thoughts —
Another strong show. Nathan Frazer vs. Noam Dar was very good and fast paced. Dar getting the win tells a nice story of the veteran being able to beat the upstart rookie.
The match with Mark Andrews was mostly there to show off his tweaked gimmick I guess. The sit-down with A-Kid and Bate was fantastic and told a great story of the (maybe a bit too) confident young champion and the calm veteran, who may be a step ahead of him mentally.
The gauntlet match was fine but felt a bit rushed at times. KLR vs. Meiko Satomura will be good, but we already got the match a couple of months ago and I’m not sure where this will lead, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt. I thought they’d be putting McKenzie over stronger, but maybe they have a longer redemption storyline planned for her and she may eventually face her mentor Satomura for the title if Satomura wins it from KLR.
Next Week —
Heritage Cup Champion A-Kid defends against Tyler Bate
A new match has been added to the lineup for NXT UK: Prelude.
WWE has announced that NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray will team with Isla Dawn against Meiko Satomura & Emilia McKenzie at NXT UK: Prelude next Thursday (April 8). Emilia McKenzie is Millie McKenzie’s new in-ring name in WWE.
During a segment on this week’s NXT UK episode, KLR addressed defeating Satomura last month to retain the NXT UK Women’s Championship. McKenzie then made her debut as a member of the NXT UK roster by interrupting KLR. McKenzie said she’s here because she wants to defeat the best. McKenzie warned KLR that their paths will cross soon.
KLR told McKenzie that she doesn’t see why their paths can’t cross right now. McKenzie went to go face-to-face with KLR but was attacked by Dawn. After Satomura ran out to make the save, she and McKenzie fought off KLR and Dawn.
NXT UK authority figure Sid Scala then informed KLR & Dawn backstage that they’ll be facing Satomura & McKenzie in tag team action next week.
It was reported this February that McKenzie had signed with WWE and would be joining NXT UK. She previously wrestled for NXT UK three times in 2018, including having two televised matches.
NXT UK: Prelude will stream on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network everywhere else at 3 p.m. EST/ 8 p.m. BST next Thursday. Here’s the updated card for the show:
NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER defends against Rampage Brown
Heritage Cup rules match: Tyler Bate (w/ Trent Seven) vs. Noam Dar (w/ Sha Samuels) (winner becomes the number one contender to A-Kid’s Heritage Cup Championship)
NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray & Isla Dawn vs. Meiko Satomura & Emilia McKenzie
We’ll hear from Heritage Cup Champion A-Kid, NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin, and Ilja Dragunov
Jordan Devlin successfully defended his NXT Cruiserweight championship against Oliver Carter in week 1 of his open challenge series
Noam Dar debuted his Supernova 11 Series talk show; his guests were NXT UK Heritage Cup winner A-Kid and, unexpectedly, a returning Tyler Bate. Dar stirred things up and they ended up agreeing to a Heritage Cup match later tonight
Eddie Dennis and The Hunt pressured Sid Scala into a tag team title match for next week
Isla Dawn beat Xia Brookside after Nina Samuels distracted Xia from the big screen
Saxon Huxley attacked Jack Starz and Levi Muir af the UK Performance Center
A-Kid successfully defended his Heritage Cup championship against Tyler Bate, winning 2-1; Bate scored the first fall with a rollup, A-Kid scored the second fall from a moonsault implant DDT and then turned over a jackknife cover in round 6 for the final pin
Report —
The show opened with Jordan Devlin in the ring as he welcomed us to NXT UK, the show with the real NXT Cruiserweight champion. He kicked off week 1 of the Jordan Devlin’s Cruiserweight Championship Open Challenge. He said every time you saw Jordan Devlin in the ring, the championship was on the line.
Backstage, Ashton Smith was pumping up Oliver Carter and told him to go out there and win for Switzerland (his native country) and Ghana (the country he has his roots in). They came out together but Smith went to the back before the match.
NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Jordan Devlin pinned Oliver Carter to retain the title (06:30)
Devlin beat Carter down, but the challenger came back, showing his athletic prowess with a back flip kick into the corner and arm drags.
Devlin caught Carter’s foot and he went to back flip, but Carter bounced into the ropes and landed right on his neck, which either was a brutal accident or an intricately planned spot. He sold the neck the rest of the match and Devlin worked it over.
Carter came back and even hit a hurricanrana on Devlin, who was on the top rope. Carter hit a uranage, but once more sold his neck and couldn’t follow up on it. He hit an enzuigiri into the corner, but Devlin hit a poison rana, which once more spiked Carter on the neck.
Devlin followed up with Devlinside for the pinfall victory.
**********
Jinny was interviewed at the UK Performance Center. She was asked about Piper Niven and said that she would deal with Niven on her own time and Niven would not see her coming. But for now, she does not concern herself with Niven and said she tamed wild animals in the past and would do so again.
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Supernova 11 Sessions
Noam Dar hosted the first episode of his new talk segment. The setup was a lounge, complete with a couch and snacks. Dar put himself over, then introduced his guest, the first-ever NXT UK Heritage Cup champion, A-Kid. Dar laid on the couch while A-Kid had to sit on a folding chair.
Dar greeted A-Kid in French, then asked if he spoke English in Spanish. A-Kid said that Dar knew full well he spoke English and in fact, he may speak it better than Dar himself.
A-Kid said after beating Dar in the tournament, he was happy to be here. Dar said he was looking to clear up the misconception that they were rivals and that when A-Kid came to NXT UK, Dar took him under his wing, nurtured him and became his mentor and sensei. A-Kid looked like this was news to him.
Dar even gave him a new name and said after winning the Heritage Cup, he was no longer A-Kid but A-Man. A-Kid told him to stop, that he was in fact not his mentor, sensei or friend. He said a lot of people helped him out, but Dar was not one of them. A-Kid said that no one helped him more than Tyler Bate. Dar ran down Bate and called him a has-been, asking who he ever beat.
At that point, Bate’s music played and he made his return to NXT UK after more than 9 months. Dar played all nice and clapped, but Bate blew him off and congratulated A-Kid on winning the Heritage Cup. He said he wished he could have been in the tournament and Dar immediately picked up on it, asking if what Bate meant to say was that he would have beaten A-Kid. Bate said that’s not what he said and not to put words in his mouth.
Dar said they should have the match tonight and he even would go to Johnny Saint to request it, so that they could find out who was the student and who was the master. Bate and A-Kid agreed to have the match and shook hands on it.
**********
Eddie Dennis and The Hunt walked into Sid Scala’s office. The Hunt positioned themselves on either side of Scala and growled at him menacingly, then began to throw things off his desk.
Dennis asked about who were the previous tag team champions (Mark Andrews & Fash Morgan Webster) and who beat them last week (The Hunt). He demanded that the Hunt get a title match against Gallus.
Scala, clearly scared, stammered that he had to talk to Johnny Saint about that. Dennis told him to go and do that, then snapped his fingers and left with The Hunt.
**********
A graphic announced the A-Kid vs. Tyler Bate Heritage Cup match for tonight’s main event
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Isla Dawn pinned Xia Brookside (05:24)
Both women were more aggressive than in the past and had a back and forth match.
They brawled on the outside after a dive by Brookside when a stagehand set down a number of bags and suitcases by the ringside area. Nina Samuels appeared on the screen and told Xia (who beat her a few weeks ago) that “Brooksides are only good for carrying my bags.”
This distracted Xia, who walked right into a head kick by Isla. Dawn followed with a Saito suplex for the win.
**********
Sid Scala was being interviewed about how things were going at the NXT UK Performance Center when Saxon Huxley came crashing out of a room, screaming “Better luck next time!” and smashing some trash cans.
Scala and the camera ran into the room, where Levi Muir and Jack Starz where on the floor after having been attacked by Huxley. They had told Huxley after his last match week that he may have “better luck next time.”
**********
A graphic announced Gallus defending the NXT UK Tag Team Championships against The Hunt for next week.
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A quick reminder about the Heritage Cup rules:
All matches consist of six three-minute rounds with 20-second breaks between each round.
All matches are 2 out of 3 falls.
Falls can be won by pinfall, submission, or countout.
Once a fall occurs, the round ends.
The match ends once a wrestler has won two falls.
In the event of a disqualification or knockout, the match instantly ends without the need for two falls.
If all six rounds are completed, whoever is ahead on falls wins the match.
If there is a draw on falls, the match continues under sudden death rules with no time limit.
NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship: A-Kid beat Tyler Bate two falls to one to retain the Cup (16:56)
Bate looked phenomenal and in even better shape then before his pandemic induced break from the ring.
Round 1
The stared out with mat work and traded holds and counters for most of the round. They were locked in a knuckle lock as the round ended.
Round 2
They traded straightjacket holds for half of the round, A-Kid then transitioned into some BJJ in the final minute. luring Bate into his guard. They grappled some more as the round drew to a close.
Round 3
Bate went for an airplane spin early, but A-Kid escaped and hit a snap German. They traded more counters and Bate eventually rolled up A-Kid with an O’Connor roll for the pin at 1:47. (Bate 1-0)
Round 4
A-Kid was more aggressive now and had Bate locked in a triangle, which Bate power-bombed out of right as the round ended.
Round 5
A-Kid hit a springboard moonsault on DDT on Bate to score a pinfall in 1:00 of the round (Tied 1-1)
Round 6
They traded strikes and kicks early. Bate threw A-Kid through the ropes but held on to his leg, then went for a deadlift vertical suplex but A-Kid escaped. Bate went for his springboard lariat but A-Kid caught him and turned it into an armbar and went for a Jim Breaks Special, but Bate eventually escaped. Bate went for a jackknife pin, but A-Kid flipped him over and scored the deciding fall at 2:04 of the round. (A-Kid 2-1)
**********
Bate shook A-Kid’s hand after the match and raised his hand.
**********
Next week —
Gallus defend the NXT UK tag team championship against The Hunt.
This was top-to-bottom probably one of the best episodes of NXT UK. They picked four great matches from the past 12 months for this Hidden Gems-style special episode. The main event of Ilja Dragunov vs. A-Kid was particularly great and you should go out of your way to watch it.
Toni Storm pinned Deonna Purrazzo after hitting Storm Zero in a fun, hard-hitting match that saw Purrazzo dominate. Great things will be in her future, and any company should look to pick her up once things get back to normal.
Matt Riddle pinned Ligero after a top rope Broton in another hard-hitting match that showed off the strengths of both men.
Shayna Baszler defeated Isla Dawn by submission with the Kirifuda Clutch in a fun battle that showed off what a destroyer Baszler is, with Dawn getting a few hope spots in.
Ilja Dragunov pinned A-Kid after hitting Torpedo Moscow in one of the best matches in the brand’s history. It would have fit right in on any TakeOver special or any NJPW show of the past few years. This was an athletic strong-style battle with a lot of drama and great crowd reactions. Both men are great and A-Kid will hopefully be able to show off his talent on a national stage at some point. Both of these men should be regulars on NXT at least.
Full rundown —
After a few weeks of highlight/best-of shows, we were back with some original content this week. Tom Phillips opened the show, announcing that him and Andy Shepherd would present four previously unaired matches, which had been filmed at various tapings.
Toni Storm pinned Deonna Purrazzo after hitting Storm Zero (11:14)
This match was taped on June 14, 2019 at Download Festival. Storm was NXT UK Women’s Champion at the time and retained her title. They only showed quick highlights of the entrances and the match started right away.
The announcers talked about both women being in the Mae Young Classic in 2018, which Storm won. Purrazzo had the early advantage and worked over Storm’s arm, but the champ quickly came back with some wristlocks of her own.
They went back and forth on the mat, with Purrazzo escaping a headscissors via headstand and then gesturing to Storm to bring it. Storm found herself in the same predicament Purrazzo was in, but instead of a headstand, she just backtracked her way out of the hold.
Purrazzo slapped Storm’s hand away as she went for a handshake, but Storm hit a number of European uppercuts and then locked in a single-leg Boston crab. Purrazzo quickly grabbed the ropes to escape, but she got booted down by Storm for a two count seconds later.
Purrazzo worked over Storm’s shoulder and upper arm, including stomping away at them in the corner. Purrazzo locked in a combined leg-and-neck lock, then kept at it with strikes and clotheslines. Purrazzo stomped on Storm’s elbow and scored another near fall.
Storm came back with a headbutt and some strikes, but she got caught with a flatliner. Purrazzo then immediately locked in a Koji clutch. Storm escaped and the two women once more traded strikes as the crowd went yay-boo.
Storm countered a whip-in into three consecutive German suplexes, then went for Storm Zero, but couldn’t lock it in due to her injured arm. Purrazzo came back with another attack and another near fall. Storm whipped her into the ropes and stopped her in her tracks with a stiff headbutt to the shoulder, but the subsequent cover only netted a two count for the champion.
Purrazzo locked in an armbar, then transitioned into a Rings of Saturn that had Storm in big trouble, especially when Purrazzo also hooked one of Storm’s legs. Storm finally made the bottom rope, but was down on the mat in pain.
Purrazzo hit a number of chops — until Storm followed her into the ropes, hit a clothesline, and finally hit Storm Zero for the pinfall victory.
Matt Riddle pinned Ligero after a top rope Broton (8:29)
This match was taped on July 20, 2019 in Plymouth, England.
Ligero wore elaborate shoulder pads that matched his mask. They fist-bumped to start the match and Riddle immediately hit a beautiful one-armed takedown slam, then played to the crowd. Riddle followed with a headlock takeover, which Ligero countered into a headscissors. Riddle escaped and went for a soccer kick, but Ligero ducked and rolled Riddle up, then locked in a side headlock of his own. Riddle powered out and hit a German suplex to escape. He then missed a head kick and Ligero hit a hurricanrana to take Riddle down.
Riddle hit two rolling gutwrench suplexes to score a two count, then kicked Ligero in the head and the face. Riddle worked Ligero over in the corner, hit an exploder, and followed with the Broton and another kick. Riddle hit an extended vertical suplex into a Jackhammer for another two count, which prompted “Goldberg” chants from the crowd.
Riddle hit another Broton and then went to the top rope for the Floating Bro, but Ligero jumped up and hit a top rope German that saw Riddle land on his shoulder. Ligero took him down with a combination, but Riddle ducked an enzuigiri and went for a deadlift German, which Ligero moonsaulted out of. They ended up at ringside and Ligero did a headstand on the apron, then sent Riddle flying with spinning headscissors.
Back in the ring, Ligero scored another two count, after which he hit some creative offense to dominate Riddle. He hit a splash from the top and middle ropes for another two count, prompting the crowd to chant “This is awesome.”
Riddle ducked a kick by Ligero and picked him up for a powerbomb, then hit Bro Derek and a top rope Broton for the win.
Shayna Baszler defeated Isla Dawn by submission with the Kirifuda Clutch (8:39)
This match was taped on June 15, 2019 at Download Festival. Like with the Storm match, Baszler was NXT Women’s Champion at the time and retained her title.
They locked up and Baszler backed Dawn into the corner, then kicked her leg away on the break. Dawn then backed Baszler in the corner and broke clean, but Baszler turned her around and kicked her legs away again.
Dawn scored a number of near falls, including after a float-over suplex, after which Baszler scurried to ringside. Dawn missed a baseball slide to the outside and ended up getting thrown into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Baszler hit a kick to the back, then stomped on Dawn’s left elbow and locked in a double wristlock.
Dawn used a surprise roll-up, but quickly found herself at the receiving end of Baszler dealing out punishment again. Baszler kept working over the arm for a few minutes with attacks and submission holds.
Dawn pulled down the top rope as Baszler came charging and sent her to the outside, then took over the match with a back suplex. But she fell victim to Baszler once more, with Baszler picking her up for a gutwrench suplex and then unceremoniously dropping her on her arm.
Dawn hit a beautiful head kick, but Baszler stopped her momentum with a forward-roll kick, a knee to the face, and finally locked in the Kirifuda Clutch for the submission victory.
– Tom Phillips talked about the last match and how you never know what you may see in NXT UK, as some title holders may come in to defend their championships. He then transitioned to Andy Shepherd for a video chat with the new number one contender to the NXT UK Championship, Ilja Dragunov.
Shepherd asked Dragunov how he kept himself prepared and Dragunov quoted one of his mentors, who once told him “How do you not get tired of working? You just don’t stop working.” Dragunov said he does not need to prepare — he was born prepared.
Shepherd asked why Dragunov thought he could beat WALTER, which no one else in NXT UK has done before. Dragunov brought up Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, and Joe Coffey as men who had succumbed to WALTER, but Dragunov said he has the will to beat WALTER.
Dragunov said you have to be willing to suffer through the pain — but he eats pain. He said you have to be willing to fight so intense — but he is intensity. Dragunov said WALTER will make a mistake and he will capitalize on it. Dragunov also promised that this match will redefine violence.
– Next week, NXT UK will take a look at the Rise of Imperium.
Ilja Dragunov pinned A-Kid after hitting Torpedo Moscow (13:14)
This match was filmed during the most recent set of NXT UK tapings on March 6, 2020 in Coventry, England.
They locked up and A-Kid ended up on the middle turnbuckle, but nothing came of it. He took Dragunov down and rolled into a cover, but the Mad Russian easily kicked out.
They ended up trading submissions on the mat, with A-Kid getting the better of the exchange. A-Kid applied a bow-and-arrow submission, various arm locks, and a tight neck vice. Dragunov locked in a side headlock but got taken down with a high-angle arm drag by A-Kid, who transitioned into an armbar and then a quick roll-up.
Dragunov applied an overhead wristlock that had A-Kid on his back, but he bridged out and flipped over into another neck vice. They had a standoff with Dragunov telling him to bring it. A-Kid grabbed Dragunov’s fingers, but Dragunov hit a hard chop and a senton, then hit a cartwheel into a crossbody.
A-Kid ended up on the outside. Dragunov hit an enzuigiri as he went to enter back into the ring, then hit an overhead karate chop from the top rope to the outside. Back inside, A-Kid thwarted a top rope senton and then hit a German suplex.
A-Kid hit an overhead Northern Lights suplex, then flipped over backwards into an armbar. Dragunov picked him up for a powerbomb and they both plunged into the top rope. A-Kid hit a top rope crossbody for another two count.
Dragunov picked A-Kid up, then clobbered him with a stiff lariat. Dragunov hit a Konstantin Special that almost took A-Kid’s head off and saw him land right on the back of his neck. A-Kid hit a Pele kick to Dragunov’s arm, but Dragunov came back with a single-leg dropkick and a high-angle German for another close two count.
A-Kid stopped Dragunov’s chops with a wristlock, then tried going for an ankle lock, after which both men traded some stiff kicks to the head. A-Kid stopped Dragunov on the top rope with a running enzuigiri, then hit a top rope Spanish Fly and a leg lariat for a 2.9 count.
A-Kid was pumped up in the corner, but charged right into an amazing twisting spinebuster, followed by a top rope senton. Dragunov then hit Torpedo Moscow for the win. This was a tremendous match — one of the best in the brand’s history.
Dragunov shook A-Kid’s hand after the match, then celebrated on the top rope as the show went off the air.
NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool Plus – Episode 25 (taped January 12, 2019 at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, England)
Quick recap:
Just four days after NXT UK TakeOver:Blackpool, a new episode with matches taped before the actual TakeOver event aired on the WWE Network in somewhat of a surprise (it wasn’t announced until today). In the opening match, Ligero beat Saxon Huxley. Isla Dawn could not get revenge on Jinny, as The White Witch lost to the Fashionista. The European Connection of Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel beat Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster in the main event.
Full rundown:
The show opened with a highlight video of Saturday’s NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, culminating with the debut of WALTER who walked to the ring to stare down Pete Dunne, who had just successfully defended his WWE UK Championship against Joe Coffey.
Ligero pinned Saxon Huxley in 5:22 after hitting the C4L
Saxon started with a kick but Ligero quickly started evading him and hit a number of dropkicks and other offense until Juxley caught him off a body press and slammed him down hard. Huxley took over for a while and put on a straight jacket submission after hitting a nice Thesz Press. Ligero eventually staged a comeback, culminating in a beautiful top rope missile dropkick. After a stunner through the ropes, Ligero hit the C4L, his springboard Tornado DDT for the win.
Jinny pinned Isla Dawn in 6:42 after an X-Factor off the second turnbuckle
Jinny started with strikes but Isla quickly hit a gut wrench suplex and double knees for a near fall before progressing into a series of hammerlocks that Jinny had trouble escaping. She eventually escaped to ringside and snapped Isla’s neck on the top rope. After a quick hurricanrana, she locked in an abdominal stretch but Isla managed to hip toss her way out of the move.
Jinny hit a flatliner into the turnbuckle for a near fall and locked in a cobra clutch. Isla came back with a back drop driver then got Jinny into a Gory Especial, which Jinny hit a victory roll attempt out of but ended up on the bottom for a near fall. As Isla went to the top rope, Jinny drop kicked her legs out and hit an X-Factor off the middle rope for the victory.
Nigel and Vic talked about Travis Banks, who was attacked by Jordan Devlin before their match could officially start. Banks then challenged Jordan Devlin for a match next week. The match later was confirmed by NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint.
A graphic plugged the upcoming tag team match.
A clip on the the upcoming NXT UK tapings on February 22 and 23 aired.
The European Connection (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) beat Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews in 9:37 when Aichner pinned Webster after a combined spinning power bomb/flying European uppercut
Aichner and Barthel had new matching gear with their monograms on the front and the flags of the European Union and Germany/Italy respectively on the rear. Aichner and Andrews started out and Aichner quickly demonstrated his power. After some power moves by Aichner, Andrews hit a hurricanrana and dropkick. Barthel and Webster were in next and Webster used his quickness for the advantage but quickly got overpowered by the two bigger men and got rag dolled by Aichner for good measure. Webster eventually managed to hot tag Andrews while Barthel also tagged out. Webster helped Andrews do an assisted 450 for a near fall. The two mainlanders quickly put a stop to Andrews’ tomfoolery and double teamed him mercilessly.
Webster managed to break up a pin that would have meant certain defeat. Andrews managed to hurricanrana Aichner out of the ring and the faces hit stereo somersault dives over the rop to the outside. Back in the ring, Barthel impressively tossed Andrews right into a brain buster by Aichner for another close fall. Andrews managed to come back, slid under both heels and hit a double Pelé kick. Webster was in and this time, Barthel barely saved the match for his team on a pin fall attempt.
Andrews hit Stunt Dog Millionaire on Barthel but as he went for a dive, Aichner trapped his legs and smashed him into the barriers a few times, effectively taking him out of the match. Webster then was easy prey to Aichner and Barthel and they finished him off with a combined spinning power bomb/flying European uppercut.
Next week:
Travis Banks will finally get his hands on Jordan Devlin and a number of other matches from the post-TakeOver tapings will air.
