In a dizzying two days of sexual abuse and misconduct accusations throughout the pro wrestling industry, three WWE talents issued denials Friday afternoon as the company released their own statement outlining a zero tolerance policy toward domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault.
From WWE:
“Individuals are responsible for their own personal actions. WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault. Upon arrest for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately suspended. Upon conviction for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately terminated. WWE’s ability to fine, suspend or terminate a WWE talent will not be, however, limited or compromised in any manner in the event incontrovertible evidence of such illegal misconduct is presented to WWE.”
“The allegations by this independent female performer are completely false and another attempt to harass and humiliate Mr. and Mrs. Riddle and to try to tarnish their reputation in the community. We have been aware for the last two years of this performer stalking the Riddle family. In 2019, our firm had drafted a pleading against this performer to seek an injunction for cyberstalking in the Circuit Court for Orange County, Florida.”
Riddle’s debut in-ring performance for WWE SmackDown Friday is still moving forward as planned.
Following accusations of abuse Thursday from a female that included pictures of bruising, co-NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin issued a denial Friday via three tweets which are combined below for clarity:
“I didn’t even want to address the hurtful allegation made against me, but for the sake of my followers and friends on this platform that may for whatever reason be unsure, I’m going to address this once. The recent allegation made against me is completely and utterly false and I deny it entirely. This is a case of a malicious personal agenda being executed against me on the back of a very brave telling of true experiences by other women. I completely denounce it. This is all I will say on the matter, and I am now working with a legal team to help decide how to proceed from here.”
Devlin has been off WWE TV due to pandemic related travel issues.
“The current story that has been released by Violet O’Hara/Claire-Michelle Oldfield is neither accurate nor true. This is a completely false allegation and whilst I’ve done other things in my life that I deeply regret, this isn’t an accurate or truthful portrayal of events. This is something I strongly deny and is something I’ve been in the process of speaking to a legal team about.”
He later added over several tweets:
“Regarding the other statements from people like Laura, Natalie who have spoken out about the way they were made to feel, and others that have come forward about unwanted messages, I have no excuse. It’s inappropriate, it’s an embarrassment and it’s an absolute shameful way to act from someone in a position of trust. I sincerely apologise for my actions and any hurt I’ve caused. I have no justification of my actions in the slightest. In these situations, I have failed people as a friend, as a fiancée and as a decent human being.”
WWE issued a statement Thursday regarding an allegation of abuse made against Jordan Devlin.
“We take any allegation of this nature very seriously and are looking into the matter,” WWE said.
The statement was made after a woman named Hannah tweeted photos of bruises on her lower body Thursday, writing, “This is scary. I’m really scared. Jordan Devlin did this to me. And this is just the physical damage. Not including my arse and back bruises….because I don’t fancy posting that online.”
After Devlin tweeted about this being a new chapter for OTT Wrestling following them stripping David Starr of their World title, Hannah tweeted: “My head is full. But my abuser is now tweeting about @OTT_wrestling vacating their championship. You’re in danger of putting another abuser right in Starr’s place.”
Devlin has yet to comment publicly on the allegation made against him.
Throughout Thursday, people have shared their stories on social media of surviving abuse and harassment in the United Kingdom/European professional wrestling scene and beyond, inspiring the #SpeakingOut movement.
Devlin is part of the NXT UK brand and won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship at Worlds Collide this January. Unable to travel and defend the title due to the coronavirus pandemic, an interim Cruiserweight Championship tournament took place and was won by Santos Escobar. WWE dropped the interim label near the end of the tournament, and both Devlin and Escobar are listed as Cruiserweight Champions on their website.
WWE has announced that the interim Cruiserweight title tournament will begin on NXT next Wednesday. The participants and bracket for it haven’t been revealed yet.
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With Jordan Devlin currently unable to travel and defend his title due to the coronavirus pandemic, WWE is crowning an interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion.
The news was announced by NXT general manager William Regal during this morning’s episode of WWE’s The Bump. There will be a tournament to crown the interim champion, and Regal said the details for it will be revealed on NXT’s social media platforms in the forthcoming days.
Devlin tweeted after the announcement: “First things first, absolutely shocking and disrespectful decision by @WWE management. Secondly, you can crown a fraud champion and give him a little replica of my title, but everyone around the world knows who the REAL NXT Cruiserweight Champion still is.”
Devlin became the NXT Cruiserweight Champion by winning a fatal four-way match at Worlds Collide in January. His most recent title defense was against Travis Banks on an episode of NXT UK that was taped on March 7 and aired on March 26.
Regal was also asked about the status of the NXT Tag Team titles due to Pete Dunne being in the United Kingdom. Regal said he still has a decision to make and will hopefully be letting people know in the next week.
Dunne & Matt Riddle are the current NXT Tag Team Champions. On NXT two weeks ago, there was an angle where Riddle was attacked by Rinku Singh & Saurav Gurjar. Rinku & Saurav are being managed by Malcolm Bivens.
Taped at Coventry Skydome in Coventry, England on March 7, 2020
Quick results —
Imperium defeated Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith in a fun opener.
Aoife Valkyrie pinned Nina Samuels.
Piper Niven talked about teaming with Dani Luna next week to take on Kay Lee Ray & Jinny.
Noam Dar beat A-Kid in a very good match after a low blow and the Nova Roller.
Jordan Devlin defended his NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Travis Banks in a fantastic main event. Devlin retained after a roll-up while grabbing the ropes, which the referee missed.
A number of NXT UK wrestlers vowed to win the 20-man battle royal for a shot at WALTER’s NXT UK Championship next week. This was fun and reminded me of the old Royal Rumble promos in the 90s — it made the battle royal feel special, rather than just something being put on for the hell of it.
Full rundown —
The show opened with a recap of Jordan Devlin winning the NXT Cruiserweight Championship at Worlds Collide and looked ahead to his upcoming match with Travis Banks in tonight’s main event.
Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) defeated Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter when Aichner pinned Carter after a European Bomb (8:32)
Barthel and Carter started out with Barthel quickly tying Carter up on the mat. Carter came back with a superkick, but Aichner blind-tagged in to crush his momentum.
Carter managed to tag Smith and we got a brief battle of agile powerhouses. Carter tagged back in and they hit a unique move where Carter somersaulted over the top rope onto Smith’s back on the apron, with Smith launching him back in a sort of rope-assisted moonsault splash. Imperium came back from that creative offense with pure brutality though.
Carter and Smith ran roughshod on Imperium, but Smith got thrown to the outside as Imperium set up for the European Bomb on Carter. Smith pushed Barthel off the ropes and Carter scored a narrow near fall. Seconds later, Imperium thwarted their advantage once more and finally hit the European Bomb on Carter for the win.
– A video with Gallus playing cards at a table talking about NXT UK being their kingdom aired.
– Tyler Bate and Trent Seven talked about the upcoming NXT UK title number one contender’s battle royal. Seven told Bate that “may the best boi win.”
– Alexander Wolfe then also discussed the battle royal, vowing to win to secure the interests of Imperium and keeping the mat sacred.
– Oliver Carter and Ashton Smith got interviewed after their loss to Imperium. Pretty Deadly was there, making fun of them. Smith calmed down Carter and told him to concentrate on the battle royal: They concluded by saying ready and forward — always forward.
Aoife Valkyrie pinned Nina Samuels after Peripeteia (4:48)
Valkyrie locked in a side-headlock, but Samuels initially escaped before being taken down again. Samuels locked in a headscissors, but Valkyrie neck-bridge backflipped and kipped up out of the move. Samuels then was back on offense and transitioned with a modified Indian deathlock into a surfboard submission.
Valkyrie came back with an arm drag off a reverse electric chair, then went to the top rope, but Samuels escaped to ringside. Valkyrie hit a running dropkick through the ropes to take Samuels out. Samuels came back with a launching splash off the apron into the ring. Samuels slapped Valkyrie, which fired her up as she hit a spinning kick and followed up with Peripeteia (a guillotine leg drop off the top rope) for the win.
– A recap of Kay Lee Ray attacking Dani Luna after their match and Piper Niven making the save from last week aired. Niven then was interviewed and asked why she decided to come to the aid of Luna last week. She said Luna was big and strong enough to fight for her own, but she didn’t know how devious KLR could be. Niven said she and Luna would face Kay Lee Ray and Jinny next week and she would finally get her hands on KLR.
– A video recapped the backstage attack on Mark Andrews before the six-man tag last week. Flash Morgan Webster said Andrews was still undergoing tests but vowed to find out who attacked him. He said Andrews told him to concentrate on the battle royal and he would for the sake of South West Subculture.
Noam Dar pinned A-Kid after the Nova Roller (6:38)
Dar took A-Kid down, but he quickly found himself on the receiving end of some punishment as A-Kid escaped and turned the tables on him. They went back and forth on the mat until Dar shoved A-Kid off and he replied with a spin kick that missed.
A-Kid went for an octopus hold but transitioned into a kick as Dar escaped. They traded quick falls for one counts until A-Kid scored a close near fall off a crucifix. Dar hit a spinning elbow that rocked A-Kid and saw him crumble on the mat. Dar set up for a draping DDT but just let A-Kid fall to the mat and kicked him.
A-Kid hit some quick moves in succession and sent Dar to the outside. He went for a springboard moonsault to the outside, but when Dar got back in the ring, A-Kid transitioned into an aerial attack to the inside. Dar caught him off the move and locked in a shoulder bar that A-Kid escaped from. Dar then hit a low blow behind the referee’s back and hit the Nova Roller for the win.
After the match, Dar talked about the battle royal and said he would win and become the next NXT UK Champion.
– A highlight video on WALTER aired.
– Dave Mastiff, Kassius Ohno, and Ilja Dragunov all talked about the battle royal next week, vowing they would win.
WWE NXT Cruiserweight Championship match: Jordan Devlin retained against Travis Banks after a roll-up while grabbing the ropes (14:57)
They took each other down early with neither man getting the advantage. Banks scored a number of quick near falls before Devlin escaped to ringside. Banks looked to pull him back inside but Devlin snapped his neck on the top rope.
Devlin looked to go for the uranage, but Banks escaped and threw him to the outside once more. He went for a running dive, but Devlin moved and used Banks’ momentum to push him hard into the barricades shoulder-first. Devlin followed up with a high-angle back suplex and then locked in a shoulder bar. Banks staged a brief comeback but got wiped out from a standing Spanish Fly by Devlin for a near fall. Devlin stayed in control until Banks came back with hard chops.
Devlin stopped him with a nosebreaker, then grabbed Banks’ arm and hit a few Kawada kicks, but Banks wanted more. Devlin hit the uranage, but Banks got his knees up on Devlin’s moonsault.
Banks hit a few clotheslines, a running cannonball into the corner, and followed with a German suplex for another near fall. Banks hit a running knee to the face of Devlin, then followed with a rolling elbow kick and a dive as Devlin stumbled outside. Banks hit a double stomp off the top on a standing Devlin for another two count.
Devlin evaded a Slice of Heaven, but Banks also escaped a Devlin Side. They traded hard shots until both collapsed to loud “NXT” chants from the crowd. Banks punched Devlin as he was up on the top rope, then hit a double foot stomp onto Devlin when he was stuck in a tree of woe.
They battled on the top rope until Devlin hit a springboard cutter off the apron onto Banks as he was stuck on the second turnbuckle. Banks came back with a Slice of Heaven, then went to hit the Kiwi Crusher, but Devlin escaped, rolled up Banks, bridged on his head, and also grabbed the bottom rope for leverage to score the pinfall victory and successfully defend his title.
Next week —
The 20-man battle royal for a shot at WALTER’s NXT UK Championship takes place. It will feature, among others, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Alexander Wolfe, Ashton Smith, Oliver Carter, Flash Morgan Webster, Noam Dar, Dave Mastiff, Kassius Ohno, Ilja Dragunov, and Jordan Devlin.
Also, Piper Niven teams with Dani Luna to take on Kay Lee Ray & Jinny.
WWE has revealed who NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin will be facing in his 205 Live debut.
A non-title match between Devlin, Lio Rush, and Tony Nese is set for 205 Live tonight. Devlin is making his debut on the show after winning the NXT Cruiserweight Championship in a fatal four-way match at Worlds Collide over Royal Rumble weekend.
Devlin also appeared on NXT this week and defeated Tyler Breeze.
Angel Garza, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, and Travis Banks were also in the fatal four-way at Worlds Collide. Garza was the NXT Cruiserweight Champion heading into the match. He went to pin Scott near the finish, but Devlin gave him a headbutt and then pinned Scott after hitting Devlin Side.
Garza defeated Scott on this week’s NXT and then cut a promo saying he wants the Cruiserweight title back from Devlin.
Tonight’s SmackDown and 205 Live are taking place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. Brian Kendrick & Ariya Daivari is also set for 205 Live. Lorcan returned to the show last Friday and saved Burch from Kendrick and Daivari.
WWE has made a couple of announcements for next week’s episode of NXT.
Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair will take part in a face-to-face segment on NXT next Wednesday. The segment comes in advance of Ripley defending her NXT Women’s Championship against Belair at TakeOver: Portland on Sunday, February 16.
Jordan Devlin has also been announced for next week’s NXT. He won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Angel Garza, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, and Travis Banks in a fatal four-way match at Worlds Collide last Saturday.
Garza was the Cruiserweight Champion going into that fatal four-way match. He went to pin Scott near the finish, but Devlin gave him a headbutt. Devlin then pinned Scott after hitting his Devlin Side suplex.
Two videos that aired on NXT tonight also appear to be teasing something for next week. The first one showed the numbers 5, 20, and 2. Later in the episode they were rearranged to 2-5-20, which is the date for next Wednesday’s NXT.
NXT UK’s Jordan Devlin is the new Cruiserweight champion.
He defeated former champion Angel Garza, Isiah “Swerve” Scott and Travis Banks in a fatal four way for the title tonight at WWE Worlds Collide. The finish came when Garza was about to finish Scott with the wing clipper. Devlin came in and took Garza out of the equation with a headbutt then pinned Scott with the devil inside suplex to win the championship for the first time.
After the match, Devlin cut a promo asking people if they believed in him now. He said he couldn’t be denied and you don’t bet against an ace.
Garza had held the championship for 45 days, defeating Lio Rush on the December 11 edition of NXT.
The Cruiserweight championship has undergone a number of changes in recent months. Originally a championship designed only for the 205 Live brand, it has since been moved to the NXT brand and has been renamed the NXT Cruiserweight championship. Earlier today, a new design was given to Angel Garza featuring darker colors.
WWE has announced how the remaining two wrestlers for the Cruiserweight title match at Worlds Collide will be decided.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Angel Garza is defending his title in a fatal four-way match at the Royal Rumble weekend Worlds Collide special. After defeating Tyler Breeze and Lio Rush in a triple threat match on NXT last night, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott will be one of Garza’s challengers.
There will be qualifying matches on next week’s NXT UK to determine the other two challengers for Worlds Collide. The qualifiers will be Jordan Devlin vs. Ligero and Travis Banks vs. Brian Kendrick.
NXT UK’s post-TakeOver: Blackpool II television tapings are being held in York, England this Friday and Saturday.
Worlds Collide is taking place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday, January 25. Here’s what’s been announced for the show thus far:
Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong) vs. Imperium (WALTER, Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner & Alexander Wolfe)
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley defending against Toni Storm
DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) vs. Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate)
Finn Balor vs. Ilja Dragunov
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Angel Garza defending against Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and the winners of the NXT UK qualifiers in a fatal four-way match
Tyler Bate’s rivalry with Jordan Devlin and Trent Seven’s feud with Eddie Dennis will lead to matches at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II.
This week’s NXT UK episode opened with authority figures Johnny Saint and Sid Scala announcing Bate vs. Devlin and Seven vs. Dennis for the TakeOver special. The card for the show is now up to five announced matches.
The Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, England is hosting UK TakeOver: Blackpool II on Sunday, January 12. This is NXT UK’s third TakeOver event. The first was held in Blackpool last January, while the second took place in Cardiff, Wales in August.
Here’s the updated lineup for the show:
WWE United Kingdom Champion WALTER defending against Joe Coffey
NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray defending against Toni Storm and Piper Niven in a triple threat match
NXT UK Tag Team Champions Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) defending against The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake), Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner), and Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster in a four-way ladder match
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.
Taped April 19, 2019 at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow, Scotland
Quick results —
Piper Niven squashed the debuting Jaimie Hayter in just under two minutes. Ilja Dragunov made his NXT UK debut, quickly beating Jack Starz and giving the fans a glimpse of what is to come from the Mad Russian.
Killer Kelly and Xia Brookside went to a no contest when Jinny came out and introduced “The Alpha Female” Jazzy Gabert, who went on to destroy Brookside.
Jordan Devlin and Dave Mastiff both won qualifiers and advanced to the fatal four-way match to decide a challenger for the WWE United Kingdom Championship. Mastiff was beaten down by Gallus after his match.
Full rundown —
– The episode opened with two graphics, announcing tonight’s two WWE United Kingdom Championship number one contendership qualifying matches. Joe Coffey was the first wrestler to qualify for the match last week.
Piper Niven pinned Jamie Hayter after a Michinoku Driver (1:48)
Hayter, 24, is from Southampton and has been active since 2015. She is a regular with Pro Wrestling:EVE and Revolution Pro (where she held the Women’s title for about six months) and also started doing tours with Stardom in 2018. She has wrestled all over the UK and regularly appears for the German Wrestling Federation out of Berlin.
Hayter started out aggressively, immediately grabbing Niven’s arm and trying to get her to the mat. Niven worked her way out of the move and received a slap, which didn’t sit well with her. A headbutt, flying body press, cannonball into the corner, and a Michinoku Driver later, Niven picked up the win.
– Toni Storm was interviewed by the press. She was asked about Nina Samuels talking about her leaving her family. She said if you mess with her head, she becomes dangerous.
Storm now wants the match worse than Samuels — and if Samuels wants her 15 minutes of fame, she will get that.
– Sid Scala was being interviewed as he entered the building. They asked him about WALTER vs. Pete Dunne and he talked about the qualifying matches, then Kassius Ohno entered and called Scala “Psycho Sid” and was being all amicable.
Ohno asked why he was overlooked and wasn’t in a qualifying match. He asked Scala what he would do about it. Scala said he’d talk to Johnny Saint and get back to Ohno next week.
Qualifying match for number one contender’s fatal four-way: Jordan Devlin pinned Ligero with Devlinside (10:30)
Devlin looked to work over Ligero’s arm and shoulder right away, but Ligero used his athleticism to escape. Devlin took back over, but again, Ligero managed to get a sunset flip powerbomb in for a two count, following up with a plancha over the top and a dropkick to Devlin’s face.
They fought back and forth until Devlin hit his uranage/standing moonsault combo for a near fall and followed up with a modified kneeling abdominal stretch and armbar.
Ligero, with his ribs hurt, got a second wind and came back with a dropkick off the top, but it was obvious that he was hurt and a tad slower than usual. Still, he got in an impressive pinning combination for another close two count. Ligero came off the top with a splash, but Devlin pulled his knees up, hurting Ligero’s ribs even more.
Devlin hit a beautiful moonsault, but this time, Ligero got his feet up, prompting Devlin to tumble to ringside. When coming back, Ligero took a bump onto the top rope but still managed to gain the upper hand as he followed up with a running sit-down powerbomb and another splash, but it wasn’t enough to put Devlin away.
As Ligero went for the tornado DDT, Devlin hit him with an enzuigiri to the back of the head, then hit Devlinside for the win.
– Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed Devlin after the match. Devlin said this match didn’t need to happen, as he already was the number one contender. He said whatever way you shuffle the deck, you always fall short of the Ace.
– A video on WALTER aired. WALTER said he’s the Ring General and usually, there’s pressure on the champion, but he isn’t a normal guy and he never feels pressure. He said he appreciated Pete Dunne and liked the match with him and granted him a rematch because he was the first one to step up and ask.
WALTER said it’s good Dunne was training hard and will be prepared, but he will be prepared too.
– We saw Ilja Dragunov hyping himself up for his debut, which is next.
– Moustache Mountain were interviewed about WALTER vs. Dunne next week, which is being called the greatest rematch in NXT UK history. Trent Seven said that the greatest rematch would be Moustache Mountain taking on the Grizzled Young Veterans for the NXT UK Tag Team titles.
Ilja Dragunov pinned Jack Starz after the Torpedo Moscow (3:07)
Dragunov, 25, was born in Russia and moved to Dresden, Germany with his mother as a child. He started wrestling in 2012 and was trained by Axel Tischer (Alexander Wolfe) and Rick Baxxter in Dresden. He appeared for Next Step Wrestling and the German Wrestling Federation, before debuting in wXw in 2013.
Dragunov became wXw’s first Shotgun Champion, then also won the promotion’s Tag Team and World Unified Wrestling Championship (in one of the most emotional surprise returns of the past decade), along with the 2017 16 Carat Gold tournament, beating none other than WALTER in the finals.
After focusing on Germany for the first few years of his career, Dragunov made his debut for PROGRESS and PWG in 2018 and became a regular for PROGRESS, wrestling Dunne at their big Hello Wembley show in October 2018.
Dragunov’s career almost ended in 2013, as he broke his skull during a WWE tryout in November of that year and was kept out of action for almost a year after that. He brings a unique intensity and almost a desire for punishment to the ring and has immense charisma and good promo skills, which makes him work well both as a heel and a babyface.
Dragunov came out to a sort of Russian hymn, which sounded okay for his character. It sadly didn’t have the intensity of his usual music (which, since it stems from a computer game, can’t be used here).
Dragunov immediately started out with great intensity, grabbing Starz arm, driving him into the corner with a lariat, and proceeding to beat Starz down from one corner of the ring to the other. Starz briefly got his feet up on a corner charge and hit a few uppercuts, but Dragunov just smiled and enjoyed the pain.
Dragunov hit a number of lariats into the corner, then finished up with another one in the ring. He then flipped into the ring backwards and hit another lariat. He enjoyed some offense by Starz, then hit a standing senton. Dragunov did his UN-BE-SIEG-BAR (invincible) chant and put Starz away with the Torpedo Moscow for the win.
– Radzi interviewed Mark Andrews and Noam Dar backstage. They said they were not happy with how their last match ended and were looking forward to meeting in the ring. They shook hands and vowed that the best man would win.
Killer Kelly vs. Xia Brookside ended in a no contest (3:30)
Kelly worked over Brookside’s arm, but Brookside managed to escape repeatedly — only to be taken back down to the mat over and over. Brookside got a headlock takeover, but quickly found herself in some headscissors, which she escaped from by way of a headstand.
Kelly then escaped some headscissors of her own. They shook hands as a way to show respect, then suddenly the lights went down and Jinny’s music played.
Jinny stood in the aisle, then another theme played and “The Alpha Female” Jazzy Gabert came out. Brookside and Kelly bumped fists and made a pact to fight together, but Kelly left just as Gabert entered the ring. Brookside tried fighting Gabert, but quickly got disposed of with a Dominator. Jinny and Gabert then posed in the ring together.
– Johnny Saint announced via Twitter that Toni Storm would defend her NXT UK Women’s Championship against Nina Samuels
Qualifying match for number one contender’s fatal four-way: Dave Mastiff defeated Wolfgang with a running cannonball into the corner (4:36)
The two big men locked up and Mastiff quickly tackled Wolfgang down, then followed up with a running body press for a near fall. Wolfgang quickly came back with some offense in the corner and a shoulder block off the second turnbuckle, then went to lock in a full nelson, but Mastiff briefly powered out of the hold before getting caught again.
Mastiff eventually managed to flip Wolfgang over and hit a huge senton on the Scotsman.
Wolfgang came back with a double ax handle off the top and a huge slam, but then missed the Howling Senton off the top. Mastiff hit a release German suplex into the corner, then followed up with the running cannonball into the corner for the pin.
– Radzi entered the ring to interview Mastiff, but the Coffey Brothers ran out and Gallus proceeded to beat down Mastiff three-on-one. Joe and Mark held Mastiff down as Wolfgang hit the Howling Senton on him. Gallus’ music played as the show went off the air.
Next week —
In what is being billed as the biggest rematch in NXT UK history, WALTER will defend his WWE UK Championship against former champion Pete Dunne.
Taped on April 6 at WrestleMania Axxess in Brooklyn, New York
Quick results —
Travis Banks defeated Mansoor in a fun opener, with Mansoor’s cockiness sealing his fate in the end. Piper Niven defeated Reina Gonzalez, who used her size and strength to keep Niven in check, but succumbed to the Scot’s might in the end.
In a very good main event, WWE United Kingdom Champion WALTER defeated Jordan Devlin in a non-title match. Devlin used his speed and a number of leg kicks to keep WALTER down, but he ultimately fell victim to the Ring General, as is the fate of all mortal men.
After the main event, Pete Dunne came out to demand his rematch, which WALTER approved.
Full rundown —
Travis Banks defeated Mansoor (5:57)
Banks was in control early, taking Mansoor down with arm drags and working over his upper arms. Mansoor briefly got cocky after getting out of the hold, but ate some flying double knees for his trouble.
Mansoor threw Banks to the outside and worked him over, then got the upper hand back in the ring. Banks came back strong, dropkicking Mansoor to the outside, hitting a stiff soccer kick off the apron, and finally following up with a dive through the ropes onto his opponent. Banks missed Slice of Heaven off the middle rope, allowing Mansoor to hit a modified cutter.
As Mansoor got too cocky after a near fall, Banks successfully hit the Slice of Heaven and finished things off with the Kiwi Crusher.
– Xia Brookside cut an incredibly cute, heart-melting promo from the NXT UK Performance Center. She promised to train hard and take us all on her journey. She comes across as someone who could connect incredibly well with the crowd once her win-loss record improves.
– A video hyping the debut of Ilja Dragunov aired. It featured footage from wXw and PROGRESS.
– Nina Samuels was featured in a video where she talked about stringing along victories. Samuels said she wants to face Toni Storm, as Storm is no “leading lady.”
Piper Niven defeated Reina Gonzalez (5:00)
Gonzalez came out with a bull rope, but Niven was not impressed. They locked up, with neither wrestler able to get the advantage. Gonzalez backed Niven into the corner, but she missed on a punch and they kept going with neither getting the edge.
Gonzalez finally used some questionable tactics to take over. As she choked Niven on the ropes, Niven managed to throw her to ringside.
Back inside, they kept trading offense until Niven wiped Gonzalez out with a running body block and a senton for a near fall. Niven then put her away with a Michinoku Driver for the win.
– Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan talked backstage. They discussed the Grizzled Young Veterans throwing their gear out of the locker room last week and said the Grizzled Young Veterans got themselves counted out in their match because they were afraid. They talked about getting their title shot in Scotland soon.
– Gallus discussed how they will soon return to Glasgow and stage their comeback there.
WWE United Kingdom Champion WALTER defeated Jordan Devlin in a non-title match (12:32)
WALTER right away started to stalk Devlin — and the Irishman fled to ringside. Finally, they locked up and WALTER threw Devlin around, resulting in Devlin fleeing the ring once more.
Back inside, WALTER missed a chop in the corner and Devlin hit two chops of his own, drawing the Austrian’s ire. WALTER caught Devlin in a sleeper hold, and as Devlin escaped and staged a comeback, WALTER leapfrogged him and almost took his head off with a big boot.
The champ kept working on Devlin with a crossface, a big knee to the side, and another crossface. He hit a big butterfly suplex. On the outside, Devlin tried a running soccer kick off the apron, but WALTER caught him, put him on his shoulders, and nonchalantly threw him into the ropes from the outside.
As WALTER was looking to go back into the ring, Devlin kicked away at his legs and finally looked like he had found some recipe to keep the big man down. Devlin kept working on WALTER’s hamstring with kicks and a single-leg Boston crab. WALTER actually bled from the mouth here, but finally made the ropes with Devlin holding on until the five count.
Eventually, Devlin missed a dropkick as the Ring General sidestepped him and punished him right away with a sit-down splash. WALTER hit a chop heard around the world, sending Devlin down crumbling. Devlin escaped a German suplex attempt, but WALTER threw him high into the air on a back body drop.
WALTER smashed Devlin into the corner, then hit a huge German release suplex. Devlin rolled to the outside, and WALTER had a field day, hitting chops and a big slam onto the apron. WALTER went for a powerbomb back inside, but Devlin actually turned it into a sunset flip for a near fall.
WALTER hit a few chops, but Devlin came back with more leg kicks. He looked to hit the Devlin Side, but WALTER blocked it and hit a back drop driver of his own. WALTER went up for a big splash to finish things like he did against Pete Dunne, but Devlin pulled him down. After a few attempts, Devlin finally hit Devlin Side for another near fall.
Devlin tried to go for Devlin Side once more, but WALTER turned it into a stiff lariat, then hit the powerbomb and put all his weight on top of Devlin to keep him down for the three.
As WALTER was celebrating his victory, Dunne’s music played and he walked out, microphone in hand. Dunne entered the ring and faced off with the man who took his title. He demanded “Give me my rematch!” — and WALTER nodded in approval.
Next week —
The first batch of matches from Glasgow and presumably (unless they changed matches from the order they were taped in) the WALTER vs. Dunne rematch.
Kassius Ohno beat Ligero after trying to tear off his mask and hitting the rolling elbow. Kay Lee Ray beat NXT’s Xia Li, but not before staring down Toni Storm, who was out to cut a promo before the match. Moustache Mountain beat Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster in a great, fast-paced main event.
Full rundown:
Nigel and Vic talked about tonight’s main event, before we went straight to our first match.
Kassius Ohno pinned Ligero in 10:08 after a rolling elbow to the back of the head
The story here was that Ohno was the bigger and stronger guy and decided the action in the ring for a long time. As Ligero was looking to finally gain the advantage, Ohno resorted to unfair tactics to take the victory. The crowd hated Ohno and were into Liger, but not as much as back in the UK.
Ohno told Ligero to show him what he got and slapped him a few times. Ligero tried a few spots, but Ohno countered, avoided or overpowered Ligero. The Leeds Luchador finally got the advantage off a head scissors that sent Ohno to the outside and followed up with a somersault senton off the apron. He miscalculated on the follow-up though and Ohno once more took over. Finally, Ligero, who was almost out on his feet, managed to catch a kick by Ohno and came back with leg kicks and a running knee to the face and hit a splash from the middle of the top rope for a near-fall.
Ligero went for Sliced Bread off the top but Ohno turned it into tombstone attempt, but Ligero rolled through for another near-fall. As Ohno fled to the outside, Ligero hit a somersault over the top rope, then hit Sliced Brea off the ring steps. Both narrowly made it back into the ring, but as Ligero went for a cutter through the ropes, Ohno caught him, started to tear his mask off and as Ligero was looking to put it back on, Ohno hit the rolling elbow to the back of the head for the victory.
— Jordan Devlin was pissed off that his match with WALTER next week was a non-title match, because Johnny Saint wanted to protect WALTER for “the rematch of the century” against Pete Dunne
— A highlight video for “The Hunt” aired; they’ll be in action next week.
— Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner walked through WrestleMania Axxess and complained about fans thinking they could be champions and how back in the day, you had to work for the privilege of winning a title. They repeated once more their mantra of “The Mat is Sacred” (identical to RINGKAMPF’s motto of “Die Matte ist heilig”).
Toni Storm came out to cut a promo in the ring. She said it was awesome to represent the NXT UK brand on the most important weekend of the year. She talked about all the great women on the brand and said she’s be the champion for a very long time. As she was ready to walk backstage again, Kay Lee Ray’s music hit and she stared Toni down as she made her way to the ring.
Kay Lee Ray pinned Xia Li in 5:25 after the Widow’s Peak
Xia Li got to show off some good offense, but this pretty much was the Kay Lee Ray showcase, as she clearly is being groomed for a title match against Toni Storm.
Li made her NXT UK debut here and Nigel talked about her background as a practitioner of kung fu and how she defended her family back in China after her father’s death when she was in her teens.
Both women traded offense right away but Kay Lee got the better of it quickly. Kay Lee Ray kept the upper hand after some mind games backfired, but Li got to show off some of her kicks, Ray hit a crescent kick and drove Li into the post, then followed up with kicks and strikes in the corner. Li eventually got to show some offense, hitting a snap mare off an atomic drop attempt, a kick to the back and a hard kick to the chest. She missed a double foot stomp though and Kay Lee Ray picked up the win with the Widow’s Peak.
— Piper Niven was signing autographs and was asked about Rhea Ripley, She said that while Rhea was a great athlete, she was looking forward to how she would react to someone a little too big to push around.
— The Grizzled Young Veterans were upset backstage, throwing Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams’ gear out into the hallway, raging on about how they were locker room leasers and Jordan and Williams could get dressed in the hallway.
Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) beat Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews in 12:28 when Seven pinned Webster after a combined Burning Hammer/flying knee drop
These two teams had a tremendous, fast paced match that had great aerial offense, mat wrestling and a good amount of drama. The crowd was into both teams and it was a great showcase for all four men,
Bate and Andrews started out with Andrews gaining the upper hand off an arm bar but Bate worked his way out of it and they traded holds and counter-holds. Both men tagged out and Webster tried tackling Seven off his feet, but failing miserably. He switched tactics and used his athleticism to take Seven down. Seven feigned a chop and as Webster ducked, he hit a quick DDT. After tagging again, Bate hit a somersault senton off the top onto Andrews and Seven worked him over some more, doing a good job of isolating him from being able to tag out.
Finally Webster made it back in, immediately hitting a springboard dropkick on Bate and a springboard moonsault on Seven. The offense didn’t take long though as Bate staged his own comeback, culminating in a double airplane spin/giant swing,. Bate got thrown tot he outside, but caught Webster off a plancha and did another airplane spin on the outside. An exploder later, Seven was back in, but Mark Andrews slid under Moustache Mountain and hit a double Pelé kick on both men, then Andrews and Webster hit stereo somersault planchas to the outside. Andrews then hit an assisted 450 onto Seven for a near-fall.
Moustache Mountain hit a combined slingshot lariat/dragon suplex on Andrews, but Webster came off the top with a somersault senton to break up the pin. Bate missed a slingshot lariat when Andrews slid under him, then hit a reverse rana, assisted by a running knee from Webster. Seven quickly tagged back in and hit a Burning Hammer, assisted with a flying knee drop by Bate on Webster to pick up the win.
Both teams shook hands after the match.
Next week:
WALTER faces Jordan Devlin in a non-title match and The Hunt will be in action.
Jordan Devlin and Travis Banks continued their feud but did not manage to resolve it, as they went to a double countout in an intensely fought, great main event.
Pete Dunne addressed the crowd to open the show and got interrupted by Gallus. As Joe Coffey cut a promo on Dunne, WALTER made his entrance and he and Dunne cleaned house on Gallus, then had a staredown.
On the undercard, Nina Samuels beat the debuting Lana Austin, while Eddie Dennis returned for the first time since losing to Dave Mastiff at TakeOver and destroyed Jamie Ahmed.
Full rundown —
– The show opened with a recap of Jordan Devlin attacking Travis Banks as he entered the arena and then again before their scheduled match at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool two weeks ago. It then progressed to Banks vowing to take revenge. Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness talked more about the match in studio.
– Pete Dunne came to the ring to address the crowd. He said that at TakeOver: Blackpool “we made history!” He said that while things changed since the first show in Blackpool two years ago, since TakeOver: Chicago in 2017, he’s still the WWE United Kingdom Champion.
Gallus came out, with Joe Coffey saying that TakeOver didn’t change a thing and this was still his kingdom. He said that the war wasn’t over and the end of it, the UK title would be around his waist. He said if anyone had a problem with that, they should speak up.
At that point, the lights went out, the fourth movement of Antonín Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9 hit, and WALTER walked to the ring. Gallus suddenly looked like they wanted to quickly leave ringside, but it was a ruse as Wolfgang and Mark Coffey hit the ring.
WALTER kicked Coffey in the face and Dunne snapped Wolfgang’s fingers, sending the heels packing. Dunne and WALTER then stared at each other, with WALTER eyeing Dunne’s title before leaving.
– Sid Scala made a statement in front of some journalists about NXT UK being part of the Worlds Collide tournament in Phoenix for Royal Rumble Axxess this weekend. Scala said they also would tape three episodes of NXT UK there.
Zack Gibson and James Drake entered the venue in the background. Scala asked them if they wanted to address the media. The tag champs virtually blew Scala off and Gibson said they’d give a statement next week.
Nina Samuels defeated Lana Austin in 4:09 after hitting Prima Donna
Austin made her NXT UK debut here. She started out in 2013, was a regular with Future Shock Wrestling, and also appeared for promotions such as ICW, ATTACK! Pro, Pro Wrestling: EVE, and a large number of other UK indies, and also wrestled at at a UK taping for Impact. She is a mother of three and is the current Future Shock Wrestling Women’s Champion.
Austin started out strong, but Samuels grounded things to a hold with a headlock, then hit a snapmare for a two count. Austin got out of another headlock with a Russian leg sweep and hit a number of clotheslines and punches.
Samuels finally managed to pick Austin up and hit Prima Donna for the victory.
– A recap video of the NXT UK Tag Team Championship tournament finals from TakeOver aired, with Gibson and Drake beating Moustache Mountain. An interview that Radzi Chinyanganya conducted with Moustache Mountain after the match was also shown. Trent Seven was devastated — but Tyler Bate said that they would eventually win the titles.
– Travis Banks was shown warming up backstage.
– An interview that Radzi conducted with Toni Storm after her match at TakeOver aired. She said that the brand deserved the best women’s division and she would do everything to give the fans that. She said the Mae Young Classic changed her and the experience helped her win the NXT UK Women’s Championship.
Eddie Dennis defeated Jamie Ahmed in 4:41 after hitting the Next Stop Driver
Dennis charged in, but Ahmed took over with a hip toss until Dennis hit a hard lariat to quickly end that flare-up of offense. Dennis locked on a cravat and kept the hold on even after Ahmed tried rolling through on it. Dennis hit a hard knee and threw Ahmed out of the ring, then struck him down with a hard running forearm.
Back inside, Ahmed escaped the Severn Bridge and hit a boxing combination, but Dennis stopped him in his tracks after he went to the top rope and hit a big superplex. Dennis hit the Next Stop Driver for the victory.
– A Tweet by Johnny Saint was shown, announcing Moustache Mountain vs. Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner for next week.
– Jordan Devlin was shown preparing backstage.
Jordan Devlin and Travis Banks went to a double countout in 13:24
The match started off hot as Banks ran down to the ring and immediately attacked Devlin, quickly clotheslined him to the outside and hit a suicide dive, and then hit a second one to another side of the ring just as Devlin recovered. Banks threw him over the barrier and manhandled him in the crowd, eventually kicking him back to the ringside area, then hit a dive off the barrier on Devlin.
Devlin eventually clipped Banks’ knee, but Banks came back with a double stomp onto Devlin’s back from the apron. Banks punished Devlin some more with aggressive kicks.
Devlin took over by kicking Banks off the turnbuckle on a springboard attempt and followed up with a backstabber. He hit his over-the-shoulder backbreaker for a near fall, then followed it up with his uranage/standing moonsault combo. After some submission holds, Devlin hit an insane standing Spanish Fly off the apron to the outside, and both men barely made it back into the ring.
Devlin hit another Spanish Fly off a clothesline attempt by Banks, but Banks powered right back up and hit a super stiff lariat. Banks wouldn’t let go of Devlin’s wrist, hitting a number of forearms. When even a headbutt couldn’t loosen the Kiwi Buzzsaw’s grip, Devlin hit his pull-up backdrop driver. Banks managed to hit the Kiwi Crusher, but Devlin kicked out at two.
Devlin went for Ireland’s Call but couldn’t hold Banks up. They both staggered through the ropes to the outside — and neither man could make it back to the ring to answer the count.
Neither wrestler was happy with the result and they began brawling again, with Banks throwing Devlin over the barrier. They brawled beside the crowd as the show faded to black.
Next week —
Moustache Mountain face Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner — and WALTER makes his NXT UK in-ring debut.
An angle at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool led to a member of the WWE main roster making a surprise appearance.
Finn Balor subbed in for Travis Banks at UK TakeOver: Blackpool, defeating Jordan Devlin. The pre-show for the special featured an angle where video of Devlin attacking Banks as he arrived at the building was shown. WWE stated that Banks had been medically cleared to wrestle, but he and Devlin brawled before their match officially started and Devlin attacked Banks’ knee.
Devlin cut a promo in the ring, saying that it didn’t look like he’d be having a match at TakeOver. Devlin also called himself “the greatest Irish wrestler alive.” The crowd chanted “Finn” — and Devlin replied by asking “who?”
NXT UK on-screen authority figures Johnny Saint and Sid Scala then came to the stage, Scala said they had a backup plan, and Balor made his entrance.
Balor was one of Devlin’s trainers, which played into the story of the match. They had a competitive match, with Balor winning with the Coup de Grace.
