Former PWG Champion and Ring of Honor Tag Team Champion Chris Hero is reportedly scheduled to be backstage at Saturday’s AEW Collision in Chicago, according to Fightful.
The report stated Hero will be working with AEW on a trial basis to join the company in a backstage role.
After 22 years in the ring, Hero hasn’t wrestled since a set of early-March 2020 WWE NXT UK TV tapings. He spent several years in NXT and NXT UK as Kassius Ohno, dating back to 2012. He left in 2013 and returned in 2017 before his final release in March 2020.
Hero has a history with many on both the AEW and ROH rosters including longtime tag team partner Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, Mark Briscoe and others.
Hero, who went under the name Kassius Ohno in WWE, announced he was gone from the company in a tweet tonight. Using the hashtag #ChrisHeroIsBack, Hero posted a video showing black and white footage of him in WWE. That footage then stopped, and footage of him in color as Chris Hero ended the video.
Dave Meltzer confirmed that Hero had been released from WWE last week. He had been with the company since 2016 after previously having a run in the company from 2011-2013. In this most recent run, he had been mainly used in the NXT undercard. He had recently been working under the NXT UK brand prior to the coronavirus outbreak.
There have been a number of cuts across all of WWE, including its corporate offices, writing staff and talent both on the main roster and on NXT. Mike and Maria Kanellis, who announced they were starting a podcast tonight, were among the main roster releases.
Kassius Ohno (aka Chris Hero) was part of this week’s WWE layoffs, according to our Dave Meltzer.
It’s unknown whether he was laid off or furloughed, but it’s assumed to be the former as he changed his Twitter name to ‘WWE Alumni’. He has yet to confirm the news publicly as of this writing.
The 40-year-old returned to WWE in 2016 and spent his entirety of the run in NXT, recently becoming part of the NXT UK roster as both a wrestler and a trainer. He was originally signed in by WWE for a short run in Florida Championship Wrestling/NXT in 2012-13 before returning to the indies.
A wrestler since 1998, the highly regarded Hero has worked all over the world including for Ring of Honor, Chikara, EVOLVE, Impact Wrestling, PWG, IWA Mid-South, and more. He is also a two-time winner of wXw’s 16 Carat Gold tourney.
WWE laid off or furloughed dozens of employees Wednesday as part of cost cutting measures due to economic concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. While many of the in-ring talents let go are known, names continue to trickle out on a daily basis.
Taped at Coventry Skydome in Coventry, England on March 6, 2020
Quick results:
Kay Lee Ray beat Dani Luna in a quick match, then got run off by Piper Niven when she kept attacking Luna
Finn Bálor faced off with Tyler Bate backstage
Bate will be in a 20-men battle royal in two weeks for a shot at WALTER’s NXT UK title
Ridge Holland beat Joseph Conners in a competitive match
Mark Andrews was attacked backstage, taking him out of the main event
Kassius Ohno beat Kenny Williams
A-Kid and Noam Dar will meet next week
Gallus beat Dave Mastiff, Flash Morgan Webster and substitute partner Trent Seven
Full rundown:
The show opened with a recap video of Finn Bálor calling out WALTER and pinning Alexander Wolfe last week.
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WWE NXT UK Title Match: Kay Lee Ray (c) pinned Dani Luna after the Gory Bomb (02:36)
Luna used her power advantage and hit multiple waist lock takedowns and dazed KLR, then managed a roll-up for a two count.
The champion came back and applied a sitting abdominal stretch, then landed a near fall of her own.
Luna came back with a deadlift back suplex off a missed dropkick by KLR for another two count.
KLR then capitalized on a mistake by Dani and hit the Gory Bomb for the quick win.
After the match, KLR kept attacking Luna and went for another Gory Bomb but Piper Niven ran out to make the save sending KLR packing.
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In a WWE.com exclusive video from after last week, Finn Bálor was shown walking through the backstage area with everyone staring at him, including Johnny Saint and Sid Scala.
He came upon Tyler Bate and they stared each other down. Bate then went to Saint and Scala and asked for an opportunity to “knock Bálor down a peg.”
They told him that opportunity might come eventually, but he would be in a 20-men battle royal in two weeks for a chance to compete for the NXT UK championship at NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin.
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Nina Samuels talked about facing Aoife Valkyrie next week
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Ridge Holland pinned Joseph Conners after Northern Grit (7:45)
They locked up and Holland got the easy advantage. Conners tried some evasion tactics, but got ran over by the massive Holland repeatedly. Holland hit a tilt-a-whirl slam, then rained down forearms on Conners.
Holland stumbled to ringside and got hit with a dive by Conners, who followed with a forearm from the top back inside the ring. Conners worked over Holland’s leg, as Holland tore his quad during his rugby career. Conners pulled him into the ropes from the apron, then kept attacking the leg further.
Conners went for Don’t Look Down but got blocked, then pulled of a small package but Holland escaped. He went for Northern Grit, but also got thwarted. Conners rammed Holland’s leg into the ring post repeatedly.
Holland finally came back with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex when he caught Conners off the top rope, then followed up with a second one.
Holland hit a head butt and a lariat, then pounced Conners halfway across the ring, before collapsing and grabbing his leg. Holland got Conners from ringside, but Conners escaped to the apron on the other side, then launched himself over the top for an STO.
Holland then finally got Conners up for Northern Grit. After some struggling, Holland hit the move for the win.
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Mark Andrews was down backstage grabbing his leg, seemingly after an attack. Mastiff and Flash Morgan Webster were there to tend to him when Gallus walked up and said they had nothing to do with it.
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A video package on Ilja Dragunov aired.
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Kassius Ohno beat Kenny Williams when the referee stopped the match as Ohno had Williams in the Kassius Clutch (6:58)
Ohno quickly got Williams down on the mat, but Williams escaped and turned the tables on Ohno.
They worked over each other’s arms. Williams rolled Ohno up for a two count, then hit some tilt-a-whirl head scissors. Ohno caught him off a body press, but got covered with a crucifix for another near fall.
Ohno pulled Williams off the top rope and worked over Williams’ fingers. Williams came back with some innovative offense, including two dives through the ropes. He hit a double-jump back elbow to the outside, then followed with a dropkick back inside.
Ohno then caught Williams off an attempted wheelbarrow roll-up, hit the rolling elbow to the back of the head, then locked in the Kassius Clutch for the referee stoppage.
**********
A-Kid was being interviewed backstage when Noam Dar interrupted him and told him his time was over. A-Kid spoke to him in Spanish and Dar replied in French. He told him that he was just “A Kid,” but that Dar was “A Legend.”
A-Kid then challenged Dar for a match next week.
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A video recapped Jordan Devlin winning the Cruiserweight title at Worlds Collide and his history with Travis Banks. They will meet next week.
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Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) beat Dave Mastiff, Flash Morgan Webster & Trent Seven when Joe Coffey pinned Webster after All the Best for the Bells (9:27)
Seven replaced the injured Mark Andrews.
Seven and Wolfgang started. Wolfgang had the brief advantage before Seven wiped him out with a crossbody and high-angle arm drag. After some quick tags, Gallus singled out Webster as their target of choice and worked him over.
Webster eventually tagged out to Mastiff who ran wild. Webster tagged back in and hit a 450 off the top.
Webster looked to hit poison rana on Joe Coffey but got caught and was put away by the powerslam/kick combo by Mark and Wolfgang, followed by All the Best for the Bells for the win.
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Next week:
Jordan Devlin will defend the NXT Cruiserweight title against Travis Banks. Nina Samuels wrestles Aoife Valkyrie and A-Kid faces Noam Dar.
This was mostly a recap show looking at the results and fallout from NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II. Along with recap videos and WWE.com exclusive backstage segments from after TakeOver, this show featured two matches taped before TakeOver last Sunday.
In a very good match, Joseph Conners pinned A-Kid, capitalizing on the latter’s knee being tweaked. Both looked good here and A-Kid is a tremendous talent with a very bright future. In the main event, Dave Mastiff pinned Kassius Ohno in a battle of agile heavyweights.
Full rundown —
The show opened with a graphic remembering Rocky Johnson.
Next up was a video recap of NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II that included all the big spots from the various matches, culminating with the cowardly attack by the Undisputed Era on WALTER and the rest of Imperium.
After the intro, Tom Phillips and Nigel McGuinness recapped TakeOver some more over some still photos. After that it was time for our first match. It featured two men who recently clashed backstage at NXT UK.
Joseph Conners pinned A-Kid after hitting Don’t Look Down (10:17)
Conners came out wearing a T-shirt reading “TakeOver Worthy.” Well, he made the pre-show at least.
They did some mat wrestling early as A-Kid showed his mat prowess. He looked to have strained his neck early on a head bridging flip over.
A-Kid kept in control with some arm drags and a dropkick. Conners capitalized on a slight hesitation by the young Spaniard and threw him head-first into the bottom turnbuckle. Conners tossed A-Kid off a vertical suplex for a two count, then followed up with a Falcon Arrow for another one.
Conners hit a side suplex, then locked in a chinbar, but A-Kid powered out and hit some strikes. He played possum off a clothesline by Conners and hit a beautiful dropkick, followed by a German suplex and a Northern Lights suplex for a two count of his own. Conners held on to the ropes to avoid a head kick, but got wiped out with a dive as he slid to ringside.
Conners hit a slingshot on the top rope, but A-Kid quickly recovered and hit a kick to the jaw as Conners got back into the ring. He then hit a great top rope moonsault to the outside on Conners.
A-Kid hit a high crossbody off the top. Conners rolled through and went for Don’t Look Down, but A-Kid turned it into a small package for a near fall, followed by a crucifix bomb.
A-Kid hit some Daniel Bryan-style kicks to the chest of a kneeling Conners. Conners hit a blow that might have been low, then ducked another kick and hit a neck snap. Conners went for a Figure Four, but he got kicked off and caught with a flying knee. Conners then hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He followed with a top rope moonsault but got caught in an armbar on landing.
A-Kid transitioned to a triangle. He got lifted up but managed to go for a sunset flip and another small package. A-Kid went for a backslide, but Conners kicked him in the knee that A-Kid may have tweaked earlier on the moonsault to the outside. Conners then hit Don’t Look Down for the victory.
– A WWE.com exclusive clip of the backstage confrontation between Trent Seven and Eddie Dennis from after their match at TakeOver aired.
– A graphic announced that Imperium would speak out next week. Ilja Dragunov will also be in action.
– A highlight video of the Tag Team title ladder match from TakeOver aired, followed by another WWE.com exclusive clip of Alicia Taylor interviewing Gallus after their victory. Wolfgang said the Tag Team titles would stay with them for a long time.
– Another video looked at the history between Jinny and Jazzy Gabert and teased dissension between the two with some clips from recent weeks. A graphic announced Gabert would face Killer Kelly next week.
– Yet another TakeOver highlight video looked at the Women’s title match between Kay Lee Ray, Toni Storm, and Piper Niven. A WWE.com video with Taylor and Storm then aired.
Storm was very bitter and desperate and said that she was robbed at TakeOver. Storm said rules were there to be broken, but this did not apply to her. What happened in her match would be bad news for everybody and it would make things worse for Rhea Ripley. Storm said her head space was worse than before and she would rob Ripley when they face off.
Ripley will defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Storm at Worlds Collide on January 25. A hype video for Worlds Collide aired, focusing on Imperium vs. Undisputed Era.
– Another recap video looked at WALTER vs. Joe Coffey from TakeOver: Blackpool II and the subsequent attack by Undisputed Era.
– This was followed by Sid Scala and Johnny Saint announcing that two NXT UK wrestlers would compete in the NXT Cruiserweight Championship fatal four-way match at Worlds Collide. The participants will be decided next week in two matches: Jordan Devlin vs. Ligero and Travis Banks vs. Brian Kendrick.
Dave Mastiff pinned Kassius Ohno after hitting Into the Void (6:49)
Ohno stalled early. The two heavyweights locked knuckles and Mastiff quickly overpowered Ohno, who came back with a shoulder block and wristlock. Mastiff countered with an overhead takeover and locked in a wristlock of his own. Ohno repeatedly kipped up and slapped Mastiff, but got wiped out by a dropkick.
Ohno rolled to the apron but quickly got launched back inside with an arm drag. Mastiff then went to the apron and had Ohno in a waistlock through the ropes, but Ohno pulled at Mastiff’s singlet and rammed him into the ring post.
Ohno locked in a cravat. Mastiff tried to lift him, but a knee to the gut took him down. Ohno followed with two rolling sentons and locked in another cravat. Mastiff hit a backdrop driver to power out of the move, then hit a clothesline, two rolling sentons, and a running senton of his own for a two count.
Mastiff went for Into the Void (his somersault senton in the corner), but Ohno evaded him and turned it into a sit-down pin. Mastiff quickly recovered and hit a German suplex, then went to the second turnbuckle.
Ohno stopped Mastiff’s flying ambitions and applied a cravat on the top rope. Mastiff countered, lifted Ohno onto his shoulders, and hit a super rolling senton from the top. Mastiff then hit Into the Void to get the win.
Next week —
NXT UK tapes a couple of weeks worth of shows in York, England this week. With Worlds Collide coming up just one week from Saturday, next week will feature some matches and segments to build to that show:
Imperium will address their grievances with the Undisputed Era before the two factions clash at Worlds Collide
Ilja Dragunov will be in action, in preparation of his match against Finn Balor at Worlds Collide
Jazzy Gabert will face Killer Kelly and probably shed some light on the relationship between her and Jinny
Jordan Devlin faces Ligero and Travis Banks faces Brian Kendrick, with the winners of those matches getting the remaining spots in the fatal four-way match with NXT Cruiserweight Champion Angel Garza and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott at Worlds Collide
PROGRESS Wrestling held its final non-London show of the year on Sunday. Chapter 99: “With A Flake, Please” saw three huge title matches. Here are the results:
– Mark Andrews defeated Primate
Andrews hit a Shooting Star Press to the back for the win. This was a very short match, lasting just over six minutes.
– The Anti-Fun Police (Los Federales Santos Jr. & Chief Deputy Dunne) defeated The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake)
Drake attempted to hit Santos with a tombstone piledriver, but Santos used his weight to topple Drake and subsequently pinned him.
– PROGRESS Proteus Champion Paul Robinson defeated Chris Ridgeway to retain his title
Per Robinson’s chosen stipulation for the Proteus title, the match could only be won via submission or knockout. Robinson retained via TKO.
– Cara Noir defeated Ilja Dragunov in a two-out-of-three falls match
Dragunov voluntarily tapped out to nothing early on, giving Noir the first fall. Dragunov then hit Noir with a Torpedo Moscow running uppercut to tie the score.
Noir won the match with a vicious package piledriver. Both men received a standing ovation after the match.
– Jinny defeated Meiko Satomura to win the PROGRESS Women’s Championship
Jinny pinned Satomura with an inside cradle after kicking out of a Death Valley Driver. The match was very mat-based and played to Jinny’s strengths. She enters her second PROGRESS Women’s title reign just under 12 months after losing the title to Jordynne Grace.
– Timothy Thatcher defeated Kassius Ohno
Thatcher headbutted Ohno’s forearm and submitted him with a Fujiwara armbar. This is his first win in PROGRESS after returning from injury.
PROGRESS Unified World Champion Eddie Dennis defeated David Starr to retain his title
Dennis hit Starr with a low blow during Starr’s long intro listing his many nicknames. Outside the ring, Dennis was overly confident and received a low blow in return from Starr.
Dennis’ FSU stablemate Mark Andrews came out to ringside halfway through the match to distract the referee, which gave Starr a visual submission win. With the referee in a bad state after being squashed in the corner, Andrews hit a Shooting Star Press onto Starr and placed Dennis’ arm over him to pick up the win.
The show ended with Jim Smallman thanking the Sheffield crowd one more time before he leaves PROGRESS at the end of the year.
PROGRESS returns to its home of the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London on December 30 for the promotion’s annual mystery card show Unboxing Live.
Taped at The Brentwood Centre in Brentwood, England on October 5, 2019
Quick results —
NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray pinned Xia Brookside after a Gory Bomb in a non-title match.
Travis Banks defeated Ligero after hitting a Slice of Heaven. What Banks had missed was Joseph Conners attacking Ligero on the outside. Conners then also attacked Banks and cut a promo telling the NXT UK roster that — as long as he suffers — everybody had to suffer.
Alexander Wolfe asked for and got a match with Ilja Dragunov for next week.
in a tremendous main event, Tyler Bate defeated Kassius Ohno after hitting the Tyler Driver ’97. This was worthy of a spot on any NXT/NXT UK TakeOver and probably one of the best matches in the brand’s history. It’s worth going out of your way to see if you rarely watch this show.
Full rundown —
A graphic plugged tonight’s main event of Tyler Bate vs. Kassius Ohno.
Non-title match: NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray pinned Xia Brookside after a Gory Bomb (7:02)
They locked up and KLR applied a wristlock, but Brookside escaped with a side headlock takeover. KLR applied a headscissors on the mat, but Brookside escaped via a headstand. KLR took her down with a hard forearm, but Brookside came back with a crucifix and sunset flip in quick succession for a couple of near falls.
KLR caught Brookside off a crossbody attempt and worked her over on the mat for a few minutes. KLR hit a front face suplex and then went for a Gory Bomb, but Brookside escaped.
Brookside hit a spinning headscissors takedown and then eventually hit a hurricanrana off the ropes. KLR then stopped Brookside’s offense with a superkick and hit the Gory Bomb for the pin.
– A video recapped the history between Imperium and Ilja Dragunov and Dragunov joining Gallus in their battle with Imperium last week.
– A video with Piper Niven aired. Niven said she was a plus-sized athlete and wanted to give people confidence and always is happy when she hears people tell her she inspired them.
Travis Banks pinned Ligero after hitting a Slice of Heaven (10:03)
This was a rematch from their bout a few weeks ago that ended in a double pin.
They shook hands to start the match, but Banks followed up with a kick that missed. They traded punches, then took each other down with simultaneous kicks to the face. Ligero hit a handspring crossbody for a near fall.
Ligero applied an abdominal stretch, then followed up with a number of lariats. They found themselves in a backslide position and again ended up in a double pinfall situation but kicked out.
Banks followed up with a coast-to-coast dropkick from the rope into the corner for another near fall. Ligero caught Banks with a springboard sunset bomb and a Destroyer for a near fall of his own.
Ligero missed a splash from the middle of the rope and they traded cradles, after which Banks hit the Kiwi Crusher for another close two count. Ligero came back with a superplex that hurt both men.
They battled on the apron. Banks hit a fisherman’s suplex on the apron, then tried to follow up with a double foot stomp from the apron to the outside but missed. Ligero hit the C4L to the outside, but as he rolled Banks back into the ring, Joseph Conners suddenly appeared and drove Ligero’s head into the post. Banks didn’t see the attack and hit a Slice of Heaven for the pinfall victory.
Conners then attacked Banks and Ligero and beat both men down. Conners cut a promo, saying this was supposed to be about him and he was supposed to be the first WWE United Kingdom Champion and part of the first NXT UK TakeOver.
Conners screamed that he was worthy, worthy of TakeOver, and who was he (he didn’t specify who he meant) to tell him that he wasn’t worthy. Conners said as long as he was going to suffer, everybody was going to have to suffer along with him. Conners was still wearing the T-shirt from the original UK Championship tournament that took place in January 2017.
– A video on Ridge Holland aired. He had some kind of club which he dragged along a fence and stated “NXT UK — I’ll be seeing ya.” He debuts next week.
– They showed a clip of William Regal visiting with Johnny Saint and Sid Scala at the NXT UK Performance Center. Alexander Wolfe interrupted them and politely asked Saint for a match with Ilja Dragunov. Scala whispered into Saint’s ear, which drew the ire of Wolfe. Saint then agreed that Dragunov and Wolfe could settle their differences next week.
Tyler Bate pinned Kassius Ohno after the Tyler Driver ’97 (24:02)
Ohno applied a wristlock, but Bate worked his way out of it and countered with one of his own. Ohno applied a cravat. Bate escaped and locked in an Octopus hold, then transitioned into a sunset flip attempt, which Ohno turned into a modified Camel Clutch and later a surfboard submission. Bate ended up locking in a side headlock and hit Ohno with his foot for good measure.
Bate did a headstand in the corner and caught Ohno with a headscissors takedown as he rushed in. He followed up with a number of dropkicks, but Ohno turned things around once more and drove Bate into the ring post as Bate was on the apron. As Bate returned to the ring, Ohno brutally assaulted him with kicks and elbows. Ohno called Bate a “stupid boy” as he kept beating on him.
Ohno crashed down on Bate with a senton for a near fall, then hit a hard rolling elbow to the temple. Ohno ended up on the top rope and hit Bate with a hard right, then went for a cravat but turned it into a version of the Kassius Clutch and eventually turned it into a sit-down cravat powerbomb.
Bate got back to his feet and tried going for a German, but Ohno blocked it. After some struggling, the Big Strong Boi eventually hit an exploder suplex on his much bigger opponent. He followed up with a knee strike, a flying European uppercut, a running uppercut into the corner, yet another exploder suplex, and a running Shooting Star Press for a two count.
Bate went for the Tyler Driver ’97 but couldn’t get it. He hit a few uppercuts and tried again, but Ohno gave him a huge back body drop and Bate over-rotated and hit the mat hard.
Ohno hit a cyclone kick for another two count and followed with a number of headbutts. Bate powered back up and hit a number of slaps and eventually got another two count of his own. Bate went for the airplane spin, but Ohno grabbed the ropes and hit a few kicks. Bate came back with clotheslines and kicks, but Ohno kicked him in the neck on the rebound clothesline.
Ohno went up top for a moonsault but missed. Bate then hit a deadlift German suplex for another two count. Bate hit two rolling koppu kicks and both men were out of it — Ohno in the ropes and Bate on the mat.
Bate hit another rolling koppu kick. Ohno hit a running boot and Bate hit the rebound clothesline. Ohno rolled to the outside and Bate followed him out with a big dive, but Ohno caught him in mid-air and hit the Dream Crusher to the neck for a 2.9 count.
Ohno berated Bate, calling him a rookie and himself a veteran. They battled on the top and Ohno applied a cravat, but Bate escaped and picked him up on his shoulders for the UFO airplane spin. Bate then finally hit the Tyler Driver ’97 for the well-deserved pinfall victory.
This was an awesome match that people should go out of their way to see.
Next week —
The first matches from this coming weekend’s set of NXT UK tapings in Hull will air, including the debut of Ridge Holland and a match between Alexander Wolfe and Ilja Dragunov.
WWE’s Kassius Ohno is heading to PROGRESS Wrestling and wXw for shows this December.
PROGRESS announced today that Ohno will face Timothy Thatcher at their Chapter 99 event on Sunday, December 15. It’s taking place at the O2 Academy in Sheffield, England.
Ohno last wrestled for PROGRESS during their Super Strong Style 16 tournament in 2018, making it to the finals before losing to Zack Sabre Jr. Ohno last appeared for wXw in 2016, which was before he re-signed with WWE.
On night two of wXw’s World Tag Team Festival yesterday, Thatcher became the wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion by defeating Bobby Gunns.
Ohno is part of the NXT UK roster on WWE television. He recently feuded with Sid Scala, defeating Scala in a singles match and a British Rounds match. Scala is an on-screen authority figure as general manager Johnny Saint’s assistant.
NXT UK returned to the Brentwood Centre in Brentwood, Essex on Saturday to close out this weekend’s television tapings.
– Dark match: Rhea Ripley defeated Nina Samuels
Ripley bowed to the crowd after the match, seemingly bowing out of NXT UK.
– Jack Starz defeated Saxon Huxley
– There was a segment where Imperium said they’re on top of NXT UK. This led to Gallus coming out and laughing at that notion.
– A-Kid defeated Kassius Ohno by countout
Ohno beat A-Kid down after the match, with Tyler Bate coming out to make the save.
– Joseph Conners defeated Roy Johnson
– Kay Lee Ray cut a promo saying we’ve seen the last of Toni Storm. KLR — the NXT UK Women’s Champion — also said she managed to do what Xia Brookside never could.
– Jordan Devlin defeated Dave Mastiff
– Joe Coffey defeated Tyson T-Bone
– Isla Dawn defeated Killer Kelly
– William Regal made an appearance and thanked the crowd.
– Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) ended in a double DQ
Gallus interfered to cause the disqualification. Imperium had a standoff with Gallus after, with Ilja Dragunov then coming out and siding with Gallus.
– NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray defeated Xia Brookside
– Travis Banks defeated Ligero
Joseph Conners interfered and then beat down Banks after the match. Conners called himself “TakeOver worthy.”
The following was taped at Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales on September 1.
**Quick results**
– Travis Banks beat Tyson T-Bone in a hard fought battle, taking the first step to redeem his TakeOver loss against Noam Dar.
– Rhea Ripley quickly squashed Debbie Keitel and then got confronted by Jinny and Jazzy Gabert as she cut a promo on wanting the women’s title back.
– In another short match, Joseph Conners beat Kenny Williams.
– Kassius Ohno beat Sid Scala in a British Rounds rules match one fall to zero after the six rounds were up.
**Show recap**
The show opened with a recap of the Ohno/Scala match from two weeks ago and the setup for tonight’s rematch under British Rounds rules.
Travis Banks pinned Tyson T-Bone (4:38)
They locked up and Banks immediately turned the tables on a corner attack by T-Bone and aggressively beat him down. He followed with three clotheslines and a running basement dropkick into the corner. T-Bone came back with a hard punch, slam into the corner, and running bodypress. T-Bone hit some body shots that hurt Banks, then hit a bodyslam for a two count.
Banks tried hitting a few kicks to the body, but was hit with a slingshot suplex. He came back with running knees that sent T-Bone to the outside, and then followed with a dive that sent T-Bone up the entrance ramp. Banks hit a springboard double foot stomp from the turnbuckle, but got caught with a half-and-half off an attempt to hit Slice of Heaven. T-Bone worked him over some more, but Banks turned a suplex attempt into a small package for the win.
— Radzi Chinyanganya was backstage, presumably with an update on the whereabouts of Toni Storm. He had no new info and was immediately interrupted by Gallus in the form of Mark Coffey and Wolfgang who demanded a rematch for the NXT UK tag team titles, stating that they had never been beaten in the three-way match at TakeOver.
Rhea Ripley pinned Debbie Keitel (1:23)
Keitel (from Ireland) started in 2017 and was trained by Emi Sakura and Marty Jones. She wrestled for OTT, RevPro, and Pro Wrestling: EVE, among others, in the past.
Ripley immediately backed Keitel into the corner and then nonchalantly shook off a bodylock attempt and chugged her away with a gut wrench. Keitel slapped Ripley, who struck her down with one blow, hitting Riptide for the quick victory.
After the match, Rhea cut a promo in the ring, She said it was about time she got her NXT UK women’s championship back and that nobody could break her mentally or could compete with her physically. This brought out Jinny and Jazzy Gabert. Jinny made fun of Rhea’s look, calling it 90s and stating her accomplishments were from the past as well and this was where Ripley belonged. Jinny said she was the future and would be the women’s champion. She said in the present though, she had a bigger problem for Ripley to deal with.
Gabert got on the apron and grabbed her by the neck, but Rhea slapped her hand away and hit a head kick which sent Gabert staggering back to the floor. Jinny then pulled Jazzy off and took her backstage.
— Noam Dar was hiding in the car park with a megaphone and started berating Trent Seven as he entered the building. Seven told him to grow up and Dar continued his antics, leading to them getting into a scuffle which quickly was broken up.
— Johnny Saint got Scala ready for his match later tonight.
Joseph Conners pinned Kenny Williams (5:12)
Conners beat him down right away and threw him into the corner, following up with a short-arm clothesline for a near fall. Williams came back with body shots, leaped over Conners, and used his momentum coming off the ropes for a roll-up for a near fall of his own. Williams went for a springboard, but Conners hit the ropes, sending Williams crashing to the mat. Conners took back over, showing more of his aggressiveness. He applied a surfboard stretch and berated Williams, calling out to the entire NXT roster to beat him. Williams came back with chin breaker and a sling blade for another two count.
“The Luckyan” followed up with a springboard back elbow and head kick, evading another attempt of Conners to foil his springboard. He hit a springboard back elbow that connected and then went for another roll through cover, but Conners grabbed the bottom rope to break the fall. Conners then thwarted another attack and hit Don’t Look Down for the win.
— A video looked back at Ilja Dragunov’s match with Cesaro at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff.
— A video on Oliver Carter aired. He said his debut didn’t go as planned, but he would be back in action next week.
— We got a taped interview with Kay Lee Ray. She called Teagan Nox a bird with broken wings who was no challenge. A graphic announced a match between the two in two weeks.
Kassius Ohno defeated Sid Scala 1:0 at the end of round six (20:00) in a British Rounds rules match.
The rules for the match were six three minute rounds with 30 second rest periods. To win, you either had to get two pins or submissions or knock out your opponent. If the match went all six rounds, whoever was ahead would be the winner.
They shook hands, but Ohno then kicked Scala’s hand off.
Round one (Ohno 0, Scala 0)
Ohno had the early advantage with a headlock takedown, but Scala wrestled his way out of it with a hammerlock. Ohno locked in a cravat and then took Scala down with a snapmare, applying a chin lock. Scala grabbed his own foot to break the hold, taking a page out of Johnny Saint’s playbook. Ohno took Scala down, then applied an ankle lock, but Scala worked his way out of the hold and took down Ohno as the round ended.
Round two (Ohno 0, Scala 0)
Scala locked on a cravat, but Ohno reversed out of it. They rolled each other up, but both men escaped before a pin fall could be counted. Ohno forced Scala’s hand to the mat, stepped on it and started stretching him, transitioning into a surfboard stretch. Scala escaped and rolled up Ohno just as the round eded. Ohno attacked him after the bell, causing the referee to force the break.
Round three (Ohno 1, Scala 0)
Ohno locked in a side headlock right away and hit palm strikes to Scala’s forehead. Scala came back with punches and European uppercuts, but Ohno struck him down with a throat strike. Scala hit three consecutive dropkicks to send Ohno staggering, but Ohno came back with the Rolling Elbow for the first pinfall of the match at 1:29 of the round.
Round four (Ohno 1, Scala 0)
Scala was hardly back on his feet when the 30 second rest period was up. Ohno attacked right away, bodyslamming him to the mat and then locking in another cravat and trash-talking Scala. Scala escaped and hit a headbutt, but ate another hard elbow that sent him right down to the mat. Ohno locked in another cravat that took Scala almost out of the match. Ohno got in a final chop just as the round ended.
Round five (Ohno 1, Scala 0)
Scala came out aggressive, but Ohno quickly stepped into an abdominal stretch and yanked his neck for good measure. He transitioned into a half straight jacket, but Scala hit a punch to the gut, followed by a flurry of offense. But, he quickly got thrown through the ropes to the apron. Ohno wanted to follow, but the referee forced him back into the ring, allowing Scala to hit a crossbody off the top for a near fall. Ohno hit a senton, but Scala pulled his knees up and then hit a number of running elbows as the round ended.
Round six (Ohno 1, Scala 0)
Scala came out like a house of fire, but Ohno hit a Kamikaze Plunge for a two count. Ohno clamped in another chinlock but Scala managed to force his hands apart, allowing Ohno to hit another hard elbow to the back of the head. Ohno picked Scala up on his shoulders, but Scala managed to roll through for a victory roll for a near fall and then followed with a crucifix for another near fall. Scala then pulled Ohno over for a backslide and had a visual three count, but time expired just as the ref was about to count three.
Ohno vs. Josh Briggs is set for EVOLVE 135 in Brooklyn on Friday, September 20. Ohno vs. WALTER will then take place at EVOLVE 136 in Queens on Saturday, September 21.
Ohno defeated Briggs when they faced each other at EVOLVE 128 in May. Briggs is challenging for Austin Theory’s EVOLVE Championship at EVOLVE 136.
It was announced on Wednesday that WALTER will be in action at EVOLVE 135 and EVOLVE 136. He’ll face JD Drake in Brooklyn prior to his match against Ohno in Queens. WALTER’s WWE United Kingdom Championship won’t be on the line in either match.
The Saint Finbar Catholic Church Gym in Brooklyn is hosting EVOLVE 135. EVOLVE 136 will be held at La Boom in Queens. Ohno, WALTER, Theory, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, Babatunde, and Arturo Ruas will be available for meet-and-greets at both shows.
Here are the updated lineups for EVOLVE 135 and EVOLVE 136:
EVOLVE 135 (Friday, September 20) —
WWE United Kingdom Champion WALTER vs. JD Drake in a non-title match
Kassius Ohno vs. Josh Briggs
AR Fox, Leon Ruff & Liam Gray vs. Eddie Kingston, Joe Gacy & Colby Corino
Evolution’s Edge Tournament elimination match: Anthony Gutierrez vs. Karam vs. Sean Maluta vs. Stephen Wolf
Evolution’s Edge Tournament elimination match: Anthony Greene (w/ Brandi Lauren) vs. Brandon Taggart vs. Curt Stallion vs. Daniel Garcia
EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory vs. Babatunde in a non-title match
Arturo Ruas vs. John Silver
Harlem Bravado vs. Adrian Alanis
More with Anthony Henry, Shotzi Blackheart, and others
EVOLVE 136 (Saturday, September 21) —
EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory defending against Josh Briggs
WWE United Kingdom Champion WALTER vs. Kassius Ohno in a non-title match
Two-out-of-three falls 10-man tag match: The Skulk vs. The Unwanted
JD Drake vs. Anthony Henry
Evolution’s Edge Tournament finals
More with Babatunde, Arturo Ruas, Harlem Bravado, Shotzi Blackheart, and others
Taped August 31 at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales
Quick results —
This was mostly a highlight show with clips from UK TakeOver: Cardiff and had just two matches. In the opener, Rhea Ripley, fresh off issuing a challenge to Shayna Baszler on NXT US television, avenged her previous loss to Piper Niven by beating her clean with Riptide.
Kassius Ohno was supposed to face Jack Gallagher in another rematch from a few weeks back, but Gallagher wasn’t able to wrestle. Johnny Saint decided on a surprise replacement who turned out to be his assistant GM, Sid Scala. Scala showed some heart, but Ohno easily beat him.
Full rundown —
The show opened with an NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff highlight video running down all the matches and results.
A graphic plugged a rematch between Kassius Ohno and Jack Gallagher for later tonight.
Rhea Ripley defeated Piper Niven after hitting Riptide (8:34)
They locked up right away and tried getting each other down, with Niven eventually tackling Ripley to the mat. Ripley came back by repeatedly shouldering Niven in the corner, then kept working over her back.
Ripley locked Niven in a modified Camel Clutch while simultaneously cranking her neck, then followed up with her inverted clover leaf. Niven was on the brink of submission until she managed to trip Ripley’s leg and locked in a leglock.
Ripley followed up by slamming Niven’s head into the mat, then went back to her previous submission hold. Niven managed to power out, get on her feet, and fall backwards on Ripley. They traded chops, then Niven hit a belly-to-back suplex and followed with her cannonball senton into the corner. She went to the second turnbuckle and hit a Vader Bomb for a near fall.
Niven went to slam Ripley but her back gave out, allowing Ripley to come back and go for Riptide, but Niven powered out. Niven then hit a headbutt and a crossbody on a seated Ripley for another two count.
Niven tried to go for another move, but Ripley elbowed her in the back of the head in the ropes. Ripley hit Riptide to score the victory.
– Radzi Chinyanganya was talking to Sid Scala, who announced that Jack Gallagher was not medically cleared to face Kassius Ohno tonight. Ohno interrupted Scala and told him to find him a suitable replacement so the main event would not fall through. Ohno said he’d go to the ring now. Johnny Saint whispered something into Scala’s ear and he asked if Saint was sure.
– A clip aired of Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster winning the NXT UK Tag Team titles at TakeOver. Zack Gibson and James Drake walked up to Saint’s door and asked him for a rematch. Gibson said they were a throwback to an era where Saint made his name. Saint said he’d think about it. A graphic then announced the rematch would take place next week.
– Another highlight video with clips from TakeOver aired.
– Footage aired from Joe Coffey and Gallus talking after Coffey’s match against Dave Mastiff from TakeOver. Then another clip aired of Dave Mastiff talking to The Hunt backstage. Both men were being comforted by their friends.
– Next was a clip of Kay Lee Ray winning the NXT UK Women’s title and video of Trent Seven comforting Tyler Bate after his close loss to WALTER after their tremendous match.
– A graphic plugged the return of Tegan Nox to the ring and said she’d debut on NXT UK next week.
Kassius Ohno pinned Sid Scala after hitting the Dream Crusher (7:14)
Ohno came out first, then Scala’s music played and he came to the ring while taking off his tie and jacket. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and was ready to compete against Ohno wearing dress pants, a shirt, and dress shoes.
Ohno took Scala down with a wristlock. He easily prevented a cravat by Scala, but Scala rolled out of Ohno’s path. Scala used his speed to evade Ohno, then hit a sunset flip off the second turnbuckle for a near fall.
Ohno kept manhandling Scala. He ripped Scala’s shirt off, wrapped it around Scala’s leg, and dragged him around. Ohno grounded Scala on the mat and stepped on his ankle, but Scala once more managed to roll up Ohno for a two count.
Ohno attacked Scala more in the corner, but Scala snapped Ohno’s neck over the top turnbuckle. Scala tried following up by launching himself onto Ohno at ringside, but he got taken down in mid-air by a spear.
Scala tried going for a tornado DDT, but Ohno caught him again mid-move and gave him a knee breaker and an outside dragon screw. As Scala limped back onto his feet, Ohno followed up with the Dream Crusher to the back of the head for the win.
Next week —
Tegan Nox makes her NXT UK debut. The Grizzled Young Veterans will also get their NXT UK Tag Team title rematch against Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster.
Taped July 19 and 20 at Plymouth Pavilions in Plymouth, England
Quick results —
Flash Morgan Webster defeated Mark Coffey in a fun opener, getting his team with Mark Andrews one step closer to an NXT UK Tag Team title match. Travis Banks pinned Kenny Williams, but his victory was soured by Noam Dar mocking both men on commentary. Nina Samuels also defeated Isla Dawn.
WALTER was shown at the wXw Academy in Germany, beating up a number of students and telling him they weren’t worthy of being there. He challenged Tyler Bate to meet him in a face-to-face segment next week.
In a great, hard-hitting main event with good psychology, “The Wrestling Genius” Kassius Ohno handed Ilja Dragunov his first NXT UK loss. This was probably the best NXT UK match to date not involving any combination of wrestlers in British Strong Style or Imperium.
Full rundown —
– The show opened with a graphic that promised us exclusive training footage of WALTER from Germany.
Flash Morgan Webster (w/ Mark Andrews) pinned Mark Coffey (w/ Wolfgang) after a small package (5:28)
On last Wednesday’s show, Johnny Saint informed Webster & Andrews that they’d need to prove themselves over the next few weeks to earn a Tag Team title shot. Webster used his speed and agility early to send Coffey to ringside. He went for a plancha over the top. Coffey avoided it, but Webster landed on his feet.
Wolfgang and Andrews briefly got involved, but the situation quickly was defused as Coffey took over back in the ring. He manhandled Webster, wore him down with some submissions, and hit a huge slam at one point.
Webster came back with leg kicks that hurt Coffey, but he managed to throw the smaller man to ringside. As Coffey argued with Andrews outside, Webster caught him with a dive and hit a nice moonsault back in the ring for a near fall. Coffey came back with an enzuigiri and a chokeslam for another near fall of his own.
Webster came back and went to the top, but was distracted by Wolfgang, resulting in him missing a top rope somersault senton. Andrews had seen enough and took out Wolfgang at ringside. In the chaos that ensued, Webster managed to small package Coffey for the win.
– Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm backstage and asked about Kay Lee Ray stating she knew all about Storm’s secrets. Storm was so excited about TakeOver being in Wales that she lost her train of thought and had to ask what the question was. She thought a long time about KLR and finally just said that at TakeOver, she’d be ready for her.
– A video of “Brick by Brick” by Mark Andrews’ band Junior aired, proclaiming it the official theme song for NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff
– Jordan Devlin was being interviewed backstage when suddenly there were loud screams and Piper Niven and Rhea Ripley brawled into the room. They had to be separated by a number of officials.
Travis Banks pinned Kenny Williams after hitting the Kiwi Crusher (5:34)
Just as the match was about to start, Noam Dar’s music hit and he came out, waving to the competitors in the ring. Dar joined Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness on commentary, which delighted McGuinness to no end.
Banks managed a backslide right off the bat for a two count. They traded holds and counter-holds in classic babyface vs. babyface match fashion. Dar made fun of both men on commentary as Banks hit a running knee in the ring for another cover. Dar reiterated that Williams never beat him.
As Joseph said Banks might be worthy of being on TakeOver, Dar said he also beat him at Royal Albert Hall. Williams threw Banks to the outside. He then tried to go for a dive, but Banks slid back into the ring, hit a dive of his own, and followed up with a double foot stomp from the top for another near fall.
Williams came back with a snapmare driver for a two count, then traded shots with Banks. Meanwhile, Dar on commentary asked what a Kiwi Buzzsaw even was.
Williams hit a jumping back elbow off the ropes, then hit a dive to the outside and hit a top rope back elbow from off the top once Banks was back in the ring. Banks then suddenly came back with A Slice of Heaven and hit the Kiwi Crusher for the win.
Banks fist-bumped Kenny Williams on his way out, then stared at Dar, who mockingly clapped for him. Banks went over to confront him, but Dar would have none of it.
– Kassius Ohno laced up his boots in preparation for his main event match.
Nina Samuels pinned Isla Dawn after hitting the Nina-goroshi (5:38)
They locked up and traded holds early, with Dawn impressively escaping various wristlocks until Nina grabbed a fist of hair and pulled her down. Samuels had Dawn in a straightjacket hold, but as she released it, she ate a dropkick from Dawn.
Samuels rammed Dawn’s head into the turnbuckle, then added more punishment on top. Dawn came back with some kicks and got a two count off a knee strike. Samuels ended up on the apron but hit a head kick and launched herself over the top with a spinning splash for another close two.
Dawn immediately came back with a bridging German suplex, but she couldn’t get more than a two count either. Samuels then picked her up and hit the Nina-goroshi for the win (this was the second match these two had at this set of tapings, with Dawn originally winning, so it looks like they re-taped it to get the result they wanted).
– The finishing stretch from last week’s Dave Mastiff vs. Joe Coffey match aired, including both men brawling after their double countout. Sid Scala and Johnny Saint announced Mastiff and Coffey would have a rematch at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff in a last man standing match.
– Ilja Dragunov was shown preparing backstage for his match against Ohno.
WALTER training segment
A video from the wXw Academy aired, with WALTER training a number of wrestling students. He berated them and told them none of them belonged here, asking them if they wanted to play fight. He said this was a professional wrestling school and if they wanted to fool around, they could go to England.
WALTER let some students hit him with European uppercuts, then chopped them down. He singled out one student and told him he reminded him of Tyler Bate.
He beat the student down, then stepped on his throat and told him to say “I’m Tyler Bate.” He looked into the camera and dared Bate to meet him on NXT UK next week for a face-to-face segment.
– A graphic announced the WALTER/Tyler Bate face-off as well as Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner vs. The Hunt for next week.
Kassius Ohno pinned Ilja Dragunov after hitting the rolling elbow (15:01)
Dragunov was super intense, but Ohno managed to keep him at a distance early on. He then locked in a headlock, but Dragunov quickly countered it into Ohno’s signature cravat hold. Ohno caught Dragunov off a body press, but Dragunov managed to still turn it into a cover.
Ohno hit a chop, which only pumped up the Mad Russian and he quickly struck Ohno down, hit a hard senton, and locked in another cravat, forcing Ohno to flee to the corner in order to break the hold. Dragunov ended up on the apron and Ohno drove him into the ring post, then followed up with a big boot on the shoulder.
Ohno kept working over the shoulder and elbow of Dragunov, transitioning into a overhead wristlock. Dragunov came back briefly, but Ohno used Dragunov’s momentum and drove him head-first into the middle rope, which looked brutal.
Ohno used some innovative offense to further work over Dragunov’s arm. Dragunov briefly escaped, but was immediately caught in a guillotine and hammerlock combination.
Dragunov finally managed to hit a huge vertical suplex, but this took a lot out of both men. Dragunov hit a few clotheslines into the corner and then tried a few consecutive lariats, but clearly was hurt. He finally hit another clothesline with his good left arm, then hit the Konstantin Special but only was able to get a two count.
Dragunov went for a Gotch piledriver, but he couldn’t get Ohno up. Ohno double-legged the Russian, then focused on the arm once more, including picking him up for an over-the-shoulder backbreaker, then threw him to the mat right on Dragunov’s injured shoulder.
Ohno gave himself a chant of “Wrest-ling-Gen-ius,” but he took too much time, allowing Dragunov to hit a German suplex after a brief struggle. Dragunov hit a big dive through the ropes, which took him all the way to the beginning of the ramp. He hit a another huge dropkick from the top, hitting Ohno’s wrist and then managing to get another two count.
Dragunov went to the top once more, but got stopped by Ohno, who applied a cravat on the top, looking to hit a cravat suplex. Dragunov managed to somersault over Ohno and hit a powerbomb off the ropes, but Ohno kicked out at two again.
The crowd broke into a loud NXT chant at this point. Dragunov went to the top again, but Ohno smartly positioned the referee between himself and his attacker, then pushed Dragunov off the top, sending him crashing shoulder-first into the post, then rammed his shoulder into the post on the outside once more.
As Dragunov was dazed back in the ring, Ohno hit the rolling elbow to the back of the head for the pinfall victory.
Next week —
WALTER and Tyler Bate will go face-to-face. Imperium will also be in action, with Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner taking on The Hunt.
Taped June 16, 2019 at Download Festival in Leicestershire, England
Quick results —
Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) defeated Saxon Huxley & Tyson T-Bone in impressive fashion. Jinny defeated Xia Brookside, with Jazzy Gabert helping her out by distracting Brookside.
Toni Storm talked about Kay Lee Ray, who announced that she would cash in her title shot at NXT TakeOver: Cardiff on August 31. In a very good main event, Mark Andrews withstood a good deal of punishment and pulled off the win against the larger Kassius Ohno.
Full rundown —
– Sid Scala opened the show and ran down this week’s card. He also announced Toni Storm would have something to say.
Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) defeated Saxon Huxley & Tyson T-Bone when Barthel pinned Huxley after a powerbomb/uppercut combo (4:53)
Aichner immediately took down the bigger T-Bone and made it look easy. T-Bone came back with a right and a clothesline but got caught in mid-air by Aichner and dropped with a powerslam.
A double tag later found Huxley at the receiving end of a running soccer kick by Barthel. Barthel kept attacking Huxley relentlessly in the corner. Huxley took a lot more punishment and crawled for the hot tag, but Aichner also tagged in, sneaked around ringside, and pulled T-Bone off the apron and kneed him into the steps.
Aichner and Barthel then finished Huxley off with a combined powerbomb/European uppercut off the second turnbuckle.
– Radzi Chinyanganya talked to Travis Banks, who said he was disappointed about losing to WALTER but will come back strong
Jinny (w/ Jazzy Gabert) defeated Xia Brookside with a roll-up (4:35)
Aiden English compared Jinny and Gabert to Cersei Lannister and The Mountain from Game of Thrones. Brookside started strong with a roll-up and a dropkick, then followed up with a crossbody a minute later. Jinny missed a running charge into the corner and got double knees to the back of the head, then found herself tied up in a tree of woe, but escaped.
Jinny fled to ringside and Brookside faced off with Gabert, but Jinny used the distraction and pulled Brookside up by the hair from the ring. Gabert then briefly attacked Brookside and threw her back into the ring. Jinny took over and locked in a version of a surfboard, but Brookside made the ropes.
Brookside hit a hurricanrana off the ropes, but Jinny and Brookside collided and Jinny was thrown into the ref, who briefly was distracted, allowing Gabert to grab Brookside’s legs. Jinny rolled her up for the win.
– A cameraman went into Imperium’s trailer, and they were not amused. Barthel said they disposed of British Strong Style and took out Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate and all that was left was Trent Seven.
Alexander Wolfe said Seven better be careful what he wished for and that WALTER accepts his challenge. WALTER said in German that he would break Seven and repeated the same in English, saying he would snap Seven’s back. They then threw out the cameraman.
– Kenny Williams talked about Noam Dar, saying he’d snap off the wing Dar wanted to take him under.
– They showed clips from after last week’s main event, where Dave Mastiff dared Gallus to step back into the ring with him. A reporter went into Gallus’ trailer and Joe Coffey said they tamed The Hunt and that he would take down Mastiff as well.
Toni Storm in-ring promo
Storm came out to the crowd chanting her name. She said she thought Kay Lee Ray was one of her best friends and mentioned how KLR helped her out when she first moved to the UK. She said KLR didn’t need to get her attention, she got it and was ready whenever KLR was. Storm said she was sick of her mind games, but was then interrupted by KLR’s music.
Kay Lee Ray said she was more prepared than Storm and teased having their match right now. Storm prepared, but KLR said this was not going to happen. KLR said she was going to make Storm wait until the biggest show they’ve ever had — NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff. KLR said until then, she would make Storm’s life a living hell.
– Scala said this would not mean Storm and Kay Lee Ray would not be in action until TakeOver. He announced Storm, Piper Niven & Xia Brookside vs. Kay Lee Ray, Jinny & Jazzy Gabert for next week.
– Kenny Williams vs. Noam Dar and WALTER vs. Trent Seven were announced for next week.
Mark Andrews defeats Kassius Ohno (13:05)
Ohno showed off his mat prowess early, then locked Andrews in a cravat. Andrews eventually countered it into a front facelock, but quickly found himself back in the hold. Andrews showed off a few cartwheels, then hit a few dropkicks and a dive to the outside, but Ohno caught him mid-flight and slammed him throat-first into the exposed part of the turnbuckle.
Ohno took over and beat down Andrews for a while, including choking him in the ropes and locking in a another variation of the cravat.
Ohno sat on Andrews in the corner, then shoved Andrews off the second turnbuckle, sending him tumbling to ringside. He screamed at Andrews that he didn’t belong in the ring with him and that Ohno was a wrestling genius. Ohno threw Andrews back into the ring, but got hit with three enzuigiris and a somersault plancha into a hurricanrana on the outside.
Back in the ring, Andrews hit another top rope hurricanrana and a standing moonsault for a near fall. Andrews slid under an Ohno strike, then went to hit the Pele kick, but got elbowed into the back of the head for a close near fall.
Andrews ended up on Ohno’s shoulders and got smashed face-first onto the mat. Ohno chopped Andrews, who was trapped in the ropes, but Andrews powered up and hit a number of strikes. Eventually, Andrews landed an inverted rana for a close two count.
Andrews managed to hit the Stun Dog Millionaire, then turned a moonsault block that got caught into a spinning DDT, but it still was not enough to beat Ohno. Andrews hit a Shooting Star Press, but on impact, got caught in a cravat and ate a nasty cravat slam, followed by a spinning big boot.
Ohno got cocky and didn’t got for the pin, but rather wanted to hit a tombstone piledriver. As he had Andrews up for the move, Andrews rolled through and got the pin. Ohno was shocked in the ring as Andrews celebrated on the stage.
Next week —
Toni Storm, Piper Niven & Xia Brookside face off with Kay Lee Ray, Jinny & Jazzy Gabert, Kenny Williams wrestles Noam Dar, and WALTER takes on Trent Seven.
