Gunther is in the midst of the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in WWE history, holding the title for 566 days and counting. He has also climbed the leaderboard to third place all-time for most days as IC champ, trailing only The Miz (592 days as recognized by WWE) and Pedro Morales (617 days recognized by WWE) despite holding the title just once. Morales was a two-time IC champ, while Miz has held the title eight times.
Gunther defeated The Miz to retain the Intercontinental title on Raw on December 18 in his most recent match.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther (Walter Hahn) and former NXT UK wrestler Jinny (Jinny Sandhu) officially got married at a ceremony over the weekend.
The wedding ceremony took place in the United Kingdom at the Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square. On social media, Gunther shared a photo of him and Jinny celebrating the day.
The ceremony comes after Jinny changed her surname to Hahn on social media in 2022. Gunther has also referred to Jinny as his wife in interviews.
In WWE, Gunther is approaching one year as Intercontinental Champion. His title reign currently stands at 325 days.
Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci) were drafted to Raw on night one of the WWE Draft last Friday.
Jinny announced her retirement from in-ring competition this January. Her last match took place for NXT UK in November 2021. During an interview with Ring The Belle this February, Jinny explained how concussion issues led to her decision to step away from the ring:
So when I was injured, this was actually the longest time that I had been out with any injury. During the time of being injured and having the symptoms, I was just like, ‘Wow, this is just taking so long for my body to heal.’ The injury that I actually had, it was a concussion. Unfortunately, I took quite a few blows to the head, and it was the worst one I ever had. Halfway through, I was like, ‘If my body is taking this long to heal, if I get hit again, is it going to take even longer?’ I just had to be smart about it. I love wrestling. I’m a wrestling fan, I always will be. It was a really hard decision because if it wasn’t for that, would I be wrestling still? Yes. But your health is wealth. And as difficult as it is, and as much as I love this business and as much as I was like, ‘maybe I’ll be okay,’ I had to be smart about it and make sure that I look after myself, not just for now, but in the long run as well.
Former NXT UK wrestler Jinny has explained her decision to retire from in-ring competition.
The 35-year-old Jinny announced her retirement last month, stating that she had made the decision to hang up her boots after a long time away due to injury. The announcement came more than a year after her last match.
During an interview with Ring The Belle, Jinny confirmed that a concussion was the injury that caused her to retire. Jinny said she had taken quite a few blows to the head, but this was the worst head injury that she ever had. Her body was taking a long time to heal and she wondered if it would take even longer if she suffered another injury.
So when I was injured, this was actually the longest time that I had been out with any injury. During the time of being injured and having the symptoms, I was just like, ‘Wow, this is just taking so long for my body to heal.’ The injury that I actually had, it was a concussion. Unfortunately, I took quite a few blows to the head, and it was the worst one I ever had. Halfway through, I was like, ‘If my body is taking this long to heal, if I get hit again, is it going to take even longer?’ I just had to be smart about it. I love wrestling. I’m a wrestling fan, I always will be. It was a really hard decision because if it wasn’t for that, would I be wrestling still? Yes. But your health is wealth. And as difficult as it is, and as much as I love this business and as much as I was like, ‘maybe I’ll be okay,’ I had to be smart about it and make sure that I look after myself, not just for now, but in the long run as well.
Though she’s currently healed and cleared to compete, Jinny closed the door on ever returning to the ring for another stint. When asked if she would be interested in coming back for one retirement match, Jinny said her focus is on her health right now but you never know what’s going to happen in the future.
Right now, I don’t know [if she’d consider having a retirement match]. I don’t want to take a chance and then get hurt, but never say never. You never know what’s around the corner. But right now, I just need to focus on my health, even though I’m healed and I’m fine and I’m cleared and everything. Right now I just need to focus on health-wise, but never say never. But would I fully come out of retirement and have like another stint? No. I don’t want to take that chance. And it’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.
When we get into this business, whether you sign with a big company or you work on the Indies, we all know the risks that we take. But we take those risks because we have a dream and we have a passion for wrestling. It happens, but looking back on everything, I had so much fun, I really did. And I’m very, very grateful for everything I’ve come out of wrestling. I met my husband in wrestling. I met some great friends in wrestling. I got to work with some amazing people. And all of those companies like PROGRESS, Eve, RevPro, OTT, and all of that — they gave me opportunities when I was so new and they still believed in me. When I was experimenting with my ring gear, trying to work on the basics in the ring and still training and stuff, they still gave me an opportunity. Yes, it would always be nice to come out of retirement and achieve more, but looking back, I achieved so much and I’m very, very grateful.
Jinny wrestled on the United Kingdom indies before being signed by WWE in 2018. Her character was “The Fashionista” both on the indies and in NXT UK.
Jinny is married to WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther.
Ring The Belle’s full interview with Jinny can be seen below:
Former NXT UK wrestler Jinny is stepping away from the ring.
More than a year removed from her last match, Jinny announced her retirement in a social media post on Saturday. Jinny said that, after being away for a long time due to injury, she’s made the decision to hang up her boots.
“After a long time away due to an injury, I have made the decision to hang up my fashionable boots,” Jinny wrote.
“Thank you for all the memories. I’ll remember that chapter for the rest of my life. Every journey has an end, but in life, every ending is just a new beginning. I’m excited about what’s next.”
Jinny was one of the most prominent women’s wrestlers on the United Kingdom indie scene before signing with WWE in 2018. She held the PROGRESS Wrestling Women’s Championship twice and Revolution Pro Wrestling’s Undisputed British Women’s Championship once. Her character was nicknamed “The Fashionista” both on the indies and in NXT UK.
Jinny last wrestled for NXT UK in November 2021. She’s married to WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther.
The show opened with a video hyping up tonight’s main event between Meiko Satomura and Jinny
Rampage Brown defeated Flash Morgan Webster (07:13)
They showed clips of Webster slapping Wolfgang and Sha Samuels to set up matches in the past and last week’s failed attempt to do the same to Rampage Brown.
Brown threw Webster around early, then caught him mid-air on a leapfrog attempt and took him down hard with a slam. He threw Webster across the ring with a vertical suplex, followed with a gorilla press and a Saito suplex that almost took Webster’s head off.Webster managed to turn a Doctor Bomb into a guillotine , then DDT’s Brown onto his knee. He hit a flying hurricanrana off the top that sent Brown to ringside.
Webster followed with a dive but Brown caught him. He escaped, then hit a second dive into a DDT that sent both men into the barricades. Webster hit a swanton bomb onto a kneeling Brown for a near-fall, then followed with chops and elbows.
Brown finally turned Webster inside out with a lariat, then hit the Doctor Bomb for the win.
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Satomura kneeled with her belt in her hands in deep thought as Emilia McKenzie watched on
A recap video of Pretty Deadly costing Tyler Bate the NXT Heritage Cup against Noam Dar from last week aired.
Tyler Bate was interviewed about his loss last week when Trent Seven ran up. He apologized to Bate and Bate forgave him, after Seven said he needed to hear him say it. Seven then was excited and told Bate he spoke to Johnny Saint and he agreed to slide them into the number one contender triple threat match for the NXT UK Tag Team titles next week, which will now be a four way between Moustache Mountain, Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter, Symbiosis and Jack Starz & Dave Mastiff. Bate said that was cool. Seven appeared way more excited than Bate though.
Sid Scala was interviewed about tonight’s main event when Xia Brookside came into the office. She asked if she could challenge the winner of tonight’s title match between Meiko Satomura and Jinny. Scala said he wasn’t sure how to word it, but her recent matches had not warranted such an opportunity. Brookside was upset and said that this was unfair and Satomura had asked the women’s locker room to step up, which was what she was doing. She then proceeded to call her “daddy” (Robbie Brookside), and complained to him about Scala.
Angel Hayze defeated Isla Dawn by DQ (02:17)
This was Hayze’s NXT UK debut. The 20-year old Scot started wrestling in 2016 and appeared primarily for ICW and Premier British Wrestling (where she also was trained) in her home country. “The Young Lioness” also was the last Scottish School of Wrestling champion before they folded in 2018 and had matches in Pro Wrestling: EVE, British Championship Wrestling and TNT Extreme Wrestling. She is part of the She-Wolves stable with Kasey Owens, Lana Austin, Molly Spartan and Rhio.
Dawn hit a head kick early on, but then was outwitted by the smaller Hayze, who got a roll-up for a two count. Dawn took back over with power moves and kicks in the corner. She hit a backdrop driver that landed Hayze right on her head. She then planted her knee in Hayze’s back while pulling her hair. The referee started counting her out and she wouldn’t release her grip, leading to a disqualification.
Dawn then hit a fireman’s carry into a spinning side slam on Hayze after the match.
**********
Jinny got ready for her match backstage with Joseph Conners
A video aired of A-Kid receiving some media attention in his native Spain, including news clips and interviews. Sam Gradwell watched the footage on his phone and was not impressed, saying he had been to Spain, it had been too hot and his phone got nicked. He said was a real fighter, not A-Kid.
Subculture were backstage, talking to Flash Morgan Webster about his match tonight. He said at one point, there was a moment where he saw doubt in Rampage Brown’s eyes. Stevie Turner then walked up and berated them, saying she was four-dimensional and was always two levels above and two steps ahead of each of them, especially Dani Luna. Luna then got in her face and said she could two-step whatever she wanted, but if she got into the ring with her, Luna would only need three seconds.
**********
Ilja Dragunov in-ring segment
Dragunov said that words cannot express going from being totally destroyed to overcoming what nobody expected him to overcome. This feeling of coming home and giving his son a kiss, an seeing the smile when he realized that his father was a champion now. The feeling of getting rid of all the self-doubts he has as everyone else, but he was right because now weakness is relevant if you put everything you have into your strengths.
He said he was the face of NXT UK and was ready to put the brand on another level. He said whenever he steps into the ring, he fights like his life depends on it, but he needed next-level competitors. He thanked A-Kid and said this was exactly what he was. He pushed him and forced him to give his very best. He said he can’t wait for the next one and he was always hungry. He concluded saying “Long Live the Czar” when Rampage Brown’s music played and he walked out.
Brown said Dragunov was the man right now, he beat WALTER and took A-Kid to his limits, but him and Ilja had some unfinished business and would love to fight him for the title. Ilja said Brown was not the first giant trying to take him down and the last one was bigger, but he respected him and fighting him sounded like a great idea.
He extended his hand and Brown shook it, but then flattened him with stiff lariat. Brown than told him “I don’t need your respect son, I just need your title.” He then posed with the belt over the fallen champion.
**********
Meiko Satomura and Emilia McKenzie were ready to walk to the ring. They passed Jinny and Joseph Conners in the hallway and Jinny called out to Satomura to enjoy her last night of being the final boss. Blair Davenport then walked up and wished both of them luck, but said it didn’t matter who won, because she was back now and was putting all of them on notice.
Teoman and Rohan Raja were at a dinner table. Raja asked what Teoman thought about Gallus and said he was looking forward to their upcoming fight. Teoman said he was too. Rohan said that people called the match family against family and Teoman said that they were family, Gallus was not. Rohan asked about Joe Coffey and Teoman told him not to worry, because “the eye is always watching.”
Nathan Frazer was watching a match from Mark Andrews and said he was one of the best. Subculture then walked in and noticed what he was watching. Andrews was happy and Frazer said he actually wanted to test himself against Andrews some time. Andrews told him they should do it and Frazer was stoked.
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NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura (w/ Emilia McKenzie) defeated Jinny (w/ Joseph Conners) to retain the title (12:42)
Jinny backed her into the ropes, but Meiko ducked a punch and hit a first leg kick, then followed up with more. Jinny eventually took over, working over Satomura’s arm with submission holds and locking in a tight head vice. Satomura eventually escaped and the two women traded strikes and Jinny got a two count with a floatover pin. She went for a Kimura but Meiko escaped and punished Jinny with more kicks, until Jinny hit a dragon screw.
Jinny went for a single leg Boston, but Meiko kicked her off, then took her down and hit a handstand knee drop for a two count. Jinny hit more kicks and started working over Satomura’s legs. Meiko went for a springboard reverse crossbody off the turnbuckles, but Jinny caught her with a strike in mid-air and scored another near fall, then locked in the single leg Boston Crab. Meiko eventually escaped, but was quickly overpowered by more kicks from Jinny.
The champion came back with a striking combination and enzuigiri. She followed with a handspring knee drop on Jinny’s head. She went on the turnbuckles once more, but Jinny kicked her legs out and hit the Makeover off the turnbuckles for another close near fall. She locked in the single leg Boston crab once more, but Satomura inched her way to the ropes.
Jinny missed the ripcord rolling kick and Satomura hit a frog splash off the top for a close near fall. Meiko locked in an STF, but this time, Jinny made the ropes. Conners tried to distract the referee, but McKenzie hit a stunner on him on the apron. Meiko survived more offense, then hit a Pelé kick and Death Valley Bomb for another two count.
Meiko then hit Scorpion Rising and another Death Valley Bomb to finally score the pin and the win.
Meiko and Emilia celebrated after the match and waved Jinny and Conners goodbye as the show went off the air.
Final Thoughts:
A really good episode with a great main event match. Satomura is a legend and Jinny has come a long way over the past few years. They also did a good job of establishing Davenport as the next major challenger. It will also be interesting what role “crybaby” Xia Brookside will play down the line.
The opening match established Rampage Brown as a monster once more and the angle with Ilja Dragunov was good. Ilja’s promo was excellent and Brown showing some heelish tendencies was very well done.
The other women’s match was mostly just there to further establish Isla Dawn as a lunatic.
Next week:
NXT UK Tag Team Championship number one contenders Fatal Four-Way: Moustache Mountain vs. Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter vs. Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff vs. Symbiosis
Meiko Satomura’s next NXT UK Women’s Championship defense is now official.
WWE has announced that Satomura will defend her title against Jinny on the Thursday, November 4 episode of NXT UK. There was a segment on this week’s NXT UK where Jinny was informed that Satomura had accepted her challenge for a title match.
Jinny faced Emilia McKenzie on last week’s NXT UK. Satomura came out to ringside during the match and stopped Joseph Conners from interfering, but Jinny still got the win.
Jinny then got on the microphone and said she now has Satomura’s attention after defeating her protege. Jinny said nothing will stand in the way of her achieving her destiny of becoming NXT UK Women’s Champion. Jinny challenged Satomura to a title match, and Satomura responded by holding up her title belt.
Satomura won the NXT UK Women’s Championship by defeating Kay Lee Ray this June. Satomura has made two title defenses since becoming champion, defeating Amale and Stevie Turner.
A pair of rematches have been announced for the Thursday, August 26 edition of NXT UK.
Rampage Brown will face Joe Coffey in a match where the win can only come by submission or knockout. Brown and Coffey previously faced each other on the February 18 and June 3 episodes of NXT UK, splitting their series 1-1.
In a rematch from the July 29 NXT UK, Jinny will take on Aoifye Valkyrie in a no DQ match where Joseph Conners will be locked in a shark cage at ringside. Conners got involved in the last Jinny vs. Valkyrie bout, a match that Jinny won.
While those matches will air in two weeks, next week’s episode features a pair of title matches. Here are the lineups for the next two NXT UK shows:
NXT UK, Thursday, August 19 —
NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura (c) vs. Stevie Turner
NXT UK Tag Team Championship: (c) Pretty Deadly vs. Moustache Mountain
NXT UK, Thursday, August 26 —
No DQ match with Joseph Conners in a shark cage at ringside: Jinny vs. Aoifye Valkyrie
Knockout or submission match: Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey
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
Coffey punched Dennis out of the ring and attacked him at ringside. Back in the ring, Dennis escaped through the ropes to stop another barrage by Coffey. Dennis came back with a judo throw and kravate. Coffey eventually escaped with a slam, but missed the Glasgow Sendoff into the corner.
Dennis caught a body press by Coffey and hit a slam for a near fall. They traded strikes and Coffey hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex, followed by a running shoulder block and an elbow drop for another two count. Dennis caught Coffey on the turnbuckles, then hit the Severed Bridge for a another close near fall.
Coffey came back with a spinebuster and a Boston Crab. T-Bone and Primate ran in and distracted the referee, but Coffey disposed of them. Gallus ran out to brawl with T-Bone and Primate.
Back in the ring, Coffey hit the double-jump reverse body press, Glasgow Sendoff and All the Best for the Bells to pin Dennis.
Coffey got attacked immediately by Primate and T-Bone, but the rest of Gallus made the save and sent Dennis and his thugs packing.
**********
Ilja Dragunov sat at a laptop and watched clips of his match with WALTER, getting an incredulous look on his face as the match progressed. He then watched clips of his matches with Jack Starz, Sam Gradwell and others and how he would snap whenever he got chopped in the neck. His eyes grew bigger as he watched, before the screen faded to black.
**********
Gallus were excited as they came backstage. Joe Coffey encountered Rampage Brown and told him he’d watched him and WALTER and it was tough, as he’d been there himself. He reminded Brown that he had promised him a rematch and told him to give him a call.
**********
Sam Gradwell defeated “Bomber” Dave Mastiff (04:54)
Mastiff quickly backed Gradwell into the ropes and called him a “Yogurt”. They traded hammerlocks, before Gradwell got smacked in the mouth. Mastiff hit a judo roll over Gradwell, then followed with a fireman’s carry roll. Gradwell came back with a knee strike with his knee brace, hurting Mastiff’s back.
Mastiff eventually hit a running crossbody but couldn’t hit his cannonball senton into the corner because of his injured back.
Gradwell seized the opportunity, impressively hoisted Mastiff on his shoulders and hit a Falcon Arrow for the win.
**********
Aoife Valkyrie walked through a city at night and talked about this being her opportunity. She will face Meiko Satomura next week.
**********
A video profiled Emilia McKenzie.
**********
Jinny (w/Joseph Conners) defeated Dani Luna (04:03)
Dani took Jinny down with a waistlock takedown right away. Jinny slapped her, then escaped through the ropes and attacked Dani from behind when she turned away.
Jinny locked on an Iron Octopus but Luna powered out. Jinny locked it on once more from a seated position, but Luna lifted her up and threw her. Luna hit two consecutive rolling gutwrench suplexes, then followed up with another suplex.
They traded strikes and slaps and Dani followed with a running clothesline. Conners got on the apron, which distracted Luna and allowed Jinny to hit a kick to the knee, rolling Liger kick and pin Dani with a La Magistral cradle.
After the match, Jinny stomped away at Dani and locked her in a modified STF as Conners screamed into her face. Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster ran out to make the save.
**********
Sid Scala was asked about the Amir Jordan-Kenny Williams main event from last week when Jordan stormed in and demanded a rematch.
Scala said that Williams was willing to give him a rematch under no DQ rules, but only under the condition that the loser will leave NXT UK.
Jordan was taken aback, but eventually signed the contract and said that nobody would be taking this away from him.
**********
A video aired on newcomer Rohan Raja (Tony Gill, the former Gursinder Singh of the Desi Hit Squad in Impact in 2018/19), who said he was 6’1″, British born, Australian raised, Canadian trained (by Lance Storm, nonetheless). He said he would make his NXT UK debut next week against Teoman.
He said Teoman had been making people tap out but that he does not quit and Teoman would have to bring his A game.
Teoman replied to Raja’s promo, saying he would die for his family and protect them with honor, respect and fear. He reiterated that he was the “Babo” (boss) Teoman.
Dar and Bate started the match. Bate had the early advantage with arm drags before Dar managed to tag in Samuels, who wanted Seven. Seven quickly hit a clothesline and leg drop. Bate was back in and hit a somersault senton, then worked over Samuels’ arm before Dar tagged back in.
Bate had Dar up for the airplane spin, but Samuels blind tagged back in and attacked Bate, who eventually tagged Seven. Dar and Samuels quickly tagged in and out and worked over Seven for several minutes. Seven finally hit a DDT and snap dragon suplex on Dar before finally making the hot tag.
Bate ran wild and hit an exploder on Samuels. Bate hit a Seven-assisted power bomb on Samuels and went for a bridging pin, but the referee was distracted and Samuels eventually kicked out. Samuels hit a spinebuster on Bate off a slingshot lariat. Seven and Bate hit subsequent dives on both Dar and Samuels.
Bate then hit a double foot stomp of the top into a Burning Hammer by Seven on Samuels and pinned him.
Final thoughts —
A decent show with a good main event.
Dennis vs. Coffey lead to the inevitable six-men tag, which should be a fun, hard-hitting brawl next week.
Jinny vs. Dani Luna also progressed the storyline and we should get some sort of mixed tag team match out of it soon.
Sam Gradwell picked up his first proper win since returning, and looked good in doing so.
The main event was a small redemption story for Trent Seven, who I still suspect will turn on or challenge Tyler Bate if/when he wins the Heritage Cup from A-Kid.
I like how they had short promos building up next week’s Rohan Raja vs. Teoman match, which felt like watching Superstars or Wrestling Challenge when I was a kid.
Rampage Brown defeated Dave Mastiff in a mean guy match.
Ilja Dragunov defeated Jack Starz. Dragunov seemingly still suffered from some trauma from his loss to WALTER, but he eventually snapped and won by ref stoppage. Dragunov then looked remorseful for what he had done.
Amir Jordan defeated Tyson T-Bone.
Kay Lee Ray successfully defended her NXT UK Women’s Championship against Jinny. Interference from Jinny’s associate Joseph Conners repeatedly backfired during the match.
Full rundown —
– The show opened with a recap of the build to Kay Lee Ray and Jinny’s NXT UK Women’s Championship match.
Rampage Brown defeated “Bomber” Dave Mastiff after hitting a Doctor Bomb (6:31)
Brown went into this match undefeated, while Mastiff was the original undefeated monster when NXT UK first kicked off. The two of them have been friendly since Brown debuted — and Mastiff proposed a friendly singles match between them during a segment at the NXT UK Performance Center last week. On a trivia note, they wrestled 11 times on the UK scene between 2012 and 2016, with Brown leading the series 9-2.
This was a stiff match with both men hitting hard shots and suplexes.
They traded blows in the early portion of the match, then Brown took Mastiff off his feet with a dropkick. Seconds later, Mastiff retaliated with a dropkick of his own. Mastiff took over with a sit-down splash off a sunset flip and a senton, then took Brown out of mid-air and hit a pumphandle suplex for a near fall.
Brown came back with a stiff clothesline for a near-fall of his own. Mastiff went for his cannonball in the corner, but Brown moved and Mastiff stopped. Brown took out Mastiff’s knee as he went to the top. Brown then hit a backdrop driver followed by the Doctor Bomb to pick up the victory.
– A video recapped last week’s WALTER vs. A-Kid NXT UK Championship match. A-Kid said he lost, but he’ll win the next time they face off.
– Kenny Williams was waiting for Amir Jordan. He excitedly told Jordan that he’ll have a match with Tyson T-Bone tonight. Jordan wasn’t too happy, but Williams told him he believed in him.
Ilja Dragunov defeated Jack Starz by referee stoppage (5:47)
Dragunov had his debut match in NXT UK against Starz. Dragunov asked Starz for a rematch last week, as he wants to start over after his loss to WALTER. This match saw Dragunov somewhat flustered early on until he snapped and destroyed Starz, seemingly no longer being able to control himself.
Starz countered a wristlock early on and took Dragunov down in uncharacteristic fashion. Starz kept getting the advantage, out-wrestling Dragunov, who at times looked a bit caught off guard. Dragunov caught him off a body press, but Starz escaped once more.
Starz hit a German suplex hold for a near fall, then hit a series of European uppercuts on Dragunov. After a slap by Starz, Dragunov finally snapped out of it and went to work on Starz while screaming in Russian, hitting slaps, chops, and a number of suplexes that had Starz basically knocked out. Dragunov hit Torpedo Moscow to the back of Starz’s neck but did not go for the pin. Instead, he hit repeated elbows to the side of Starz’s head until the referee stopped the match.
After the match, Dragunov looked remorseful as he realized what he had done while Starz laid on the mat, barely moving.
– Sam Gradwell was watching clips of Ben Carter vs. Jordan Devlin on his phone. He made fun of Carter and called him out.
Amir Jordan (w/ Kenny Williams) defeated Tyson T-Bone after countering a sunset flip (5:00)
Jordan used his speed early and held onto T-Bone, but he was overwhelmed after a minute as the larger T-Bone manhandled him. Williams looked on concerned from ringside as T-Bone hit a slingshot with Jordan’s throat under the bottom rope.
Jordan briefly came back, but T-Bone overwhelmed him once more. In the end, Jordan went for a sunset flip, but T-Bone sat down on him. Jordan managed to escape and roll T-Bone over for the win.
– Xia Brookside talked about her feud with Nina Samuels. Brookside said she defeated Samuels, but Samuels then cost her the win against Isla Dawn. Brookside said Samuels dragged her family’s name through the dirt, but she would soon learn what the Brooksides are made of.
– A video hyped the upcoming number one contender’s four way tag team elimination match with Pretty Deadly, The Hunt, Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith, and Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews. This match will take place next week — and in a piece of breaking news, Eddie Dennis is banned from accompanying The Hunt to ringside.
– A split screen showed KLR and Jinny getting ready for their match.
NXT UK Women’s Championship match: Kay Lee Ray retained against Jinny (w/ Joseph Conners) after hitting a Gory Bomb (11:06)
Jinny interfered in KLR’s falls count anywhere match against Piper Niven weeks ago, allowing KLR to keep the title. With the help of her new associate Joseph Conners, Jinny then defeated Niven to earn the title shot.
Jinny may have had this match won, but interference by Conners repeatedly backfired, allowing KLR to retain.
It was clear early on that the rules would not be highly regarded by either woman, as they pulled each other’s hair repeatedly. Niven and Dani Luna were both shown watching on the ThunderDome-style screen.
KLR looked to have hurt her previously injured knee on a landing and rolled to ringside, allowing Jinny to smash KLR’s head into the ring steps on the outside. They kept brawling on the outside with both women breaking the count repeatedly. More members of the NXT UK women’s division were shown watching on the screen.
Jinny locked in a surfboard-style submission, but KLR told the referee to shut up as he asked her if she wanted to give up. KLR finally made the ropes.
Jinny was on offense with some rolling kicks, but KLR hit a superkick out of desperation as both women collapsed. KLR eventually locked in the Koji Clutch as Conners nervously paced on the outside. Jinny managed to turn the hold into a pinning attempt, forcing KLR to release. KLR went for the Gory Bomb, but Conners got on the apron to distract her and the referee.
Jinny then put KLR on the second turnbuckle and hit the Makeover off the ropes. As Jinny went for the pin, Conners held KLR’s feet down from the outside. The referee caught him and sent him to the back. But before leaving, Conners grabbed the NXT UK Women’s title belt as KLR rolled up Jinny for a two count.
KLR saw Conners with the belt and chased him down, grabbed the belt, and slapped him. Meanwhile, Jinny grabbed the belt and looked to hit KLR with it, but KLR ducked. As Jinny and the referee struggled over the belt, KLR hit a Gory Bomb to get the win.
Next week —
Number one contender’s elimination match: The Hunt vs. Pretty Deadly vs. Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith vs. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster (Eddie Dennis is banned from accompanying The Hunt)
NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray’s next title defense is set.
WWE has announced that KLR will defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Jinny on NXT UK next Thursday. Jinny became the number one contender to KLR’s title by defeating Piper Niven last week.
Jinny got help from Joseph Conners during her match against Niven last Thursday. In a promo on this week’s NXT UK, Jinny offered an explanation for her alliance with Conners. Jinny said she’s a woman of wealth and with money comes power and connections.
Ahead of their title match, KLR and Jinny took part in a face-to-face segment on NXT UK this week. KLR said she’s beaten everyone who’s been put in front of her — and Jinny isn’t going to be any different. Jinny said KLR may have defeated all of her other challengers, but she hasn’t faced Jinny. Jinny said she’s championship material and KLR isn’t.
Jinny also claimed that the only reason KLR is still champion is because Jinny got involved in her falls count anywhere match against Niven in November.
KLR has been NXT UK Women’s Champion since winning the title from Toni Storm at UK TakeOver: Cardiff in August 2019.
The next contender for Kay Lee Ray’s NXT UK Championship will be decided on the first NXT UK episode of 2021.
On this week’s NXT UK, it was announced that Piper Niven will face Jinny in a number one contender’s match on the Thursday, January 7 episode of NXT UK. Jinny had cost Niven during a title match last month when it appeared that Niven could have been on the verge of getting the win.
KLR and Niven faced off in a falls count anywhere match for the NXT UK Women’s Championship on the November 19 episode of NXT UK. Jinny attacked Niven during the match and yelled at Niven for disrespecting her. Niven fought Jiny off, but she returned near the end of the match. Niven looked like she was going to slam KLR off a production crate and through a table. But Jinny hit Niven with a steel chair. Niven and KLR both fell through the table, with KLR landing on top of Niven and the referee counting the pin for KLR to retain her title.
There was an angle on NXT UK two weeks ago where Niven attacked Jinny at the NXT UK Performance Center and they had to be separated by officials. On this week’s show, security footage of Niven working out at the UK Performance Center aired. Niven briefly left and came back to find that someone had wheeled a production crate to where she was working out. Inside of the crate was a steel chair with a piece of paper attached to it.
The piece of paper was a contract. Niven brought it to Sid Scala and told him that if Jinny wants a fight, she’s got one. Their number one contender’s match was then announced for January 7
KLR has been NXT UK Women’s Champion since winning the title from Toni Storm at UK TakeOver: Cardiff in August 2019. KLR defeated Isla Dawn in a non-title match on NXT UK this week. KLR cut a post-match promo where she mentioned Niven and Jinny, saying they’re too busy fighting between themselves and no one can stand up to her.
WWE has announced that next week’s NXT UK will be a special Christmas Eve episode of the show.
Travis Banks beat Kassius Ohno in a hard-fought battle, Piper Niven made her debut by quickly squashing Killer Kelly, and Joseph Conners defeated Jack Starz.
In the main event, Toni Storm retained her NXT UK Women’s Championship against Jinny.
Full rundown —
The show opened with a video hyping the Toni Storm vs. Jinny NXT UK Women’s Championship match that would headline tonight’s episode.
Travis Banks pinned Kassius Ohno in 14:45 after a sit-down pin combination
They started out slow and Banks frustrated Ohno with a headlock. Ohno teased going for a shoulder block, but instead stomped Banks’ foot. Banks came back with leg kicks that hurt Ohno and he fled into the ropes.
They went to ringside and Banks escaped a powerbomb attempt onto the apron, then retaliated with a running soccer kick off the apron, hitting Ohno square in the jaw, but missed the double foot stomp to the outside.
Ohno took over with a leg drop and went to the top but missed out on a moonsault, allowing Banks to hit a number of kicks to the chest of a kneeling Ohno. Ohno twisted Banks’ ankle, then hit a hard knee to Banks’ previously injured shoulder. Ohno repeatedly attacked Banks as he was trying to recover and beat him down time and time again.
Ohno flipped over the ropes and Banks kicked him to ringside, then followed with a dive that took both men down. Banks recovered first, and after some more offense, managed to hit a double foot stomp into the corner back in the ring. Just seconds later, Banks almost had the win with a victory roll.
Banks pulled off the Kiwi Crusher, but it was only enough for another near fall. Ohno went for the ripcord elbow, but Banks turned it into a backslide for another near fall. Banks wouldn’t let up and transitioned into a number of pinning combinations, eventually catching Ohno with a sit-down pin for the win.
– A replay of Piper Niven confronting Rhea Ripley from last week aired.
– A recap of WALTER beating Pete Dunne for the WWE UK Championship at NXT TakeOver: New York also aired.
– Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed Jordan Devlin about a rematch between Dunne and WALTER. Devlin said Dunne was a loser and Devlin deserved a title match with WALTER.
Piper Niven pinned Killer Kelly in 3:33 after a Michinoku driver
Niven threw Kelly down with ease immediately, then put out her hand and helped her back up to her feet. Kelly locked on a cravat, but Niven threw her off after a few seconds, then slammed her down and hit a senton and running splash at a sitting Kelly.
Kelly came back with a choke but got thrown off, then got hit with a running cannonball in the corner and finally put away with a Michinoku driver.
Ripley ran down to the ring and was about to slide in, but Niven saw her coming and Ripley stopped in her tracks on her way into the ring. They had another staredown, with Niven on the apron and Ripley walking slowly backwards up the entrance.
– The Moustache Mountain interview from last week re-aired.
– The Grizzled Young Veterans cut a backstage promo. Zack Gibson said he should be home in Liverpool to support his club, but Johnny Saint forced them to fly to the United States. He offered the Yanks a non-title opportunity.
Joseph Conners pinned Jack Starz in 4:56 after hitting Don’t Look Down
Conners worked over Starz’s arm, but the young man quickly came back with some impressive offense, hitting a suplex and trying for an armbar. Conners worked his way back to his feet and hit a flying shoulder block off the top rope.
Conners hit a number of elbow drops, then started working over Starz’s neck. He hit another elbow, then yelled at the referee to “ask him if he’s OK!” He tossed Starz across the ring, then hit a short clothesline.
Starz briefly fought back and hit a high crossbody off the top rope, but Conners rolled through on the move, picked Starz up, and hit Don’t Look Down for the win.
– Toni Storm and Jinny were shown preparing backstage.
– A video on Dave Mastiff aired, with the word “Soon” on the screen.
NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm defeated Jinny in 10:34 to retain her title
The announcers talked about Jinny attacking Storm last week and also how she beat Storm for the PROGRESS Women’s title last year.
They went at it right out of the gate with a brief Frye-Takayama spot. They evaded each other’s offense, but Storm eventually hit a running dropkick for a two count. The Australian then immediately transitioned into a single-leg Boston crab, then a modified STF, but Jinny eventually got to the ropes.
Jinny hit a dragon screw off a kick attempt and locked on her mat-based modified surfboard. When that didn’t make Storm quit, she locked on a Camel Clutch, but Storm reversed it into the same surfboard variant Jinny had tried just moments earlier. Jinny escaped and hit a running hurricanrana, then a flatliner into the corner for a near fall.
Jinny progressively worked over Storm’s lower back, which she injured last fall. She wore Storm down with a choke — and to make matters worse, the referee didn’t see when she briefly touched the rope with her foot.
Jinny slapped Storm, but she got caught in a waistlock and was hit by three consecutive German suplexes. Storm followed up with a running hip attack into the corner, but Jinny managed to escape an attempt at Storm Zero.
Jinny hit a powerbomb, but it was too close to the rope and Storm managed to touch the rope with the tip of her boot. Jinny then tried going for Storm Zero, but Storm hit her with a headbutt for a near fall of her own. They traded elbows. Jinny went for another hurricanrana, but Storm caught her and switched the move into a powerbomb, then hit Storm Zero for the win.
Next week —
The Grizzled Young Veterans will be in action, plus more matches from the NXT UK tapings from WrestleMania Axxess.
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.
Episode 16 (taped October 14 at Plymouth Pavilions in Plymouth, England)
Quick recap:
The two undefeated monsters of NXT UK clashed, as Dave Mastiff met Eddie Dennis in the main event, with the Bomber reigning victorious in a fun hoss fight. Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) were victorious over Ashton Smith & Ligero in a quest to qualify for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship Tournament. Jinny managed to beat Xia Brookside, while Joseph Conners squashed Jack Starz in a quick match. Rhe Ripley will make her first NXT UK Women’s Championship defense next week, facing the “White Witch of NXT UK”, Isla Dawn.
Full rundown:
– The show opened up with a split screen of Dave Mastiff and Eddie Dennis warming up for their match backstage, while Vic and Nigel talked about the main event
Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) beat Ashton Smith & Ligero in 5:37 when Coffey pinned Smith after an enzuigiri
Ligero and Wolfgang started out, and the Leeds Luchador frustrated the bigger man with a spin kick and a drop kick but got caught on a body press attempt. He quickly tagged out to Smith and both men hit a double drop kick on Wolfgang. Ligero got himself caught on a spinning DDT attempt but managed to escape until Mark Coffey distracted him and a forearm to the back of the head sent him to ringside.
The heels worked Ligero over until he managed to throw Wolfgang out of the ring and made the hot tag to Smith. Smith ran wild for a bit and hit a springboard back elbow on Coffey, but Wolfgang eventually pulled him out of the ring. Ligero then hit a somersault senton to the outside onto Wolfgang, jumping over Smith who was hanging in the ropes.
Back in the ring, Smith tried and O’Connor Roll on Coffey but he managed to kick out, hit a double hammer to the chest followed by an enzuigiri for the win.
– We took a look back at Isla Dawn challenging Rhea Ripley last episode. Both women were backstage with Johnny Saint and Sid Scala, who announced the match for next week. The women had a stare down, with Rhea saying “See you next week” and walked off
– A graphic announced Joseph Conners to be in action next, followed by a TLC promo.
– Radzi was backstage with Gallus after their match. They said that they set a standard and were the team to beat. Joe Coffey said that he was concerned with Pete Dunne and was going to rip the WWE UK Championship from his mouth. But first, he would meet Travis Banks and squash him like a bug.
Joseph Conners beat Jack Starz in 2:16 with Don’t Look Down
This was basically a squash. Starz refers to him as the Self Made Machine, but Conners wasn’t impressed, grabbed his ear and yanked him down to the mat. He sent Starz into the ropes and hit a backbreaker as Starz came bouncing back. Conners worked him over, went to ringside and pounded on Starz who was on the apron.
Starz got a brief hope spot in and hit some European uppercuts, but that was ended quickly. Conners then hit a sunset bomb into the corner and followed up with Don’t Look Down fpr the quick win.
– Radzi was backstage with Xia Brookside, who said while she may not be the most experienced wrestler in NXT UK, Jinny better get read to “fly with Brookside”. Jinny then turned up, looked at Xia, turned away with a disgusted look on her face and walked off.
– There was a commercial for the Royal Rumble Axxess shows; no word on if any NXT or NXT UK talent would be on those events.
– A video package for Saxon Huxley and Tyson T-Bone aired, where Huxley said that T-Bone was violent, destructive and almost as twisted as he was. He also talked about his shadow being rooted in hell, channeling his best inner Undertaker from the 1990s. T-Bone and Huxley concluded that they would be the NXT UK tag team champions.
Jinny beat Xia Brookside in 4:13 after hitting her with A Touch of Couture
Xia wanted to shake Jinny’s hand, but she kicked it away. Xia went for a headlock and took her down, but Jinny quickly locked on a head vice with her legs, from which Xia escaped via head stand. Jinny kept working Xia’s arm, but Xia came back and eventually hit a huracanrana from the corner, followed by a dropkick and a cross body from the second turnbuckle.
Jinny came back with the Fashion Disaster, which is her STO into the corner. Jinny went to bend Xia’s arms backwards, working over her back until Xia managed to roll through on the move and escape. She hit a chin breaker, followed by a bulldog and a head scissors takedown.
As Jinny was propped up in the corner, Xia hit a running double knee to the back of the head and went for a surfboard variant, but her back gave out and Jinny rolled through on the move, sending Xia into the ropes. As she got back up, Jinny hit A Touch of Couture, her rolling kick, for the win.
– A Dave Mastiff video package aired, and a graphic announced Mastiff vs. Eddie Dennis next, followed by a WWE Custom Tees ad.
– Zack Gibson and James Drake came out for a short in-ring promo. Gibson said that people got a tiny glimpse of what they could do when they beat Jordan and Williams and that they would soon be recognized as the NXT UK tag team champions.
– An Eddie Dennis video package aired, where he said that NXT UK meant everything to him as he could apply his trade here; this was followed by a WWE Network commercial.
– A graphic announced Rhea Ripley defending against Isla Dawn next week.
“Bomber” Dave Mastiff beat Eddie Dennis in 11:47 after a cannonball into the corner
Mastiff pushed him into the corner early. Dennis tried for some shoulder blocks, but Mastiff wouldn’t budge. Dennis tried some striking but was stopped by a drop kick by the big man. Mastiff trapped Dennis’ arms and rained down some elbows on his jaw. Dennis was back on offense a little later but got mowed down by a running cross body block by Mastiff.
Mastiff missed a senton, allowing Dennis to recover, hot a running boot, followed by a kick to the jaw that sent “the Bomber” to ringside. Dennis kicked him off the apron as he tried to re-enter the ring, but a second kick showed no effect, so Dennis slid out of the ring and pulled Mastiff off the ring.
When they came back to the ring, Dennis applied a cravat but Mastiff eventually powered out, hit a head butt and eventually a big superplex. After exchanging some more strikes, Mastiff hit a Finlay roll and a senton for a near fall. Mastiff stepped things up with a bridging German suplex for another close two count.
Mastiff tried to hit the cannonball into the corner, but Dennis got up, caught him in mid-air and hit a black hole slam for a near fall. He tried to get the big guy up for his Severed Bridge into the corner, but Mastiff back body dropped out of it. Dennis was on the apron and put his upper body through the ropes, but Mastiff pulled him back into the ring and into the ropes.
Mastiff set Dennis up for another superplex attempt, but he escaped and got Mastiff up for the Severed Bridge. Mastiff escaped the move. A hard clothesline by Dennis led to another near-fall. Mastiff cut him off, hit a snap mare followed by a head butt, a release German suplex and eventually the cannonball senton into the corner to end Eddie Dennis’ undefeated streak and pick up the win.
Next week:
Rhea Ripley will defend the NXT UK Women’s championship against Isla Dawn and more tag teams will be in action.
