A last man standing match is the latest addition to the NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff lineup.
On this week’s NXT UK episode, it was confirmed that Dave Mastiff will face Joe Coffey in a last man standing match in Cardiff. The announcement comes after Mastiff and Coffey fought to a double countout in the main event of last Wednesday’s show.
Cardiff is the second TakeOver special in NXT UK history. Coffey lost to Pete Dunne in the main event of UK TakeOver: Blackpool in January, while Mastiff defeated Eddie Dennis in a no DQ match.
UK TakeOver: Cardiff is being held at Motorpoint Arena Cardiff on Saturday, August 31. NJPW Royal Quest and AEW All Out are both also taking place that day.
WALTER will defend the WWE United Kingdom Championship against Tyler Bate in the main event of UK TakeOver: Cardiff. Toni Storm will put her NXT UK Women’s Championship on the line against Kay Lee Ray.
Ilja Dragunov quickly defeated Ashton Smith. NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm defeated Candy Floss in a non-title face vs. face match, then Kay Lee Ray made her presence felt. Trent Seven said Tyler Bate was in the hospital and challenged WALTER.
In the main event, Gallus defeated The Hunt & Dave Mastiff
Full Rundown —
The show opened with a recap from last week’s Grizzle Young Veterans vs. Moustache Mountain match and Imperium interfering. Still shots showed the aftermath of Tyler Bate & Trent Seven getting taken to the back.
Ilja Dragunov defeated Ashton Smith with Torpedo Moscow (4:42)
Smith used a headlock early, but Dragunov escaped and hit a crossbody on a charging Smith. Dragunov followed up with a senton. Smith worked over Dragunov’s legs, but he didn’t have much success.
Aiden English said “Unbesiegbar” was Russian for invincible, but it’s German for invincible. Dragunov hit a Gotch-style powerbomb. Smith came back with a fisherman’s suplex, but Dragunov hit a dropkick, then the Konstantin Special and Torpedo Moscow for the win.
– A graphic plugged the six-man tag main event.
– A video recap of Xia Brookside’s history with Jazzy Gabert and Jinny aired. Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed Brookside about their history. She said she’d face Jinny next week.
– Nina Samuels did a skit where she interviewed fans at Download Festival. One said Samuels was his favorite.
Non-title match: NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm defeated Candy Floss with Storm Zero (5:55)
Storm outwrestled Candy Floss early. They one-upped each other with poses on the mat, then Candy Floss tried a quick pin. Storm showed approval for Candy Floss when she went for another one.
Candy Floss worked Storm’s arm and shoulder, but she got taken out with a kick. There was more offense from Candy Floss, but Storm hit a clothesline and Storm Zero for the win.
As Candy Floss walked to the back, Kay Lee Ray came out and attacked her. Storm came to her aid and KLR left.
– Another Ligero promo video aired, focusing on him losing his latest matches.
Trent Seven speaks
Seven talked solemnly and said usually he doesn’t speak alone. He said Bate was hospitalized and injured, but Seven’s here and always has been. He said this was built on British Strong Style.
Seven said Imperium claimed the mat was sacred — but “this is our mat.” He said he’d cut the head off the snake and was coming for WALTER, and it would be for Pete Dunne, Bate, and the Trent Seven Army. He got intense and started screaming “this will be for us!”
– Mark Andrews accepted Kassius Ohno’s call-out, saying he had been a “Hero” of his. They’ll face off next week.
Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) defeated Dave Mastiff & The Hunt (Primate & Wild Boar) when Joe Coffey pinned Wild Boar after a lariat (12:25)
All six guys brawled right at the bell, with Gallus being beaten to ringside. The Hunt worked over Mark Coffey with some unique offense until he tagged in Wolfgang. The heels isolated Primate and Joe Coffey put him in a submission.
Primate finally tagged Wild Boar, who ran roughshod on Mark Coffey. Mark hit a chokeslam and tagged Wolfgang. Boar was the face in peril for a while and got beaten up. He finally tagged Mastiff, who beat up Gallus on his own, including hitting a big German suplex on Mark and an overhead suplex on Joe.
Mastiff hit a Finlay roll with Mark onto Wolfgang. Joe turned things around for a bit, but Mastiff took back over. He hit the somersault senton onto Mark in the corner as The Hunt hit stereo dives to the outside.
Primate hit a top rope splash on Joe, but he wasn’t the legal man. Wolfgang rolled Boar back inside — and Joe hit his rolling lariat for the win.
Taped April 20, 2019 at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow, Scotland
Quick results —
The Hunt beat Saxon Huxley & Tyson T-Bone in a short opener. Kay Lee Ray pinned Kasey Owens in another quick match.
The Grizzled Young Veterans announced that they’ll have to defend their NXT UK Tag Team titles at Download Festival.
In a very good fatal four-way match, Travis Banks earned a future title shot at WWE United Kingdom Champion WALTER by defeating Jordan Devlin, Joe Coffey, and Dave Mastiff.
Full rundown —
– The show opened with a video hyping up tonight’s number one contender’s fatal four-way match between Jordan Devlin, Dave Mastiff, Joe Coffey and Travis Banks.
The Hunt (Primate & Wild Boar) defeated Tyson T-Bone & Saxon Huxley after pinning Huxley with stereo diving headbutts (3:41)
The heels dominated early and worked over Wild Boar between some quick tags. Primate finally was in after a hot tag and ran wild with suplexes and strikes. Boar hit a wild senton into the corner on Huxley, then The Hunt won after an assisted back suplex and double diving headbutts off the top rope.
After the match, Mark Coffey and Wolfgang ran out and attacked The Hunt. They threw Wild Boar into the guard rails and Primate into the announce table, then intimidated Vic Joseph for good measure.
– A video on Kay lee Ray aired. It was announced she’d be in action next.
– A graphic announced Ilja Dragunov vs. Joseph Conners for next week.
– Another graphic plugged NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff for August 31.
Kay Lee Ray pinned Kasey Owens after a Gory Bomb (3:58)
KLR worked over Owens’ arm, but Owens countered with a quick roll-up. Owens tried an armbar over the top rope, but KLR kicked her in the back while she was upside down, sending her crashing to ringside.
KLR followed up with a dropkick and some ground and pound. They traded offense back and forth until KLR ducked a running kick, hit a slap, and hit a Gory Bomb for the win.
– A highlight video about Imperium aired. WALTER said Imperium means absolute power.
– A video on the debut of Jazzy Gabert, alongside Jinny aired, including Xia Brookside getting destroyed by Gabert. Backstage, Jinny and Gabert were being interviewed. Jinny said she knew exactly what to do and decided to befriend Gabert once she saw her in the crowd at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool. She said Gabert would take care of whoever wanted to get in her way.
– Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness were about to analyze tonight’s main event, but the Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake( entered the arena.
Grizzled Young Veterans in-ring promo
An angry Zack Gibson said they were informed they had to defend their NXT UK Tag Team titles in front of a bunch of sweaty freaks at Download Festival.
Gibson said it was expected that he walk in his custom tailored shoes over a muddy field drenched in bodily fluids while bands like Slipknot butcher music. He said if they’re unhappy, the NXT UK locker room soon would be unhappy and asked “the old man” to sort it out.
– Another NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff video aired, followed by a feature about Tyler Bate in the new issue of Men’s Health UK.
– Imperium (WALTER, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) vs. British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) was announced for next week
WWE United Kingdom Championship number one contender’s fatal four-way match: Travis Banks defeated Dave Mastiff, Joe Coffey, and Jordan Devlin when he pinned Devlin after the Kiwi Crusher (12:14)
Banks attacked Devlin right away. As they brawled on the outside, Coffey and Mastiff clashed, eventually also ending up on the outside. They ran into each other, until Banks decided to dive onto Mastiff, but got brushed aside.
Some dives later, all four men were down at ringside. Banks and Devlin ended up back in the ring, but got interrupted by Coffey. Banks ended up taking both men out as they were in opposite corners. Seconds later, Mastiff was back in and hit a number of German suplexes on everyone.
As Coffey recovered, he hit a combined airplane spin and inverted big swing on Banks and Devlin, then took Devlin for another ride on a butterfly swing. Devlin recovered, sent Coffey to the outside, and hit a uranage/standing moonsault combo on Banks. Devlin then disposed of Mastiff as he was trying to get back into the ring. He mocked Gallus, which drew the ire of Joe Coffey.
The other three played a round of Whack-A-Devlin and he was sent to the outside. As the dust settled, Mastiff hit his running senton into the corner onto both Coffey and Banks, prompting Devlin to make the save during the pinfall attempt that followed.
In quick succession, everyone hit big moves on each other, followed by narrow saves. As Mastiff and Coffey took out each other, Banks hit Slice of Heaven and the Kiwi Crusher on Devlin for the win.
Next week —
Imperium faces British Strong Style. Ilja Dragunov takes on Joseph Conners.
Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams narrowly defeated Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel, with Williams rolling up Aichner. This seems to set up Jordan & Williams as the next challengers for the NXT UK Tag Team titles, even though the Grizzled Young Veterans disputed that claim in an in-ring segment later in the show.
Kay Lee Ray made her in-ring debut on NXT UK, beating Isla Dawn. Jinny attacked Toni Storm and left her laying before their match next week.
In the main event, Joe Coffey bested Trent Seven and submitted him after working over his back for much of the match.
Full rundown —
The episode opened with a graphic advertising Pete Dunne defending the WWE UK Championship against WALTER this Friday at NXT TakeOver: New York.
Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams beat Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel in 7:58 when Williams rolled up Aichner for the win
Barthel and Jordan started it off, with Barthel teasing his “NEIN!” spot but instead opting to school Jordan on the mat and work over his arm. Jordan hit two dropkicks and decided to do his dance, drawing the ire of Barthel and eating a double strike to the throat for his disrespect of the mat.
Both men tagged out and Williams sent Aichner to the outside with a hurricanrana. Williams wanted to follow, but Barthel told him “NEIN!” and Aichner hit both faces with a double clothesline from behind.
Barthel hung Jordan head-down over the ropes and Barthel and Aichner hit a double dropkick at him, with Barthel in the ring and Aichner running over on the outside and hitting one on the apron. After a hot tag, Williams hit a springboard back elbow on Barthel and a flying kick on Aichner.
Barthel went for the Landungsbrücken suplex, but Williams hit a bulldog to counter out of it. Williams then hit a kick through the ropes on AIchner — but as he skinned the cat back inside, Barthel hit him with a kick and sent him outside. Jordan went to hit a crossbody on Aichner on the outside, but Aichner caught him and hit a backbreaker.
The finish came as Aichner had Williams up for a vertical suplex, but Williams kneed him in the head and managed a flash pin with a quick roll-up.
– Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed Rhea Ripley as she entered the building and quizzed her on Piper Niven. Ripley said she’ll destroy her. Niven makes her NXT UK in-ring debut next week.
– Radzi talked to Johnny Saint and Sid Scala, but they were interrupted by Jordan Devlin. Devlin asked how WALTER could walk in and just be gifted a title match while he had to sit on the sidelines. Scala gave him a non-answer and Devlin said he’ll be watching TakeOver very closely.
Kay Lee Ray pinned Isla Dawn after a Gory Bomb
Kay Lee Ray started out by working over Dawn’s arm, but Dawn managed to counter out of the hold. They traded near falls early on — until KLR hit a kick, locked on a hammerlock, and drove Dawn into the corner. She transitioned a modified Fujiwara armbar into an armbar, but Dawn managed to escape once more.
KLR was in control after some creative offense and a dive to the outside. Dawn came back with a belly-to-back suplex for a near fall but ate a chop and superkick for her troubles. KLR then hit the Gory Bomb for the victory.
– Radzi interviewed Toni Storm backstage, but she quickly was attacked by Jinny, who viciously beat her down. Storm was down and the referees called for help.
– Travis Banks talked about looking up to Kassius Ohno years ago. He challenged him for a match down the line.
Grizzled Young Veterans in-ring segment
The NXT UK Tag Team Champions came out wearing nice suits and ties. The fans had their shoes off — because they hate Gibson. Gibson introduced the team and said they were not dressed to compete because Gibson was not medically cleared to wrestle, blaming Oney Lorcan for busting up his eardrum.
Gibson said fans, wrestlers, and even Vic Joseph talked about how they have a chip on their shoulder. He said they had been overlooked while others were given opportunities. He said Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams got one lucky victory and there are already rumors they may be champions. He asked on what grounds that would be the case and said they hadn’t been in the business for five minutes.
Gibson said he and Drake would soon be recognized as the most important champions anywhere.
– A graphic confirmed Travis Banks would face Kassius Ohno next week.
Joe Coffey submitted Trent Seven in 14:13 with a Boston crab
They traded body shots early and took each other down with tackles. Seven hit a DDT after Coffey tried to duck a chop. They ended up outside, where Coffey drove Seven into the barriers. He slammed Seven on top of them, then bent Seven’s back around the ring post.
Coffey applied a shoulder lock and worked over Seven’s back on top of that, then applied a bear hug to further weaken his opponent.
Seven eventually made his comeback with a dragon suplex and a slam, then hit a plancha to the outside. He tried a spinning somersault plancha from the top, but Coffey evaded him and Seven landed on his already injured back. Coffey hit a lariat, a German suplex, a pounce into the corner, and a powerbomb for a close near fall. Coffey tried to pick up Seven for another powerbomb, but Seven took him down and applied the figure four leg lock.
Coffey finally made the ropes as Seven kept punching his knee. Both men battled on the apron and Seven finally managed to back body drop Coffey, prompting the Scot to crash hard to the mats at ringside.
Seven ended up on the outside as well and barely beat the 10 count to make it back in. Coffey hit an uppercut but missed a crossbody off the top. Seven used this opportunity to hit the Seven Star Lariat, but Coffey managed to kick out. Seven went for the Torture Rack. His back gave out and Coffey hit a powerbomb, but Seven kicked out once more.
Coffey then locked in a single-leg Boston crab. Seven struggled to make the ropes, but Coffey transitioned into a full Boston crab and Seven had no option but to eventually tap.
– The show closed out with a great video for the WWE UK title match between Pete Dunne and WALTER this Friday at TakeOver: New York
Next week —
Toni Storm faces Jinny, Piper Niven debuts, and Kassius Ohno takes on Travis Banks.
Wolfgang pinned Flash Morgan Webster, while Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams were successful against Saxon Huxley & Tyson T-Bone.
Kay Lee Ray made her NXT UK debut and quickly beat Candy Floss. Noam Dar also made his presence on the brand known and got on Mark Andrews’ bad side.
In the main event, WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne & WALTER beat the Coffey Brothers in a very good match that led to a dramatic scene between Dunne and WALTER as the show went off the air.
Full rundown —
– Sid Scala and Johnny Saint entered the arena and were stopped by a reporter asking them what to expect. They said Kay Lee Ray would make her debut and WALTER would team with Pete Dunne to take on the Coffey Brothers. After the opening, a graphic of that match was shown.
Wolfgang pinned Flash Morgan Webster in 5:25 after the Caber Toss
Webster started off strong with quick offense but was stopped once Wolfgang threw him into the turnbuckles and took over. After some minutes of being pummeled, Webster came back with consecutive dives on Wolfgang, including a somersault plancha.
Back in the ring, Webster hit a somersault senton on a crouching Wolfgang. The big Scot tried some sort of aerial attack as well, but an enzuigiri from Webster sent him toppling to ringside.
Webster tried swinging around the post with a kick, but he got caught and slammed to the mats at ringside and powerbombed into the post. After that, Wolfgang hit the Caber Toss for the victory.
That was not enough for Wolfgang, as he shoved the referee aside and attacked Webster some more until he was finally sent out of the ring. He jaw-jacked with a fan before going to the back.
– A graphic announced that we’d hear from Kassius Ohno next.
– A short highlight clip on the Coffey Brothers aired.
– Ohno said that it was mind-blowing that the guy to bring an authentic European style to NXT UK was an American. He said he had rounds matches in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK and stood toe to toe with the likes of William Regal and Robbie Brookside.
Ohno said the current guys grew up on Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels and not Marty Jones. He said they’d experience British wrestling at his hands.
Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams defeated Saxon Huxley & Tyson T-Bone in 5:57 after Jordan hit the Swanton Bomb-ay on Huxley
Williams and Huxley started out, and as the bigger man pummeled Williams, he quickly found himself on the lower end of a lucha-style roll-up. The faces briefly dominated both their opponents — until Jordan found himself in the bad guys’ corner and was hit by a hard clothesline by T-Bone on a distraction.
T-Bone worked Jordan over for a few minutes, but Jordan was able to hit an enzuigiri and made the hot tag.
Williams ran wild on both heels, including hitting a bulldog on Huxley into the turnbuckle. Williams and Jordan then hit stereo dives on both men on opposite sides of the ring. Williams took Huxley down and Jordan hit the Swanton Bomb-ay for the win.
– A video on future NXT UK tapings in April, July, and at Download Festival aired.
– Jinny was being interviewed. She said she was sick and tired of hearing Toni Storm’s name. She doesn’t care about Storm — she only cares about the NXT UK Women’s title. She ended the interview and walked off in disgust.
– Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness discussed Jinny’s statement, then transitioned into a video on Eddie Dennis.
– Dennis said he’d face Ligero next week — a man who he respects, but who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’ll be the victim of the “Malevolent Welshman” Eddie Dennis.
Noam Dar promo
Dar walked to the ring for a promo. He said he was back in NXT UK and was here to stay. Dar said he kept an eye on the brand. It has been doing pretty well and it will do better when they take the show to the “most beautiful place in the UK” — Glasgow, Scotland.
Dar mocked the crowd as they started booing. He said the roster had been doing an okay job, but the brand needed him. He said the contract was signed and he was here to stay, unlike other UK wrestlers who went to 205 Live and were sent packing.
Mark Andrews, who was one of the names Dar mentioned as failing on 205 Live, came out and was upset. As Dar was looking to cheap shot him, Andrews attacked him and sent him packing.
– A promo taped at the NXT UK Performance Center with Xia Brookside aired. She said her name had at times made it difficult for her. She said she hated bullies and the biggest bully was Rhea Ripley and she’d not be bullied around anymore.
– A graphic announced Kay Lee Ray’s debut was next.
– A video package on The Wild Boar and Primate aired and promised the hunt would begin next week.
– A short highlight video on Pete Dunne and WALTER aired.
Kay Lee Ray defeated Candy Floss in 2:18 after a Widow’s Peak Slam
Kay Lee Ray started out with arm twists and ringers, then applied a keylock and rammed Candy Floss into the corner. She kept working the arm and had Candy in pain. Candy rolled her up, but she quickly got overwhelmed again.
Kay Lee Ray hit a chop, a crescent kick, and then a Widow’s Peak into a face slam for the quick win.
– Moustache Mountain talked about their progress in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They called out the Grizzled Young Veterans for their rematch.
– A graphic plugged the main event.
– Sid Scala announced Tyler Bate vs. James Drake as next week’s main event.
WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne & WALTER beat The Coffey Brothers in 16:20 after WALTER powerbombed Mark Coffey for the pin
The Coffeys came out with Wolfgang, while WALTER and Dunne entered separately. Dunne and Mark Coffey started out — and Dunne quickly started working over Mark’s wrist and arm.
Mark tried the same, but Dunne escaped and punished Mark. WALTER asked for a tag and got it, then demonstrated how to properly separate a man from his arm. He brushed off a chop by Mark, who tagged out to his brother.
WALTER escaped from a side headlock, then egged Joe on to try and shoulder block him down. On the third attempt, WALTER swung into the ropes, then quickly applied a Gojira clutch before easily tackling Joe to the mat.
Dunne came in, but WALTER quickly wanted back in and had his way. As the future opponents took turns chopping Joe, they faced off but quickly got attacked again. They hit stereo slams on both Coffeys onto the apron before facing off in the ring again.
WALTER took over on Joe before Dunne came back in again and swiftly hit a dropkick to Joe’s knee. Dunne went for a surfboard, but he settled on driving Joe’s knees down into the mat. A blind tag by Mark led to him hitting a German suplex on a surprised Dunne. Joe rammed WALTER into the barricades on the outside.
The heels took turns working Dunne over in the ring as WALTER slowly got back up on the apron. After a backbreaker by Joe, Mark stomped a fallen Dunne. Dunne briefly recovered to hit a snap German on Mark. Dunne could not make the tag, but he managed to do so seconds later.
WALTER ran wild on both Coffeys, breaking a double clothesline to hit a lariat and a leaping Gojira clutch, a running big boot, a German, and a sit-down splash all in short succession. Joe hit a German on WALTER, but he quickly was slammed to the mat with a huge uranage overhead slam.
Dunne was back in and Joe tried for a step-up back body press, but he got punched out of mid-air by Dunne. Mark hit a Polish Hammer on Dunne, but WALTER blind tagged in and hit a shotgun dropkick, a butterfly suplex, and finally locked in a Boston crab while Dunne hit a plancha on Joe at ringside.
Joe tried chopping WALTER, who didn’t flinch but released the hold and chopped a hole in Joe’s chest. The Coffeys managed to hit a kind of Doomsday Device, prompting Dunne to make the save.
As WALTER had Mark in a Gojira clutch, Joe tried to pull him to safety — but the power of WALTER led to Joe actually getting pulled over the rope into the ring and ending up in a waist lock by his brother. Dunne snapped Joe’s fingers on the top rope and WALTER hit a huge double German suplex on both Coffeys.
As chaos broke out, Joe grabbed the UK title and went to hit Dunne with it but got thwarted. Mark picked up the title and went to hit Dunne with it. Dunne moved as WALTER went for a big boot that hit Mark, who was swiftly powerbombed for the victory.
The announcers speculated on whether WALTER was aiming the boot at Dunne or was actually trying to save him from the attack.
WALTER and Dunne faced off with the UK title on the mat between them. As Dunne went to slowly pick it up, WALTER stepped on it, then picked it up, looked at it for a long time, and finally handed it to Dunne before walking off.
Next week —
Tyler Bate faces James Drake, Eddie Dennis takes on Ligero, and Kassius Ohno aims to teach the NXT UK roster about the proper British style of wrestling.
WWE’s first-ever NXT UK TakeOver special takes place at 2 p.m. Eastern time (7 p.m. GMT/8 p.m. CET for those in Europe) in Blackpool, England today.
In the main event, Pete Dunne is looking to defend his WWE UK Championship and carry on his 603-day reign against Joe Coffey. The feud between these two has been brewing for months now, with both men’s respective groups, British Strong Style and Gallus, getting involved.
Dunne snapped Coffey’s fingers during a contract signing a few weeks ago and got powerbombed through a table for his troubles. Most recently, Gallus were victorious over British Strong Style in a six-man tag team match during the go-home show for this TakeOver special. This should be a hard-hitting match with both men wanting to prove they can carry the main event of the brand.
On the undercard, Dunne’s BSS brethren, Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven), are facing Zack Gibson & James Drake in the finals of a tournament for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship in what should be a strong match. Bate and Seven beat Gallus in the semifinals, while Gibson & Drake defeated Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster.
In a rematch of the finals from another tournament, NXT UK Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley will defend her title against Toni Storm. These two had a great match back in August, when Ripley first won the title and Storm legitimately injured her back during the match and was out of action for about a month. Both women have looked strong in recent matches on NXT UK, so I expect another good match between them.
Dave Mastiff will take on fellow monster Eddie Dennis in a no DQ match. Mastiff initially beat Dennis a few months ago in their first match and the feud has been brewing ever since, with both men attacking the other and a second match ending in a double disqualification. This is a modern take on an unstoppable force meeting an unmovable object and will be a proper mean guy match.
Jordan Devlin also will face Travis Banks in what will be a great platform for both men to showcase their in-ring prowess. The story here is a simple one, in that the patriotic Irishman is blaming his opponent from New Zealand of not loving his home country as much as Devlin loves his.
There will also be a pre-show on the WWE Network starting at 1:30 p.m. Eastern (6.30 GMT/7.30 CET).
**********
Pre-show:
Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness opened the show with shots of the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool and ran down the card. A number of recap videos summarized the stories behind the individual matches.
A video on the new WWE UK Performance Center aired, with highlights of Paul Levesque’s speech and sound bits by Charlotte Flair, Finn Balor and Pete Dunne.
Radzi Chinyanganya had breaking news from backstage and they showed a video of Travis Banks the arena and getting attacked by Jordan Devlin, throwing him into a stack of backstage ramps and a wall, looking to injure Banks’ left knee. Radzi stated that Banks had been medically cleared for his match with Devlin though.
Main show:
A video recapped the history of NXT UK talent, starting with the original UK Championship tournament from Blackpool in January of 2017 leading to this first NXT UK TakeOver.
1. NXT UK Tag Team Championship tournament finals: James Drake & Zack Gibson beat Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) in 23:46 after hitting Ticket to Mayhem on Seven
This was a great opener, showcasing the strengths of all four men. Story of the match was Seven first injuring his left arm on a dive, then also getting his knee attacked and eventually succumbing to the heels.
Bate and Seven were wearing red and black tights, in a tribute to the British Bulldogs. Johnny Saint presented the NXT UK tag team titles in the ring.
The fans were crazy right from the get-go, cheering on Tyler Bate and taking off their shoes to show their disdain for Gibson. Early story was Bate countering Gibson’s offense, including impressively flipping backwards through a bridge on his neck on a pinning attempt. Moustache Mountain were on offense in the first few minutes, including Bate cat and mousing his way around Drake in a way that I’m sure made Johnny Saint proud.The heels finally took over around the 7 minute mark by outsmarting Seven outside the ring, and Gibson nailing him in the throat.
Gibson and Drake hit their move where Gibson picked up Seven for a backbreaker on the outside and Drake dove over the top rope onto him. Seven bled from the back of the head, courtesy of a stiff elbow by Drake. Seven was in trouble for a few minutes until he finally managed a hot tag to Bate, who managed to pick up first Drake and eventually both Drake and Gibson for an airplane spin to massive “Big Strong Boi” chants. He also gave Drake and exploder from the apron onto Gibson on the outside, following by a running shooting star from the apron on both on the outside. In another hommage to the Bulldogs, Seven hit a running power slam, followed by a diving headbutt by Bate.
Gibson foiled a snap dragon/lariat combo by hitting a Ticket to Ride on Seven, then Helter Skelter, followed by a 450 by Drake for a close near fall. Gibson then locked in Shankly Gates on Seven and Drake managed to lock in the same move to Bate as he tried to make the save, until Bate managed to pick Drake up and slam him into Gibson as we entered the home stretch of the match. Moustache Mountain finalls hit the snbapdragon/lariat, but Seven’s arm was injured so the move didn’t it with full force and Drake kicked out. Gibson pulled Bate off the apron on his shoulders and Drake speared him on a dive in a “holy shit” kind of moment. Gibson and Drake finally hit Ticket to Mayhem on Seven to become the NXT UK tag team champions.
Johnny Saint and Sid Scala were out to congratulate the new champs.
“The Irish Ace” Jordan Devlin vs. “The Kiwi Buzzsaw” Travis Banks never took place
The scene of Devlin attacking Banks as he arrived at the building aired again before the match. Banks came out slightly limping, wincing as he crouched down during his entrance, slapping his knee repeatedly. Banks immediately attacked Devlin before the bell as he came down the ramp. Devlin threw Banks into the steps knee first before they kept brawling around ringside. Devlin repeatedly attacked Banks’ knee, kicking it on the steel steps. NXT UK Assistant GM Sid Scala came out with a number of referees to break things up. They eventually took Banks backstage as Devlin cut a promo in the ring. Johnny Saint came out and talked to Scala, and stated they had a backup plan as they were afraid Devlin might try something like that.
Finn Balor then came out as a replacement and the place exploded. Balor of course, is Devlin’s original trainer.
2. Finn Balor beat “The Irish Ace” Jordan Devlin in 11:45 after hitting Coup de Grâces
The gist of the match here was Devlin taking his former trainer to the limit, thwarting Coup de Grâces three times before finally succumbing to the move. They had a fast-paced, technical match with lots of hard hits and often countering or mirroring each other’s offense.
They went face to face when Devlin slapped Balor, who responded with a striking combination. He went for Coupe de Grâces right away, but Devlin rolled out of the ring, thwarted Balor’s comeback and worked him over around ringside, before mocking Balor’s pose in the ring. Balor eventually took back over and went to the top for Coup de Grâces again but Devlin dropkicked him off the rope and to the outside, where he almost was counted out.
They traded chops until Devlin quickly hit his uranage/standing moonsault combo for a two count. Both men traded abdominal stretches and the story was that neither could get a real advantage over the other, as they knew each other’s moves so well. Devlin eventually hit a head butt and his pull up high angle back drop driver for a near fall.
Balor hit a penalty kick from the apron on Devlin and went up for Coup de Grâces a third time but again got thwarted. Devlin hit a beautiful moonsault but Balor got his knees up. Fourth time was the charm, as Balor finally hit Coup de Grâces for the win.
– Luke Menzies, a rugby player from 2007-2017, was shown in the crowd. Menzies signed in May of 2018 and has been on NXT but not NXT UK television yet.
3. No Disqualification: “Bomber” Dave Mastiff beat Eddie Dennis in 10:43 after hitting a rolling cannonball senton through a propped up table
This was the hard-hitting weapons match most people expected. Dennis was dominant throughout the match, using a cane, chair and table to beat down Mastiff and also exposed the floor on the outside. Mastiff fought back throughout the match and eventually managed to smash Dennis through a table for the win.
They started trading strikes, ending with Mastiff hitting a running cross body. They ended up outside and Dennis ended up being thrown in the steps. Mastiff waisted little time and pushed the steps into the ring, but Dennis got a Singapore cane from under the ring and clanked Mastiff in the skull with it, then hit a Russian leg sweep with the aid of his newly found weapon.
Mastiff took a number of licks with welts visibly building up, until he got hold of the weapon and used is against his nemesis. Dennis finally caught Mastiff off another cross body and hit a Black Hole Slam onto the steel steps for a near fall. After a chair got introduced, Dennis used a mistake by Mastiff and picked him off the ropes for the Severn Bridge, which looked impressive. Dennis got a table, which prompted a loud “tables, tables, tables” song by the fans, to the tune of “No Limit”, the 1990’s Eurodance hit.
Mastiff hit a rolling fireman’s carry on the exposed arena floor, followed by a senton. Dennis came back with the Next Stop Driver, which also was an impressive feat of strength. He tried another Severn Bridge, looking to smash Mastiff into a table propped up in the corner but he managed to escape, hit a release German and his rolling cannonball senton through the table for the victory.
– they showed Kay Lee Ray from Scotland and “Alpha Female” Jazzy Gabert from Germany in the audience. Both were in the 2017 Mae Young Classic. Ray was reported to be signing with WWE in recent weeks while Gabert was offered a deal back in 2017 but didn’t clear medicals due to herniated discs. She had surgery to fix that problem and was part of the recent WWE tryouts in Cologne, Germany as a spectator.
4. NXT UK Women’s Championship: Toni Storm beat Rhea Ripley (c) in 14:49 with Storm Zero to win the title
This was a hard-hitting strong style match with both women looking good. Toni was in trouble for most of the match as Rhea was dominating her for minutes at a time. This was a redemption story for Toni who won the Mae Young Classic before challenging for this title and eventually overcoming the odds against her bigger and stronger opponent.
They circled each other for a while, then Rhea attacked but neither woman could get an early advantage. Rhea fled from Toni but got wiped out by a dive from the challenger. Rhea started working over Toni’s back, trying to capitalize off her old injury and locked in some body scissors to put pressure on her lower back and hips. Rhea kept being the dominant force of the match with repeated suplexes, slams and legdrops, then rag dolled Toni around the ring.
Storm finally came back with a big head butt of a whip that put both women down. They traded strikes and transitioned into the Frye-Takayama spot. Storm got the better of it and hit tow Germans, but couldn’t get Storm Zero. Rhea tried for Riptide as well, but Toni thwarted that attempt as well. They traded submission holds with Ripley’s inverted clover leaf and Storm going for an ankle lock, then hitting a hip attack and a German suplex hold for a near fall.
Ripley hit Riptide around the 12 minute mark for a very close near fall. Ripley continued to beat her down with short arm clotheslines, but Toni escaped on the third attempt and hit Storm Zero for a near fall of her own. Storm then escaped another Riptide attempt and hit Storm Zero to win the NXT UK Championship for the first time. Toni went and celebrated with the fans in the crowd.
– Charlotte Flair was shown watching the show in the crowd.
5. WWE UK Championship: “The Bruiserweight” Pete Dunne (c) beat “The Iron King” Joe Coffey in 34:15 by submission from a sitting triangle and joint manipulation
This was a tremendous, highly dramatic match with both guys giving everything they had, taking a few brutal bumps and a number of near falls. Both were exhausted by the end and both hit thier finishers numerous times to no avail until Dunne finally managed to make The Iron King submit.
Coffey came out with the rest of Gallus. but they did not accompany him down the ramp while Dunne came out on his own. Coffey stood with his arms folded in the ring while Dunne looked on disgusted.
They traded arm and wrist locks early until Dunne briefly took over with some of his sadistic joint manipulation and submission attempts. Coffey tried for his discus lariat early but Dunne avoided it. Dunne kept going for moves that would weaken Coffey’s arms and hands. Coffey impressively transitioned a double wrist lock into a deadlift vertical suplex, but Dunne managed to swing back down and lock the move in again until Coffey finally hit a suplex to escape.
Dunne took a nasty spill on his face on a throw to the outside but quickly hit a back flip over Coffey off the steps and an enzuigiri to stun his challenger, but found himself on the receiving end of a high angle slam onto the rampway. Coffey took over the match at that point, primarily working over Dunne’s back until the Bruiserweight managed to stage a comeback with a number of hard strikes and hitting a moonsault quebrada to the outside and an X-Plex back in the ring but it was obvious his back was hurt. This led to Coffey hitting a big powerbomb for a close near fall, then locked in a Boston crab. It briefly looked like Dunne actually had passed out but he finally managed to make the ropes in dramatic fashion.
In a unique spot, they traded head butts to the shoulders and eventually, went both down. Dunne avoided the lariat, then hit an STO and locked in the Koji Clutch. Dunne then transitioned into an ankle lock off a deadlift into a tombstone by Coffey. Both men went for their finishers but neither could hit it, until Dunne finally managed to hit the Bitter End but Coffey kicked out at 2.9. They fought on the apron and Coffey hit a sit-down powerbomb onto the apron as both men fell to ringside and just made it back inside by 10.
Coffey rained down blows and stomps on the champion but the champ got his second win and came back with stomps of his own. In the melee that followed, Coffey hit the lariat, but Dunne again kicked out just barely as the crowd started going crazy. Dunne locked in an armbar which he managed to keep on even when Coffey lifted him onto the top rope and finally managed to slam him down with one arm.
Both men looked exhausted as the match went into what appeared to be its home stretch. They traded blows once more and Dunne had Coffey in the ropes but Coffey managed a come back with a Mount Everest German suplex for another near fall. Coffey then went for the Bitter End, but Dunne escaped and hit a Bitter End of his own but couldn’t get the pin as Coffey rolled out of the way. Coffey finally hit the discus lariat from the apron but it looked like he didn’t catch Dunne with full force.
They battled on the top rope and both fell down, with Coffey taking a nasty spill to the outside, then a few minutes later the same spot led to both tumbling to the outside and into the barrier but somehow made it back into the ring. Dunne hit a discus lariat and Bitter End but still couldn’t get the win. Dunne then locked in an arm bar and bent the fingers to finally make Coffey tap out.
– As it looked like the show was about to go off the air, the familiar tune of “Aus der Neuen Welt”, Antonín Dvořáks’ 9th symphony hit and The Ring General WALTER made his way down to the ring as Pete Dunne looked shocked. He entered the ring and stared down the champ. Joe Coffey tried to get back in the ring but the Austrian powerhouse nonchalantly kicked him in the head and hit the Ringkampf pose while Dunne stood there with the WWE UK Championship dangling from his mouth. WALTER then left and slowly walked down the ramp again, having made his intentions clear to dethroned the Bruiserweight after more than 600 days.
Episode 24 (taped November 25, 2018 at the Liverpool Olympia in Liverpool, England)
Quick results:
Ligero beat Joseph Conners. Travis Banks beat Tyson T-Bone in a short match, marred by Jordan Devlin coming out during the match. Banks won anyway and then sent Devlin packing. Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) beat British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven & Tyler Bate).in a tremendous 25 minute match, leading up to Dunne and Coffey facing each other for Dunne’s WWE UK Championship this Saturday at NXT TakeOver: Blackpool.
Full rundown:
A video of the Gallus/British Strong Style rivalry and tonight’s six men tag main event match opened the show.
Ligero beat Joseph Conners in 5:21 after a springboard tornado DDT
Conners for weeks talked about the “shiny new toys” of NXT UK, mentioning guys like Ligero vowing to break them. Ligero started out strong, hitting Conners with a number of quick moves. Conners eventually managed to take over by pushing him into the ring post on the apron, then hit a hard clothesline in the ring for a near-fall. Conners continued to aggressively work Ligero over. Ligero finally came back with a fireman’s carry and kick to the head, but was quickly stopped again. Conners started to tear at Ligero’s mask, but Ligero eventually hit his springboard tornado DDT for the win.
Radzi interviewed Zack Gibson and James Drake backstage about their upcoming NXT UK tag team title match at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool. Gibson reiterated that they were undefeated and said they were so confident that they cleared a space on their mantelpieces and would take to Facebook Live for an early celebration. He said they were “sssssoon to be recognized the NXT UK Tag Team Champions”.
British Strong Style and Gallus were shown preparing for their match backstage.
A Dave Mastiff/Eddie Dennis aired. Mastiff talked about their rivalry, stating that he was the only undefeated monster in NXT UK and that Dennis was jealous and he would be the victor in their no disqualification match.
Travis Banks beat Tyson T-Bone in 2:08 with A Slice of Heaven
T-Bone was aggressive from the start, rag dolling Banks around and hitting him with some hard strikes, but Banks came back with strikes and a running shotgun dropkick, followed by a double foot stomp into the corner. 90 seconds in, Jordan Devlin’s music played and he came out, dressed like Banks. As this was not RAW, Banks only briefly was distracted, but took right back over, eventually hitting a Slice of Heaven for the pin.
Devlin then entered the ring and attacked Banks, but Banks quickly hit a Slice of Heaven on him and sent him packing.
A recap video of the Toni Storm/Rhea Ripley rivalry aired, featuring the NXT UK Women’s Championship finals between them, followed by Ripley’s dominant title reign and Toni winning the Mae Young Classic and challenging for the title.
A segment ran down the NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool card, including a breaking news announcement of Travis Banks facing Jordan Devlin
Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) beat British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) in 25:29 when Joe Coffey pinned Tyler Bate after a spinning lariat
Bate and Joe Coffey started things off to massive Tyler Bate chants. Bate got forced into a bridge off a test of strength, with Coffey going for a number of pin attempts before fighting his way back to his feet. All six men briefly faced off before the referee could restore order. Seven and Wolfgang were in next and Seven hit a cross body before chaos between all six men broke out again. Now Dunne and Mark Coffey were in. Dunne quickly hit a hard clothesline before another melee broke out, this time ending in a big brawl with Gallus ending up at ringside.
Back in the ring, Dunne started stretching Mark Coffey and British Strong Style quickly tagged in and out, working over Mark Coffey until Bate crashed into Wolfgang and the heels got the advantage, working over the Big Strong Boi. At one point, Bate took a great Bret-Hart-style chest-first bump into the corner before managing the hot tag to Trent Seven. who took over like a house of fire on all three men, prompting Wolfgang and Mark Coffey to hi each other inadvertently a number of times. This ended when Joe Coffey smashed him shoulder-first into the ring steps on the outside to turn the tables once more.
Gallus worked over Seven for a few minutes before he finally managed to hit a big superplex on Joe Coffey and make the hot tag Pete Dunne. He hit an X-Plex on Mark Coffey and locked in a knee bar on Wolfgang, who eventually managed to tag Joe Coffey. Dunne immediately locked Coffey in a triangle, and then, as Coffey tagged Wolfgang who came off the top rope, Dunne caught him in an arm bar.
Wolfgang eventually suplexed his way out and Dunne tagged Bate. Bate and Coffey had a few great spots, ending with Coffey missing a springboard body press and Bate hitting a running shooting star. Bate escaped a wheel barrow spin by Coffey, then picked him up for a long air plane spin. Coffey escaped a Tyler Driver ’97 attempt and then both men went down after trading strikes.
Both tagged out to Seven and Mark Coffey with Seven hitting a ripcord DDT before all three members of British Strong Style hit a triple power bomb on Mark. Bate then hit a dive on Wolfgang. Dunne and Mark Coffey were in the ring, but Dunne got distracted when Joe Coffey has his WWE UK title on the apron. Joe Coffey hit a big power bomb on Dunne for a very close near fall, with Bate breaking up the pin.
After some more chaos, Dunne and Joe Coffey ended up together in the ring, doing the Frye-Takayama exchange of strikes. Dunne stomped on Coffey fingers but ate a spear in return. Dunne thwarted a second attempt with a hard knee to the head. Dunne broke Coffey’s fingers and hit the Bitter End, but didn’t see Wolfgang getting tagged in. Dunne tagged Bate, who hit a corkscrew senton on everybody on the outside. Bate hiot a rolling kick on Wolfgang who managed to tag out to Joe Coffey. Bate went for his springboard lariat, but Coffey caught him with the spinning lariat for the pin in the finish to a great match,
Pete Dunne faced off with Gallus from the apron as the show went off the air.
Next episode:
The fallout from the first ever NXT UK TakeOver special, probably with matches being taped this coming weekend.
Also, don’t miss NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool this coming Saturday at 2 PM ET (7 PM BST, 8 PM CET) on the WWE Network (pre-show starts half an hour earlier).
Episode 22 (taped November 25, 2018 at the Liverpool Olympia in Liverpool, England)
Quick recap:
Toni Storm beat Deonna Purrazzo in a good opener, gearing up for her upcoming championship match against Rhea Ripley. The champ came out afterwards to stare Toni down. Wild Boar beat Josh Morrell in a short match. Eddie Dennis and Dave Mastiff brawled to a double DQ, so Johnny Saint booked them in a No-DQ match for the upcoming NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.
In the main event segment, WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne and Joe Coffey signed the contract for their upcoming match at TakeOver. After “talking to much” (according to Pete Dunne), Coffey got his fingers snapped but had the last laugh as he power bombed Dunne through the table in the ring and posed with the championship. All six members of British Strong Style and Gallus will meet next week, leading up to TakeOver.
Full rundown:
Toni Storm beat Deonna Purrazzo in 9:25 after Storm Zero
Toni took Donna down and locked in a guillotine, followed by a waist lock and Toni was victorious in a battle of hold and counter holds, then offered her hand to Deonna. Deonna then managed to escape head scissors by Toni via a headstand and refused to shake Toni’s hand afterwards. Toni hit a spin kick, followed by a running basement dropkick for a quick two count.
Toni locked in a combo STF/chin lock but Deonna made the ropes. Toni missed her running hip attack and Deonna started working over Toni’s left arm. Deonna eventually hit an STO and locked in a Koji Clutch, but Toni managed to turn it into a pinning combination. Toni eventually managed to stop Deonna’s momentum with a backstabber, but Purrazzo managed to stop a Storm Zero attempt, but got flattened after a head butt.
Deonna escaped Storm Zero once more, hit a back flip followed by a drop kick and locked in the Fujiwara arm bar until Toni finally managed to reach the ropes with her legs. They had a battle of chops and forearms until Toni managed to escape another Fujiwara arm bar attempt, hit a release German suplex and Storm Zero for the win.
Rhea Ripley came out after the match, got on the apron, stared Toni down and held the NXT UK Women’s Championship right in front of her.
A short video on WIld Boar aired.
Radzi interviewed Sid Scala and Johnny Saint about the other bracket of the NXT UK Tag Team Championship. Scala announced the semi-final match of Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster vs. Zack Gibson & James Drake for next week.
“Wild Boar” Mike Hitchman beat “Turbo” Josh Morrell in 3:04 after a frog splash
Morrell showed some athleticism early on, but Board countered with sheer craziness and took over, launching his own body all over the ring and into his opponent. Morrell managed to hit a sunset flip from the top rope but quickly got his momentum taken away as Boar hit a fireman’s carry into the corner, followed by a flying inverted senton and frog splash for the victory.
A Jospeh Conners video aired, talking about how there is no “we” in NXT UK, only himself. He vowed to break all the “shiny new toys” of the brand.
Travis Banks cut a backstage promo, saying that he loved his country as much as Jordan Devlin loved his.
Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner confronted Sid Scala backstage and demanded to be put in the NXT UK Tag Team Championship semi-finals match instead of Andrews & Webster. Scala told them they had just arrived and if the got involved in the match next week, they would be out of NXT UK as quickly as they had come in.
Eddie Dennis vs. “Bomber” Dave Mastiff went to a double DQ in 4:20
Dennis charged in with punches and whipped Mastiff into the corner numerous times. He followed with a number of kicks and stomps, until he charged right into Mastiff’s elbow. Mastiff wiped Dennis out with a running cross body, followed by a big dropkick after some pulling and pushing. Mastiff hit a few big elbows to the side of Dennis’ head. Dennis escaped to the outside and attacked Mastiff as he followed.
Dennis had Mastiff up for his splash mountain drop but Dennis escaped and hit a rolling fireman’s carry on the outside, but smashed into the ring steps as Dennis moved out of the way of his charge. Both men made it just back into the ring at the count of 9. Back inside, the two big men went at it with punches and would not stop so the referee disqualified them both.
After a brief shock, the two behemoths kept going at it until a number of referees and Sid Scala tried breaking them up with little success. Johnny Saint finally came out and made a no disqualification match between them for NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.
A recap of last episode’s tag team main event of Moustache Mountain vs. Gallus with Joe Coffey and Pete Dunne getting involved aired; a match between all six members of Gallus and British Strong Style will take place next week.
Contract signing between Pete Dunne and Joe Coffey
Johnny Saint and Sid Scala were in the ring for the contract signing between WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne and Joe Coffey. Scala called out Coffey first, followed by the champ, who came out to a big ovation. Scala wanted them to sit down but neither man would oblige. Coffey finally took the mic and they both slowly sat down.
Coffey said that there would be a change of the guard in NXT UK. Coffey asked Johnny and Scala to back off, because he wanted a moment with Dunne. He said that the NXT UK brand was his and the title would soon be his too. He said Dunne was champion for too long and that he only still had the title because he had not been here before. He said now was the time to claim his throne.
Coffey signed the contract but as he was done, Dunne grabbed his fingers and broke them. He said Coffey talked too much and he would see him at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool. The rest of Gallus came out and Coffey used the distraction to hit Dunne in the throat and power bombed him through the table, then picked up the WWE UK Championship and posed with it in the ring as his music played and the show went off the air.
Next week:
Zack Gibson & James Drake battle Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews in the second semi-final for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship. Also, British Strong Style will meet Gallus just days before NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.
Episode 21 (taped November 24, 2018 at the Liverpool Olympia in Liverpool, England)
Quick recap:
Travis Banks quickly defeated Jamie Ahmed but was called out by Jordan Devlin afterwards. The new team of Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner beat Kenny Williams & Jordan Devlin, and Jinny defeated Candyfloss.
In the main event, Moustache Mountain advanced to the NXT UK Tag Team Championship tournament finals by beating Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang). Both Pete Dunne and Joe Coffey got involved in the finish. The two teams brawled as the show went off the air, but not before Dunne accepted Joe Coffey’s challenge for a WWE UK Championship match at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.
Travis Banks defeated Jamie Ahmed in 1:40 with Slice of Heaven
Banks took him down early until Ahmed escaped. Banks tried to get a submission, but Ahmed made the ropes. Banks hit a dropkick to the back of Ahmed’s head and followed with a German suplex. He then hit a shotgun dropkick, a double foot stomp off the middle ropes, and Slice of Heaven for the quick win.
Jordan Devlin came out after the match to trash talk Banks. He talked about how Banks left his native New Zealand to wrestle and, while Devlin cashes his check and goes home to his family after the matches, he wondered if Banks’ mum even remembered his voice. He dared Banks to shut him up.
– Nigel McGuinness and Vic Joseph talked about the NXT UK Tag Team title tournament and recapped the history between Moustache Mountain and Gallus, leading into tonight’s main event. A graphic plugged the next match with the debuting team of Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner.
– A recap of the recent Dave Mastiff and Eddie Dennis angles aired, and a rematch between the two monsters was announced for the next episode.
Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner defeated Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams in 7:31 with a powerbomb/Saito suplex combination
Williams wouldn’t dance with Jordan as they came out. Williams and Barthel traded arm locks early on. Jordan received a thrust to the throat for his dancing antics by Barthel, who tagged out to Aichner. Aichner dominated Jordan until he escaped to hit a body block but got caught and then destroyed by both heels, who proceeded to beat the heck out of him and quickly tagged in and out.
Williams made the save after a spine buster/running kick combo. Barthel then hit a butterfly suplex and transitioned into a chinlock. Jordan finally made the hot tag to Williams — who ran wild.
Williams hit a plancha to the outside and even saved Jordan from certain defeat by Barthel’s Landungsbrücken. Aichner and Barthel put an end to that tomfoolery by hitting a powerbomb/Saito suplex combo on Jordan for the win.
– A segment from earlier today aired, where Radzi Chinyanganya caught Toni Storm and Deonna Purrazzo agreeing to a match for Storm’s title shot at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool. A graphic promised Jinny would be in action next
– Sid Scala and Johnny Saint were talking about TakeOver when Joe Coffey interrupted and demanded a title match against Pete Dunne at that event. Scala said they’d take it under consideration. Saint dismissed him and told Scala they would talk.
Jinny defeated Candyfloss in 4:23 with A Touch of Couture
To her dismay, Candyfloss hugged Jinny early. They traded submissions until Candyfloss mocked Jinny by lying down next to her. Jinny locked in a double wristlock and rammed Candyfloss’ head into the corner. Candyfloss hit two dropkicks but couldn’t capitalize as Jinny hit a Japanese arm drag into the corner, followed by A Touch of Couture for the victory.
– Gallus were shown backstage preparing for their match.
NXT UK Tag Team title tournament semifinal match: Moustache Mountain defeated Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) in 14:37 after a springboard lariat/dragon suplex combo on Coffey
Coffey and Bate started, with Bate hitting a big dropkick right away. Bate also hit a somersault splash off Seven’s shoulders for a quick cover shortly after. The heels took over after a distraction by Wolfgang. They worked Bate over for a while — until he managed to hit a hurricanrana and make the hot tag.
Seven hit a DDT and a Falcon Arrow for a near fall on Coffey. Some more cheating led to the heels back on offense as Wolfgang hit a number of sentons on Seven. Coffey hit a stiff forearm on Seven that almost knocked him out, and he kept being the face in peril for a few more minutes. After a lengthy bear hug, Wolfgang threw Seven to the outside — where Coffey preyed on him but ate a suplex for his troubles.
Seven finally managed to tag in Bate, who immediately hit a dive to the outside and ran wild on Wolfgang, then hit another dive to the outside. Bate hit an impressive exploder, followed by a running Shooting Star Press on Wolfgang for a near fall. Bate did the airplane spin on Wolfgang, then turned around to repeat it in the other direction. A deadlift suplex attempt went awry and Wolfgang managed to tag out.
In a super impressive spot, Bate hit a German suplex on Wolfgang while Coffey was piggybacking on his back. Seven took out Wolfgang with a dive as Bate went for the Tyler Driver ’97. Coffey back body dropped Bate, Bate flipped over and went for his springboard lariat, and he got caught with Coffey’s forearm as both men were stunned.
Gallus called for help by Joe Coffey. He came out, but Pete Dunne was at his heels and the two brawled around ringside. In the ring, Bate and Seven hit their combined springboard lariat/dragon suplex on Mark Coffey for the win.
As the faces celebrated, Joe Coffey attacked Pete Dunne once more and Gallus proceeded to beat down British Strong Style until the faces made their own comeback to dispose of their mortal enemies.
Dunne grabbed the mic and accepted Joe Coffey’s challenge for a WWE UK Championship match at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool. Gallus then hit the ring and the two teams brawled once more as the show faded to black.
Next episode:
Toni Storm faces Deonna Purrazzo with Storm’s NXT UK Women’s Championship shot at TakeOver: Blackpool on the line. Eddie Dennis also faces Dave Mastiff in a rematch from a few weeks ago.
Episode 17 (taped October 14 at Plymouth Pavilions in Plymouth, England)
Quick recap:
Toni Storm made her return to NXT UK after being injured in her title match with Rhea Ripley and beat Charlie Morgan. James Drake & Zack Gibson managed to beat Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews with some outside assistance by Fabian Aichner in an attempt to qualify for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship tournament.
In another women’s match, Nina Samuels beat Killer Kelly. Joe Coffey managed to beat Travis Banks, further cementing his status as a legitimate contender for Pete Dunne’s WWE UK Championship. For some reason, the sound mix was off for this episode, with the music too loud and the commentary too silent on any segments involving the announcers and background music.
Full rundown:
Toni Storm defeated Charlie Morgan in 3:56 after Storm Zero
They briefly shook hands, then locked up but neither woman could get the advantage. Morgan slapped Toni, but she came back with slaps of her own, followed by a big boot and a low dropkick for a one count. Toni got on a cross between an Indian Deathlock and STF, but Morgan made the ropes. Morgan managed to fend off Toni’s attack in the corner and hit a step-up enzuigiri for a quick cover.
She kept being on offense, working over Toni with kicks and locked in a camel clutch in an attempt to break Toni’s back and make her humble. Toni managed to escape and flip Morgan over, then followed up with forearm strikes and a release German suplex. Toni hit the hip attack in the corner, then followed up with Storm Zero for the win.
In the studio, Vic and Nigel talked about Toni being back and threw it to a music video about Gallus. The sound mix was off here and it was hard to understand them.
A video hyping up Gallus aired, with highlights of the destruction they caused over the past few weeks.
Joe Coffey and Travis Banks were shows warming up backstage in a split screen; this was followed up by a WrestleMania hype video.
James Drake & Zack Gibson defeated Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews in 8:49 when Gibson submitted Andrews with the Shankly Gates
The sound mix still was off during the entrances, making it nearly impossible to understand the announcers while the music was playing.
Gibson and Andrews started, with Gibson using his size advantage early on but Andrews being the quicker man and countering most of his offense. Andrews tagged out and they hit a double hip toss combined moonsault/reverse shooting star onto Gibson. Morgan locked in a guillotine but Gibson backed him into his own corner and Drake tagged in.
Drake briefly took over but Webster hit the Rude Boy Block off the second turnbuckle. As he went to the top again, Gibson took off his wrist tape and threw it at Webster, distracting him enough for Drake to attack and send him to the outside. Gibson picked him up for a backbreaker to the outside and Drake jumped over the ropes and hit a knee onto Webster.
The heels continued working over Webster in and outside the ring. The fans were livid at this point with “shoes off if you hate Gibson” chants and virtually everyone waving their shoes into the air, prompting Nigel to complain about the smell in the arena. Drake hit a forearm for a near-fall and applied a chin lock. Webster finally managed to push Drake into Gibson and reach for the hot tag. Andrews came in with a springboard huracanrana on Gibson right away, then slid under a double clothesline and hit a double Pelé kick on both heels.
Andrews got caught on a moonsault attempt, but managed to turn it into a swinging DDT. Gibson finally managed to thwart another aerial attack by Andrews, kicking his legs off the ropes and following with a forearm, leading into a missile dropkick by Drake and Grit Your Teeth (a running Codebreaker) by Gibson for a near-fall.
Andrews managed to escape a Doomsday Device attempt, make the tag to Webster who sent Gibson to the outside, hit Drake with an enzuigiri from the apron and followed up with an inverted huracanrana from the second turnbuckle, but Gibson managed to make the save. Webster manged to hit a head-butt, sending Gibson staggering, but Gibson managed to pick up Webster and throw him into Andrews who was on the top rope.
The heels tossed Webster out of the ring and grabbed Andrews, but he managed to turn a double suplex attempt into a double Stunt Dog Millionaire. Andrews went to the top to hit the Shooting Star Press on Drake but Fabian Aichner ran out and threw Webster into the steel steps, prompting Andrews to hit a plancha onto him. Meanwhile, Drake tagged out to Gibson without Andrews noticing, so when Andrews finally hit the Shooting Star Press, Drake wasn’t the legal man anymore. Gibson slid into the ring and locked in the Shankly Gates.
After the match, Aichner got back into the ring and attacked Andrews, picking him up for his spinning power bomb but Webster pulled Andrews down at the last second and they managed to send Aichner packing.
A highlight video hyped up Killer Kelly and Nina Samuels, who we were told would be competing next; this was followed by a WWE Custom Tees commercial.
Nina Samuels defeated Killer Kelly in 4:30 after Hell to the Knee-na
Problems with the sound mix continued. Samuels managed to avoid Kelly a few times, before slapping her and getting caught in a wrist lock, but managed to escape to the ropes. Samuels kept teasing Kelly, but only drew the ire of Kelly, who hit a series of forearms and a big boot for a two-count.
Samuels ducked a right hand by Kelly on the apron and snapped the her neck on the top rope. Samuels locked in a sitting full nelson on the mat. Kelly briefly powered out but Samuels locked it back in and hit a snap mare and a a somersault neck snap for another near fall. Kelly was tied up in the ropes and Samuels hit a running dropkick to Kelly’s back for yet another two count.
Samuels locked in another full nelson, but Kelly managed to slide out of the move and roll Nina up. Kelly suplex her into the corner and hit a running basement dropkick for a close near-fall. Kelly tried for a fisherman’s buster but Samuels grabbed one of her pigtails and rammed her into the corner. She followed up with Hell to the Knee-na for the win.
A graphic for our main event was shown followed by a commercial for the AJ Styles 365 special.
Radzi interviewed Fabian Aichner backstage, talking about Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster getting the last laugh. Aichner said that if they thought they could mess with him, they got another thing coming. Webster and Andrews won’t win the NXT tag team titles because Aichner would find himself a partner and win the titles himself.
Joe Coffey defeated “The Kiwi Buzzsaw” Travis Banks in 11:13 after a discuss lariat.
Coffey came out on his own, without his Gallus brethren. Both guys charged each other but Banks started out with strikes and kicks. They had a striking battle early, until Banks hit a shotgun dropkick followed by a swinging kick on the apron. They battled on the outside until Coffey rolled Banks back into the ring, but Banks came flying right back with a topé to the back of Coffey.
Coffey then hit a slingshot on Banks, sending him into the barricades shoulder-first to take the lead. Back in the ring, Coffey started working over Banks’ still injured right shoulder, including locking in a full nelson, which he kept on despite some brief attempts of Banks to escape.Coffey continuously attacked the shoulder with a number of strikes, yanks, and submission holds.
Banks finally hit a few kicks, but Coffey wouldn’t let go of Banks’ arm, until a big knee strike that sent something from Coffey’s mouth flying. He evaded a corner attack by Coffey and hit a dropkick to the back of his head, followed by a Shining Wizard for a near-fall. After a failed attempt at a fisherman’s buster, Coffey took over again with more attacks of the shoulder and a big power slam. Coffey caught him in a spinning bear-hug and hit an overhead belly-to-belly for another near-fall.
They battled on the top rope until Banks hit a head-butt to send Coffey to the mat, followed by a double foot stop to Coffey’s neck and then another double stomp in the corner from the second turnbuckle. Banks hit a fisherman’s buster for a near-fall, hit a hard elbow on Coffey on the apron, sending him to the floor.
Banks followed that one with a suicide dive and rolled Coffey back inside. Banks hit yet another double foot stomp onto Coffey’s back for a close two-count. As Banks missed an aerial attack and rolled through, Coffey hit him with a spear (although it was more a flying shove) into the corner and went for his discuss lariat. Banks blocked it, but Coffey spun around again and successfully hit the discuss lariat for the win.
Next episode:
They didn’t announce anything, but we are heading into the November set of tapings next week, including the start of the NXT UK Tag Team Championship tournament and the debut of a few new faces in NXT UK.
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.
Episode 15 (taped October 13 at Plymouth Pavilions in Plymouth, England)
Quick summary —
Flash Morgan Webster managed to avenge the loss of his partner Mark Andrews by defeating Fabian Aichner in a good match. Isla Dawn continued her path to challenge for the NXT UK Women’s Championship, defeating Killer Kelly and then calling out Rhea Ripley.
As teams are looking to qualify to compete for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship, Zack Gibson & James Drake defeated Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams. In the main event, Joe Coffey managed to beat Trent Seven in another good outing.
Full recap —
– The show opened with a video of Triple H and Johnny Saint introducing the NXT UK Tag Team Championship. It was said that teams had to impress Saint in order to qualify for a tournament.
– In the studio, Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness talked about the upcoming Tag Team titles and Joe Coffey vs. Trent Seven later tonight.
Flash Morgan Webster defeated Fabian Aichner in 9:36 with a bridging pin
We saw a backstage segment with Webster and Mark Andrews. Andrews told his partner to be careful against Aichner tonight. There also was a look back at Aichner discovering his mean streak and throwing Andrews into the ring steps in their match two episodes ago before picking up the victory.
Aichner wanted a hand shake to start the match, but Webster wouldn’t fall for it, kicked at his hand, and went for a quick roll-up to start things off. Webster was the smaller man here and evaded some of Aichner’s punches, instead managing to get some arm drags in. He pulled down the ropes and Aichner tumbled to the outside.
Webster launched himself over the ropes but missed his attack — and Aichner threw him into the steps. Andrews came out at that point to support his partner. Aichner almost gained a countout victory, but Webster managed to get back in at eight. Aichner took over with strikes and forearms and attacked Webster from ringside, throwing forearms at his head as he lay on the apron.
Aichner went for a nerve hold, then hit a back suplex as Webster escaped and went back to working over Webster’s shoulder some more. Webster managed to evade a back body drop with a kick to the head and evaded a corner charge by Aichner, which sent the man from South Tyrol tumbling over the top in what looked like a mean bump.
Back in the ring, Webster hit three consecutive dropkicks and the Modern Knee for a near fall. Aichner charged at him in the corner again, but Webster hopped the ropes and hit an enzuigiri from the apron, followed by the Rude Boy Block from the corner for a another near fall.
Aichner came back with a brainbuster and screamed at Webster to “stay down,” but Webster hit two headbutts and went up top. Aichner rolled to ringside, evading an attack. Webster followed him and got thrown into the barricades. As Aichner went for a running kick into Webster on the steel steps, Andrews stepped in and thwarted the attack.
Aichner rolled Webster back inside and went for a powerbomb, but as he jaw-jacked with Andrews on the outside, Webster took out his legs, rolled over, and got the win with a bridging pin. Aichner was furious in the ring as the babyfaces went to the back.
– Radzi Chinyanganya was backstage with Amir Jordan, who was his smiling and dancing self. He wanted Radzi to dance with him and even put his scarf around his shoulders. Radzi started moving his shoulders as Jordan danced, but Kenny Williams stepped in and told Jordan that there was a time for fun and a time to be serious and told him they had to focus on their upcoming match against Zack Gibson & James Drake. Radzi still was moving his shoulders around and Williams told him he was disappointed in him.
– We took a look at Isla Dawn beating Nina Samuels two episodes ago and were told she would be up next.
– After a WWE Shop commercial, we joined Gallus backstage. Joe Coffey said he’d take out Trent Seven tonight and then focus on Travis Banks, while Wolfgang and Mark Coffey promised to go after the NXT UK Tag Team titles.
Isla Dawn defeated Killer Kelly in 3:16 after a float-over gutwrench into a powerslam
Dawn started things off with leg kicks against Kelly’s left thigh, which would become the story of the match. She managed to take Kelly down on a guillotine attempt and put her in a leg lock. Kelly got back up and stuffed another takedown, then hit a suplex into the corner, followed by a running basement dropkick. Kelly then locked in a cravat.
Dawn managed to work her way out of the hold and threw more kicks to Kelly’s leg, weakening her base. Kelly started limping and Dawn went for a back drop driver, followed by a running knee, then hit her float-over gutwrench into a powerslam for the victory.
Post-match, Radzi interviewed Dawn in the ring, asking her what was next. Dawn said that her eyes were set on the NXT UK Women’s Championship, prompting Rhea Ripley to come out posing with her belt. Dawn challenged her to a match and Ripley seemed to accept. Dawn said that Ripley was so confident, but if she put the title on the line, she would walk out empty handed.
– A graphic promoted Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams vs. Zack Gibson & James Drake next, followed by a TLC commercial.
– Dave Mastiff was interviewed by some anonymous journalists and said that he would focus on the WWE UK Championship. Eddie Dennis walked up and said some journalist was looking to interview the undefeated monster of NXT UK and Dennis figured he had missed the call, but then found out they meant Mastiff. Dennis told him that he was not the only undefeated monster in NXT UK. Mastiff told him to settle things in the ring.
– Joseph and McGuinness were back in studio, talking about that proposed match and the teams in NXT UK.
Zack Gibson & James Drake defeated Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams in 6:52 after hitting a double-team codebreaker
Jordan and Drake started out and Jordan went for a quick roll-up. He hit a running body press early on and tagged in Williams, who hit a flying elbow on Drake’s arm. The faces threw the heels out of the ring and hit stereo dives on them, then Jordan followed up with a high crossbody back in the ring.
Drake came back and threw Jordan out of the ring, where Gibson grabbed him and Drake launched himself over the ropes to hit Jordan in the back. Back in the ring, Gibson locked in his sitting Cobra Clutch on Jordan. Jordan managed to escape with a stunner, but couldn’t reach Williams as Gibson tagged out.
Jordan eventually made the hot tag and Williams ran wild, hitting a back-spring elbow and a running soccer kick on Drake for a near fall. As Drake hit forearms on Williams in the corner, Jordan tagged back in and hit an STO on Drake. Williams then tagged back in. Gibson came in and threw Jordan outside and followed him, but Williams managed to hit a wrecking ball dropkick on him through the ropes.
As Williams skinned the cat back inside, Drake picked him up into a tombstone position, then threw him into Gibson who hit a codebreaker for the win.
– Moustache Mountain were backstage as Trent Seven warmed up for his match.
Joe Coffey defeated Trent Seven in 15:02 after a spinning lariat
Coffey proclaimed that this was “their kingdom” as he came out. He and Seven locked up and jockeyed for position, with Coffey breaking clean on Seven touching the ropes before taking him down and working the arm. Seven escaped and hit a suplex, but in the process, tweaked his injured knee, which Coffey gleefully noticed.
Seven hit a DDT, but Coffey grabbed him by the moustache and threw him outside. The rest of Gallus stepped up, but Bate also stepped in to keep them from attacking his partner. Coffey used this to jump into Seven’s back with a stomp from the apron. They went back in, but Coffey ended up on the apron again and Seven chopped him to ringside.
As Gallus stepped up on the apron, Bate got in the ring and Moustache Mountain attacked Gallus, with Bate hitting a dropkick. The faces then hit stereo dives on the heels to the outside. Bate brawled to the back with Wolfgang and Mark Coffey.
Seven hit another plancha on Coffey, then hit more chops back in the ring. Coffey clipped his knee to turn things around and worked over the injured leg. He missed a corner charge and ended up shoulder-first in the ring post, allowing Seven to actually get him up top for a superplex.
Seven managed to hit a snap dragon and another suplex for a near fall, then locked in a figure four on Coffey. Coffey escaped and they ended up on the apron, where Coffey hit a vicious belly-to-belly suplex on Seven onto the floor. Seven narrowly made it back into the ring at 9.5.
Coffey hit a powerbomb, then picked Seven up for another one and locked in the Boston crab, transitioning to a single-leg on Seven’s knee before the injured babyface managed to reach the ropes.
They ran into each other with a double clothesline and traded Strikes. Seven managed another snap dragon suplex on one leg, but couldn’t get Coffey up on what probably was a Burning Hammer attempt. Coffey managed to hit a deadlift German suplex, a spear into the corner, and a spinning lariat to pick up the victory. He celebrated as the show went off the air.
Next episode:
Dave Mastiff meets Eddie Dennis and the NXT UK tag team roster will continue to qualify for the Tag Team title tournament.
Episode twelve (taped October 13 at Plymouth Pavilions in Plymouth, England)
Quick recap
Fabian Aichner made his NXT UK debut, defeating Mark Andrews and looking good in the process. Isla Dawn beat Nina Samuels in a quick match, while Edie Dennis basically squashed Tucker. Jordan Devlin beat Flash Morgan Webster in a good main event match.
Also, Travis Banks returned from injury to confront Gallus, the new official name for the group of Wolfgang and the Coffey Brothers. In other news, Sid Scala officially was appointed assistant to NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint.
Full rundown
The show opened with a graphic about Tom “Dynamite Kid” Billington passing away. A scrolling message at the bottom of the screen also wished his family, friends and fans the best.
This was the first show from the third set of NXT UK tapings and saw a number of debuts and returns, the first of which happened in the first segment. Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey and Wolfgang came out and Joe Coffey cut a promo in the ring. He said people had been calling them “ruthless”, then asked his brother for what other word they had been called. “Devious”, was the answer.
He asked Wolfgang for another term. “Underhanded”, was what Wolfgang told him. He said that this was absolutely right, he said that this was their kingdom and that they would be known as Gallus, which, according to Wikipedia means is a Lowland Scottish word for self-confident, daring, cheeky or stylish, impressive,
He said that this was their kingdom now and that there was no such thing as Big Strong Bois anymore. At that point, Travis banks came out and stood in the aisle. Joe Coffey asked him how he felt and that they had put him on the shelf. he dared Banks to get in the ring, noting that there were three of them and just one of him.
He then told him they could go one on one. Banks stormed the ring, but as he took Joe down, the rest of Gallus interfered and beat him down. Moustache Mountain ran out to make the save, sending the heels packing.
Nigel and Vic were in studio, talking about the last segment and then threw it to a backstage interview where Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed Fabian Aichner, who made his debut here. He said that there were some of the best competitors in the world here and he was looking forward to mix it up with them, just as he had done in NXT.
A graphic informed us that Aichner would do battle with Mark Andrews next.
A TLC promo aired.
Radzi was back with Jordan Devlin. Devlin asked if he had seen how far he had pushed Pete Dunne in his own home town and that he was confident another title opportunity would not be too far away for him.
He said that he was the Irish Ace and he looked at the NXT UK roster like a deck of cards and when he shuffles that deck and pulls out Flash Morgan Webster, he sees the Joker. He threatened to rip off Webster’s anorak, throw his helmet in the fifth row and said that the Ace always trumps the Heart. (which makes basically no sense in any kind of card game, but I digress)
Fabian Aichner beat Mark Andrews in 9:19 after a spinning sit-out power bomb
Aichner of course is the current EVOLVE world champion. He hails from South Tyrol which is a German speaking autonomous province in northern Italy, which originally belonged to the Austrian-Hungarian empire (there, you learned something). He started in 2011 and trained in Germany with former WCW “Wunderkind” Alex Wright and his English father, Steve Wright.
Aichner and Andrews shook hands for the start of the match. After some back and forth, Aichner showed his power by easily gorilla pressing Andrews, but Andrews reversed out of the move. He tried his somersault over the top rope from the apron, but Aichner once more caught him in mid-move, even though Andrews managed to turn the move into a lucha arm drag and followed with a huracanrana. Andrews followed this up with a topé.
Back in the ring, Aichner stopped Andrews, threw him high into the air and caught him for a backbreaker, which looked impressive. Nigel talked about Aichner’s trainer Steve Wright once wrestling Tiger Mask, in a similar display of strength and technique versus high flying. Andrews hit a standing corkscrew senton for a near-fall and turned a power bomb attempt into a huracanrana.
He once more tried his somersault over the roped but this time it ended in a hard face slam for him. Aichner turned him inside out with a clothesline and went for a brain buster which got turned into the Stunt Dog Millionaire. Andrews went up top but Aichner caught him mid-air and gave him a brain buster for a near fall.
Aichner then showed his athleticism with a spring board moonsault which missed. Andrews went for a moonsault of his own which got caught, but managed to turn it into a tornado DDT for a near fall of his own. He tried for a shooting star press but impressively managed to land on his feet as Aichner rolled to ringside.
Aichner pulled Andrews out and drove him into the steps, then followed with a running knee into the steel for good measure. This was a turning point, as Aichner supposedly embraced the dark side here. Andrews managed to get back in at 9 but got caught in a spinning sit-out power bomb for the pin.
This was a very good match and a great NXT UK debut for Aichner.
Vic and Nigel talked about the NXT UK Women’s championship tournament, which concluded last week.
A promo looked at Isla Dawn, the White Witch of NXT UK. She went by some ancient buildings and talked about her powers. A graphic announced Isla Dawn would meet Nina Samuels next.
A commercial for the AJ Styles WE 365 documentary aired.
Radzi was with Johnny Saint, asking him how he handled all the chaos going on in NXT UK right now. Johnny said that he knew he needed some help, so he had appointed Sid Scala as his assistant. At that point, Rhea Ripley walked up to them and towered over Scala.
She said they should be talking about her and find her some competition. Scala assured her that they were looking into it. Rhea at that point pinched him in the cheeks and mockingly stated tha the little assistant would be finding her an opponent. She walked off and told Johnny that she didn’t think much of his hired help.
Isla Dawn beat Nina Samuels in 3:20 after a gutwrench powerslam
They locked up and Isla managed to pull out of a head lock. Samuels took over with a chin lock and we were told that she had run the London marathon four times, so she had stamina. That was of little use, as Isla moved out of the way of a charging Samuels and hit some kickboxing kicks, a back drop driver and eventually her gut-wrench power slam for the quick win.
Some Eddie Dennis highlights aired and we were told that he would be in action against Tucker next
A WWE Shop commercial featuring the New Day aired; apparently there is a Book of Booty-Os. Sounds thrilling!
We saw highlights from last week’s tournament final between Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm. Toni talked about the crucial moment when her back got hurt off a spot of being thrown onto the edge of the apron (originally there was fear she would be out for a while with a back injury). She said that while Rhea was the first NXT UK Women’s champion, she herself would be the best champion and the the injury just made her stronger.
Eddie Dennis beat Tucker with the Next Stop Driver in 2:27
Denis was in control from the start with punches and hard whips. He hit his Black Hole Slam into a backbreaker on his knee, then locked Tucker in a cravat. Tucker briefly managed to come back with a back elbow from the second turnbuckle and a clothesline in the corner, but Dennis took his head off with a hard clothesline.
He hit the Severed Bridge into the corner and ended the match with the Next Stop Driver.
We were informed that Jordan Devlin would be in action next
A WWE Network promo aired
Johnny Saint announced via Twitter that Travis Banks would have a chance for retaliation against Gallus next week when he gets to face Wolfgang
Jordan Devlin beat Flash Morgan Webster in 12:04 after Ireland’s Call
Webster early on flipped out of some arm locks and they traded counters back and forth. Devlin eventually took over and kicked Webster into the corner. He hit his uranage/standing moonsault combination and taunted Webster. He picked the smaller man up and hit a backbreaker on his own shoulder, which looked impressive.
After a near fall, he locked in a sitting abdominal stretch. He threw Webster to ringside and smashed him into the apron before rolling him back inside. He taunted Webster some more and answered Webster’s comeback with a face rake. he screamed that Webster didn’t belong on his level nor into his ring.
Webster his the Modern Knee and consecutive dropkicks, followed by an enzuigiri into the corner and followed up with a huracanrana off the top rope. Devlin then did his pull-up by the arms into a backdrop driver spot, which always looks cool. Webster came back with a head-butt that sent Devlin to the outside. Webster followed him with a baseball slide and managed to avoid getting rammed into the steps and hit the Rude Boy Block off the steps on the outside.
He went for a somersault senton but Devlin got his kneed up and eventually landed Ireland’s Call for the victory.
Episode twelve (taped August 26 at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, England)
Quick recap
Rhea Ripley was crowned the inaugural NXT UK Women’s champion, beating Toni Storm in a hard-fought battle. Story of the match was Toni injuring her back early on, so she couldn’t hit Storm Zero and fell victim to Rhea’s Riptide in the end. In other matches, Tyler Bate (replacing Sid Scala) beat Joe Coffey by DQ when Mark Coffey and Wolfgang interfered, leading to a brawl between Gallus (the new name for Wolfgang & the Coffey Brothers) and British Strong Style. Ligero beat Dan Maloney in a fun match and Zack Gibson & James Drake beat Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams.
Full rundown
The show opened with a recap of the NXT UK Women’s Championship tournament, leading down to the two final participants. Nigel and Vic talked some more about the tournament in the studio, as we saw Rhea Ripley and Ton Storm warm up for their match backstage.
**********
Tyler Bate (replacing Sid Scala) beat Joe Coffey by DQ in 9:47 due to outside interference
Coffey was supposed to face Sid Scala, who came out in a suit and with a microphone and said he had not been medically cleared to compete. He said Johnny Saint had given him permission to introduce his replacement, who was Tyler Bate.
Bate got right down to business, attacking Coffey with strikes and a punching battle ensued. A dropkick by Bate sent Coffey to the outside and Tyler followed up with a tope and after some back and forth on the outside, hit a flying European uppercut off the ring steps. At that point, Mark Coffey and Wolfgang came back out which distracted Bate and he got smashed into the ringside barriers.
He couldn’t lift up Coffey for the airplane spin and Coffey took over, hitting a butterfly swing into a butterfly suplex, before applying a double arm stretcher submission. Bate eventually reversed out of it, but got backed into the corner and ate a high belly-to-belly overhead suplex for his troubles.
A striking battle was won by Bate, as he hit a huracanrana and a standing shooting star press for a two-count, Mark Coffey got on the apron, which distracted Tyler Bate and Joe went for a pop-up power slam. Trent Seven came to the ring at that point to even the odds somewhat. Coffey missed a reverse body press off the top and Bate hit his neck-and-shoulders springboard lariat and managed to pick up Coffey for an airplane spin, even doing a squat in the middle of it, before spinning him some more in the other direction.
Coffey briefly got a few more shots in, but was wiped out with a rolling kappa kick. Bate set up the Tyler Driver ’97 but Wolfgang and Mark Coffey interfered for the DQ.
Trent Seven got in the ring to help out his mate, but the heels took over, until Pete Dunne’s music hit and he stormed out to a big pop and evened the odds. The heels were sent to ringside, briefly tried to come back into the ring but were finally driven off by British Strong Style.
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A graphic announced Dan Maloney facing Ligero next
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Ligero beat Dan Maloney after a springboard swinging DDT in 5:13
Maloney slapped Ligero right away and received a leg kick in return. He then picked up Ligero for a suplex and put him down on the apron, but Ligero flipped back into the ring and hit a dropkick for a quick cover. He went for a huracanrana but Maloney caught him and held him in position, but before he could capitalize, Ligero escaped and hit a flying huracanrana off the middle rope for a near fall.
A spine buster briefly stopped Ligero and a submission slowed the match down. Maloney briefly took over but missed a leg drop off the second turnbuckle. Ligero came back with a Rey Mysterio style seated senton off the top, followed by an enzuigiri. Ligero hit an assisted Sliced Bread, bouncing off the top rope and Maloney rolled ot the outside.
Ligero kept pushing, hitting a somersault senton on the bigger man and finally back in the ring, hit a springboard swinging DDT for the win.
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A graphic announced the upcoming tag team match, pitting Zack Gibson and James Drake against Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams. This was followed by a WWE Shop commercial
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Zack Gibson & James Drake beat Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams in 8:26 when Gibson pinned Williams after hitting Ticket to Ride
“Shoes off, if you hate Gibson” chants could be heard immediately, as the fans held their shoes into the air. Gibson and Williams started out and Gibson locked in a cravat and a side headlock right away and tagged his partner in crime. Williams rolled up Drake and hit a springboard back elbow before tagging out himself. Jordan hit a high hip toss and a drop kick and did his dance.
After being hit by a cross body and a drop kick, Drake was blind tagged by Gibson on a whip-in and the Grizzled Young Veterans hit a double chop to Amir’s throat.
Gibson locked in his seated cobra clutch variant and Drake tagged back in, while Amir was still in the hold. Amir played face in peril for a while, as the heels tagged in and out in quick succession. Gibson slammed Drake on top of Jordan for a two count. After some taunting and more beat downs, Drake finally missed a running dropkick into the corner and Amir managed the hot tag to Williams, as Drake tagged in Gibson.
Williams ran wild for a bit, hitting a dropkick on Gibson and taking out Drake on the apron. He hit a lucha-style roll-through into a face buster on Gibson for a near fall.
Gibson managed to tag back out and the heels went for a double back suplex on Williams, but Jordan pulled him down and hit a dropkick on Gibson as Williams hit a superkick on Drake, which sent both men to the outside. Williams hit a running dropkick through the ropes, but held on to the top rope and skinned the cat back inside, before hitting a double topés with Jordan.
Williams went to the to rope, but Gibson rammed Amir into the steps on the outside, distracting Williams and giving Drake a chance to push him off. With Amir being take out, the heels hit Ticket to Ride, a throw from a tombstone position by Drake into a codebreaker by Williams for the win.
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A split screen saw Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm walk to ringside for the main event.
Johnny Saint’s music hit and he came out carrying the NXT UK Women’s championship, followed by a WrestleMania ticket commercial.
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NXT UK Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley pinned Toni Storm in 9:28 after hitting Riptide to become the inaugural champion
This really was the battle of music styles, as the 80’s rocker, Toni Storm faced the Mosh Pit Kid, Rhea Ripley.
Ripley shoved Storm right away and hit her double arm sign of the horns pose. Toni retaliated with a firearm, slap, spin kick and running boot, sending Rhea crashing into to corner, where she promptly got hit with a hip attack by Toni and rolled to ringside. Toni followed up with a plancha between the middle and lowest rope.
Rhea recovered quickly and whipped Storm into the barriers back first, then briefly rolled back into the ring and stomped hard into Toni’s back on her way back out. This started telling the story of the match, which was Toni not being able to hit some of her signature moves due to her lower back being injured.
Toni came back with some knee strikes and forearm smashed and went for Strong Zero on the apron, but couldn’t lift Ripley up and got back body dropped on the apron. Toni barely made it back into the ring at 8 and Ripley was onto her right away with some ground and pound. Toni came back into the match, but quickly got stopped again with a knee breaker off a headlock attempt.
Ripley locked in her modified clover leaf, putting further pressure on Toni’s knees and lower back. Storm eventually made the ropes for a break, but Ripley kicked her left wrist hard, which still was clutching to the ropes.
Storm came back with some right hand slaps and went for the German suplex, but couldn’t lift Ripley due to her back problems. Ripley went for a back suplex, but Toni escaped and finally hit a snap German and picked Ripley up for a second one. Ripley eventually countered an attempt for a third one, but Toni hit a head butt and finally hit the third German suplex into a bridge for a near fall. She followed up with a running kick, a hip attack into the corner and flying double knees into the corner for another two count.
Ripley briefly took over but missed a corner charge and crashed into the post. Toni tried a bridging pin, but her momentum actually helped Ripley kicking out. Toni went for the Storm Zero, but got back body dropped over the top to the outside. where Ripley threw into the barriers a few more times and managed to get another two count back in the ring. She went for Riptide but Toni managed to escape the move and went for Storm Zero, but again, couldn’t get Ripley up due to her injured back.
Ripley tried for Riptide again, finally hit the move and pinned Toni Storm for the win and the championship.
Johnny Saint and Triple H entered the ring to congratulate Ripley and hand her the title. Rhea hugged both men and they celebrated in the ring together as the whole NXT UK roster came out on the stage to applaud the new champion as the show went off the air.
In a WWE.com exclusive video, Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed Rhea Ripley in the ring. She said that this was so unreal and that she really wished she could catch her breath, but she couldn’t. She said Toni, you are a legend and I love you so much. She thanked everyone for coming out and said that it meant the world to her. The fans chanted “you deserve it” and she smiled and said, she was not going to lie, she might.
She thanked all the women who fought so hard for this and said that they were finally making history. This prompted chants of “British Wrestling”. She said she sould continue to rip everyone apart and then went to the top of the stage to pose with Johnny Saint, Triple H and the whole NXT UK roster.
The NXT UK brand taped more episodes of their television show tonight in Plymouth, England. Here are the results:
– Eddie Ryan defeated Saxon Huxley in a dark match
Ryan scored the win following a roll up.
The Coffey Brothers, along with Wolfgang, cut a promo saying that NXT UK is their kingdom. Travis Banks came out to interrupt but was overpowered. Moustache Mountain came in for the save.
– Fabian Aichner defeated Mark Andrews
Fabian pinned Andrews after a spinning powerbomb.
– Isla Dawn defeated Nina Samuels.
– Eddie Dennis defeated Tucker
Dennis got the win after a modified sidewalk slam.
– Jordan Devlin defeated Morgan Webster.
– Joseph Connors defeated Dan Moloney.
– Dave Mastiff defeated Mike Hitchman
Mastiff got the win over Hitchman after a somersault into the turnbuckle.
– Ligero defeated Tyson T. Bone
Ligero won following a splash off the top rope.
– Rhea Ripley defeated Candy Floss
Ripley defeated Floss with a pump handle powerbomb.
– Travis Banks defeated Wolfgang
The Coffey brothers got involved during the match, but Moustache Mountain hit the ring to even the odds, allowing Banks to score the win over Wolfgang.
– Morgan Webster defeated Fabian Aichner
Webster reversed a roll up for the win.
– Isla Dawn defeated Killer Kelly.
After the match, Isla Dawn was interviewed and said she wanted a shot at Rhea Ripley’s NXT UK Women’s title. Ripley came out, and it seems like a future match will happen.
– James Drake and Zack Gibson defeated Kenny Williams and Amur Jordan.
