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.
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.
After Millie McKenzie accused Banks — who is 13 years older than her — of being in a mentally and emotionally abusive relationship with her when she was a 17-year-old trainee, Banks issued a statement last weekend:
I’d like to issue a statement regarding Millie McKenzie’s comments:
Millie was a trainee of mine at Fight Club: Pro. She was also a close personal friend. We would be at shows together, attend the same social events, travel together and hang out at the wrestlers house where I was living. It was through this friendship a consensual relationship was formed.
The relationship broke down between both parties and it ended. After it ended we agreed to talk it out. We apologized to eachother for any individual actions behind the relationship breakdown. After seeing these comments, I can only repeat my apology. I am truly sorry for any pain caused by the relationship.
How dare you Travis. I never had anything to apologise for. You manipulated your position of power over me. At 17 years of age, I had no idea what a relationship actually entailed. The mental and emotional hurt you put me through is INEXCUSABLE and I am not the only one of your trainees that you’ve done this to. You are a liar, a manipulative person with no conscious and you always believe your in the right. You are NOT RIGHT. I am not scared of you anymore, you hold no power over me…to all the people that messaged saying they wish they could have done more at the time. PLEASE help me now to create a safe working environment for me again and others. Don’t protect him this time just becuase he’s your friend.
Ligero and Banks are the second and third wrestlers to be released by WWE due to accusations made against them during the #SpeakingOut movement. Jack Gallagher was also released by WWE last week.
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.”
This was top-to-bottom probably one of the best episodes of NXT UK. They picked four great matches from the past 12 months for this Hidden Gems-style special episode. The main event of Ilja Dragunov vs. A-Kid was particularly great and you should go out of your way to watch it.
Toni Storm pinned Deonna Purrazzo after hitting Storm Zero in a fun, hard-hitting match that saw Purrazzo dominate. Great things will be in her future, and any company should look to pick her up once things get back to normal.
Matt Riddle pinned Ligero after a top rope Broton in another hard-hitting match that showed off the strengths of both men.
Shayna Baszler defeated Isla Dawn by submission with the Kirifuda Clutch in a fun battle that showed off what a destroyer Baszler is, with Dawn getting a few hope spots in.
Ilja Dragunov pinned A-Kid after hitting Torpedo Moscow in one of the best matches in the brand’s history. It would have fit right in on any TakeOver special or any NJPW show of the past few years. This was an athletic strong-style battle with a lot of drama and great crowd reactions. Both men are great and A-Kid will hopefully be able to show off his talent on a national stage at some point. Both of these men should be regulars on NXT at least.
Full rundown —
After a few weeks of highlight/best-of shows, we were back with some original content this week. Tom Phillips opened the show, announcing that him and Andy Shepherd would present four previously unaired matches, which had been filmed at various tapings.
Toni Storm pinned Deonna Purrazzo after hitting Storm Zero (11:14)
This match was taped on June 14, 2019 at Download Festival. Storm was NXT UK Women’s Champion at the time and retained her title. They only showed quick highlights of the entrances and the match started right away.
The announcers talked about both women being in the Mae Young Classic in 2018, which Storm won. Purrazzo had the early advantage and worked over Storm’s arm, but the champ quickly came back with some wristlocks of her own.
They went back and forth on the mat, with Purrazzo escaping a headscissors via headstand and then gesturing to Storm to bring it. Storm found herself in the same predicament Purrazzo was in, but instead of a headstand, she just backtracked her way out of the hold.
Purrazzo slapped Storm’s hand away as she went for a handshake, but Storm hit a number of European uppercuts and then locked in a single-leg Boston crab. Purrazzo quickly grabbed the ropes to escape, but she got booted down by Storm for a two count seconds later.
Purrazzo worked over Storm’s shoulder and upper arm, including stomping away at them in the corner. Purrazzo locked in a combined leg-and-neck lock, then kept at it with strikes and clotheslines. Purrazzo stomped on Storm’s elbow and scored another near fall.
Storm came back with a headbutt and some strikes, but she got caught with a flatliner. Purrazzo then immediately locked in a Koji clutch. Storm escaped and the two women once more traded strikes as the crowd went yay-boo.
Storm countered a whip-in into three consecutive German suplexes, then went for Storm Zero, but couldn’t lock it in due to her injured arm. Purrazzo came back with another attack and another near fall. Storm whipped her into the ropes and stopped her in her tracks with a stiff headbutt to the shoulder, but the subsequent cover only netted a two count for the champion.
Purrazzo locked in an armbar, then transitioned into a Rings of Saturn that had Storm in big trouble, especially when Purrazzo also hooked one of Storm’s legs. Storm finally made the bottom rope, but was down on the mat in pain.
Purrazzo hit a number of chops — until Storm followed her into the ropes, hit a clothesline, and finally hit Storm Zero for the pinfall victory.
Matt Riddle pinned Ligero after a top rope Broton (8:29)
This match was taped on July 20, 2019 in Plymouth, England.
Ligero wore elaborate shoulder pads that matched his mask. They fist-bumped to start the match and Riddle immediately hit a beautiful one-armed takedown slam, then played to the crowd. Riddle followed with a headlock takeover, which Ligero countered into a headscissors. Riddle escaped and went for a soccer kick, but Ligero ducked and rolled Riddle up, then locked in a side headlock of his own. Riddle powered out and hit a German suplex to escape. He then missed a head kick and Ligero hit a hurricanrana to take Riddle down.
Riddle hit two rolling gutwrench suplexes to score a two count, then kicked Ligero in the head and the face. Riddle worked Ligero over in the corner, hit an exploder, and followed with the Broton and another kick. Riddle hit an extended vertical suplex into a Jackhammer for another two count, which prompted “Goldberg” chants from the crowd.
Riddle hit another Broton and then went to the top rope for the Floating Bro, but Ligero jumped up and hit a top rope German that saw Riddle land on his shoulder. Ligero took him down with a combination, but Riddle ducked an enzuigiri and went for a deadlift German, which Ligero moonsaulted out of. They ended up at ringside and Ligero did a headstand on the apron, then sent Riddle flying with spinning headscissors.
Back in the ring, Ligero scored another two count, after which he hit some creative offense to dominate Riddle. He hit a splash from the top and middle ropes for another two count, prompting the crowd to chant “This is awesome.”
Riddle ducked a kick by Ligero and picked him up for a powerbomb, then hit Bro Derek and a top rope Broton for the win.
Shayna Baszler defeated Isla Dawn by submission with the Kirifuda Clutch (8:39)
This match was taped on June 15, 2019 at Download Festival. Like with the Storm match, Baszler was NXT Women’s Champion at the time and retained her title.
They locked up and Baszler backed Dawn into the corner, then kicked her leg away on the break. Dawn then backed Baszler in the corner and broke clean, but Baszler turned her around and kicked her legs away again.
Dawn scored a number of near falls, including after a float-over suplex, after which Baszler scurried to ringside. Dawn missed a baseball slide to the outside and ended up getting thrown into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Baszler hit a kick to the back, then stomped on Dawn’s left elbow and locked in a double wristlock.
Dawn used a surprise roll-up, but quickly found herself at the receiving end of Baszler dealing out punishment again. Baszler kept working over the arm for a few minutes with attacks and submission holds.
Dawn pulled down the top rope as Baszler came charging and sent her to the outside, then took over the match with a back suplex. But she fell victim to Baszler once more, with Baszler picking her up for a gutwrench suplex and then unceremoniously dropping her on her arm.
Dawn hit a beautiful head kick, but Baszler stopped her momentum with a forward-roll kick, a knee to the face, and finally locked in the Kirifuda Clutch for the submission victory.
– Tom Phillips talked about the last match and how you never know what you may see in NXT UK, as some title holders may come in to defend their championships. He then transitioned to Andy Shepherd for a video chat with the new number one contender to the NXT UK Championship, Ilja Dragunov.
Shepherd asked Dragunov how he kept himself prepared and Dragunov quoted one of his mentors, who once told him “How do you not get tired of working? You just don’t stop working.” Dragunov said he does not need to prepare — he was born prepared.
Shepherd asked why Dragunov thought he could beat WALTER, which no one else in NXT UK has done before. Dragunov brought up Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, and Joe Coffey as men who had succumbed to WALTER, but Dragunov said he has the will to beat WALTER.
Dragunov said you have to be willing to suffer through the pain — but he eats pain. He said you have to be willing to fight so intense — but he is intensity. Dragunov said WALTER will make a mistake and he will capitalize on it. Dragunov also promised that this match will redefine violence.
– Next week, NXT UK will take a look at the Rise of Imperium.
Ilja Dragunov pinned A-Kid after hitting Torpedo Moscow (13:14)
This match was filmed during the most recent set of NXT UK tapings on March 6, 2020 in Coventry, England.
They locked up and A-Kid ended up on the middle turnbuckle, but nothing came of it. He took Dragunov down and rolled into a cover, but the Mad Russian easily kicked out.
They ended up trading submissions on the mat, with A-Kid getting the better of the exchange. A-Kid applied a bow-and-arrow submission, various arm locks, and a tight neck vice. Dragunov locked in a side headlock but got taken down with a high-angle arm drag by A-Kid, who transitioned into an armbar and then a quick roll-up.
Dragunov applied an overhead wristlock that had A-Kid on his back, but he bridged out and flipped over into another neck vice. They had a standoff with Dragunov telling him to bring it. A-Kid grabbed Dragunov’s fingers, but Dragunov hit a hard chop and a senton, then hit a cartwheel into a crossbody.
A-Kid ended up on the outside. Dragunov hit an enzuigiri as he went to enter back into the ring, then hit an overhead karate chop from the top rope to the outside. Back inside, A-Kid thwarted a top rope senton and then hit a German suplex.
A-Kid hit an overhead Northern Lights suplex, then flipped over backwards into an armbar. Dragunov picked him up for a powerbomb and they both plunged into the top rope. A-Kid hit a top rope crossbody for another two count.
Dragunov picked A-Kid up, then clobbered him with a stiff lariat. Dragunov hit a Konstantin Special that almost took A-Kid’s head off and saw him land right on the back of his neck. A-Kid hit a Pele kick to Dragunov’s arm, but Dragunov came back with a single-leg dropkick and a high-angle German for another close two count.
A-Kid stopped Dragunov’s chops with a wristlock, then tried going for an ankle lock, after which both men traded some stiff kicks to the head. A-Kid stopped Dragunov on the top rope with a running enzuigiri, then hit a top rope Spanish Fly and a leg lariat for a 2.9 count.
A-Kid was pumped up in the corner, but charged right into an amazing twisting spinebuster, followed by a top rope senton. Dragunov then hit Torpedo Moscow for the win. This was a tremendous match — one of the best in the brand’s history.
Dragunov shook A-Kid’s hand after the match, then celebrated on the top rope as the show went off the air.
Taped at Coventry Skydome in Coventry, England on March 6, 2020
Quick results:
Former ring announcer Andy Shepherd is the new color commentator for NXT UK alongside Nigel McGuinness
Finn Balor appeared in NXT and called out WALTER, then thwarted an attack by Imperium
Piper Niven vowed to do something about Kay Lee Ray, who she called ‘evil’
Pretty Deadly beat Dan Moloney & Dereiss Gordon; all four men looked good
Alexander Wolfe demanded a match with Balor for tonight and got it approved by Johnny Saint; Jordan Devlin also was told he’s defend his cruiserweight title against Travis Banks in two weeks in the same segment
Dave Mastiff, Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster got set up for next week
Noam Dar beat Ligero
Travis Banks promised to become cruiserweight champion
Dani Luna vs. Amale went to a no contest when Kay Lee Ray attacked both women
Finn Balor pinned Alexander Wolfe after a 1916 and survived another attempted attack by Imperium mid-match
Full rundown:
Nigel McGuinness and newly appointed NXT UK play-by-play announcer Andy Shepherd welcomed us to the show. Shepherd is the former NXT UK ring announcer and previously called some early UK Tournament shows. They were interrupted by the lights going out and Finn Balor’s music playing.
Balor came out, said his name and that he wasn’t hear to pop ratings but to call out WALTER. The champion’s music played and he came out and stared Balor down from ringside. The rest of Imperium appeared and Alexander Wolfe welcomed Balor to NXT UK, said this was Imperium’s domain and vowed to give Balor a welcome. Balor quickly disposed of Aichner and Barthel, then escaped a German suplex attempt by Wolfe and gave him a sling blade before ducking a clothesline by WALTER and escaping to ringside.
Piper Niven was interviewed earlier in the week. She talked about her and Toni Storm being like sisters and she had to come out during the Storm/Kay Lee Ray I Quit Match to talk some sense into Toni before she’d get crippled.
She said she never could have interfered in the match, as Toni would never have talked to her. She said when she comforted a sobbing Toni, she looked up at KLR and saw that she was evil. She vowed to do something about her.
A highlight video on Tyler Bate aired.
Pretty Deadly (Lewis Howley & Sam Stoker) beat Dan Moloney & Dereiss Gordon
Pretty Deadly threw their shirts at their opponents and beat them down. Moloney made a brief comeback against Howley and tagged Gordon, who showed some good athleticism. Stoker tagged back in and together, Pretty Deadly attacked Gordon once more.
An assisted uppercut had Gordon down for a near-fall as Pretty Deadly tagged in and out in quick succession. Gordon finally got the hot tag and Moloney ran wild on both members of Pretty Deadly. Pretty Deadly came back with Deadly Pretty (an assisted Codebreaker) on Moloney for the win.
Alexander Wolfe walked up to Johnny Saint and Sid Scala all agitated and demanded a match against Finn Balor. Saint just looked at him and nonchalantly said “OK”. Jordan Devlin then walked up and declared he was back in the UK. Scala informed him that he would defend his NXT Cruiserweight title against Travis Banks in two weeks.
Dave Mastiff, Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster were at the UK Performance Center when Gallus walked up to talk trash. They agreed to face off in a six-men match next week.
Noam Dar pinned Ligero
Ligero took over early after Dar tried evading him. Dar came back with a dropkick through the ropes onto Ligero on the apron, that sent Ligero to ringside. Dar worked over Ligero’s hand back in the ring, then applied a chinlock. and tugged away at Ligero’s mask.
Ligero threw Dar to ringside, then followed up with a plancha. After Ligero took over for a bit, he went for a handspring armdrag, but got caught in a Fujiwara armbar. Dar attacked Ligero’s legs, then hit the Nova Roller for the win.
Travis Banks was being interviewed about meeting Jordan Devlin for the Cruiserweight title. He promised to be the first ever Kiwi champion in NXT history.
Dani Luna and Amale went to a no contest
Luna threw Amale halfway across the ring, then took her down repeatedly. Amale came back with a hammerlock, but Luna lifted her up with one hand and hit a fall away slam. Just as Luna looked ready to deal out more punishment, Kay Lee Ray ran out and attacked both women for the no contest.
Kay Lee Ray said that now that she had successfully got rid of Toni Storm, she was here to let every girl in NXT UK know that this division belonged to her. Luna briefly attacked her but quickly got taken out with a Gory Bomb. KLR reiterated that the division belonged to her.
A video on Aoife Valkyrie aired, where she claimed every feather she wore stood for a battle she won to become who she was.
Finn Balor pinned Alexander Wolfe
Balor quickly took over with a hammerlock on the mat, then followed with a dropkick off a sunset flip roll-through. He followed up with a sitting cobra clutch but got backed into the corner. He kicked away at Wolfe and hit some chops. Wolfe came back with a backbreaker, then hit some punches.
As Wolfe locked in a waist lock, the rest of Imperium slowly walked to ringside. Wolfe rammed his shoulders into Balor in the corner, then locked in a bear hug. Balor came back with a double chop to the chest, then hit a running basement dropkick on Wolfe.
Balor repeatedly stomped Wolfe while locking eyes with WALTER. He hit a sling blade and went to attack out of the corner, but Barthel came in and grabbed his leg while Aichner looked to attack. Balor fought him off as the referee then ejected Imperium from ringside.
Wolfe hit an enzuigiri and went for a sit-down power bomb, but Balor escaped and hit a double foot stomp on Wolfe, who came back with a bridging German suplex. Balor escaped a fireman’s carry into a slop drop, then hit a running drop kick and hit the coup de grâce, followed by the 1916 for the pinfall victory.
Next week:
Dave Mastiff, Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster will face Gallus in six-men action.
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
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.
WWE has announced the first few matches for next week’s SmackDown and 205 Live television tapings in London, England.
On SmackDown, Asuka & Kairi Sane will team against Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville. Rose & Deville defeated Ember Moon & Carmella on last night’s episode. Paige then appeared with Asuka & Sane and announced the tag team match for next Tuesday.
Members of the NXT UK roster will be appearing on next week’s 205 Live. Cruiserweight Champion Tony Nese will face Ligero in a non-title match, which comes in advance of Nese defending his title against Ariya Daivari at Money in the Bank on May 19.
A fatal four-way match between Jack Gallagher, Humberto Carrillo, Mark Andrews, and James Drake is also set for next week’s 205 Live. Andrews and Drake are both on the NXT UK roster. Drake & Zack Gibson are the current NXT UK Tag Team Champions.
Next week’s Raw and SmackDown are both being taped at the O2 Arena in London.
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.
NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool Plus – Episode 25 (taped January 12, 2019 at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, England)
Quick recap:
Just four days after NXT UK TakeOver:Blackpool, a new episode with matches taped before the actual TakeOver event aired on the WWE Network in somewhat of a surprise (it wasn’t announced until today). In the opening match, Ligero beat Saxon Huxley. Isla Dawn could not get revenge on Jinny, as The White Witch lost to the Fashionista. The European Connection of Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel beat Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster in the main event.
Full rundown:
The show opened with a highlight video of Saturday’s NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, culminating with the debut of WALTER who walked to the ring to stare down Pete Dunne, who had just successfully defended his WWE UK Championship against Joe Coffey.
Ligero pinned Saxon Huxley in 5:22 after hitting the C4L
Saxon started with a kick but Ligero quickly started evading him and hit a number of dropkicks and other offense until Juxley caught him off a body press and slammed him down hard. Huxley took over for a while and put on a straight jacket submission after hitting a nice Thesz Press. Ligero eventually staged a comeback, culminating in a beautiful top rope missile dropkick. After a stunner through the ropes, Ligero hit the C4L, his springboard Tornado DDT for the win.
Jinny pinned Isla Dawn in 6:42 after an X-Factor off the second turnbuckle
Jinny started with strikes but Isla quickly hit a gut wrench suplex and double knees for a near fall before progressing into a series of hammerlocks that Jinny had trouble escaping. She eventually escaped to ringside and snapped Isla’s neck on the top rope. After a quick hurricanrana, she locked in an abdominal stretch but Isla managed to hip toss her way out of the move.
Jinny hit a flatliner into the turnbuckle for a near fall and locked in a cobra clutch. Isla came back with a back drop driver then got Jinny into a Gory Especial, which Jinny hit a victory roll attempt out of but ended up on the bottom for a near fall. As Isla went to the top rope, Jinny drop kicked her legs out and hit an X-Factor off the middle rope for the victory.
Nigel and Vic talked about Travis Banks, who was attacked by Jordan Devlin before their match could officially start. Banks then challenged Jordan Devlin for a match next week. The match later was confirmed by NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint.
A graphic plugged the upcoming tag team match.
A clip on the the upcoming NXT UK tapings on February 22 and 23 aired.
The European Connection (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) beat Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews in 9:37 when Aichner pinned Webster after a combined spinning power bomb/flying European uppercut
Aichner and Barthel had new matching gear with their monograms on the front and the flags of the European Union and Germany/Italy respectively on the rear. Aichner and Andrews started out and Aichner quickly demonstrated his power. After some power moves by Aichner, Andrews hit a hurricanrana and dropkick. Barthel and Webster were in next and Webster used his quickness for the advantage but quickly got overpowered by the two bigger men and got rag dolled by Aichner for good measure. Webster eventually managed to hot tag Andrews while Barthel also tagged out. Webster helped Andrews do an assisted 450 for a near fall. The two mainlanders quickly put a stop to Andrews’ tomfoolery and double teamed him mercilessly.
Webster managed to break up a pin that would have meant certain defeat. Andrews managed to hurricanrana Aichner out of the ring and the faces hit stereo somersault dives over the rop to the outside. Back in the ring, Barthel impressively tossed Andrews right into a brain buster by Aichner for another close fall. Andrews managed to come back, slid under both heels and hit a double Pelé kick. Webster was in and this time, Barthel barely saved the match for his team on a pin fall attempt.
Andrews hit Stunt Dog Millionaire on Barthel but as he went for a dive, Aichner trapped his legs and smashed him into the barriers a few times, effectively taking him out of the match. Webster then was easy prey to Aichner and Barthel and they finished him off with a combined spinning power bomb/flying European uppercut.
Next week:
Travis Banks will finally get his hands on Jordan Devlin and a number of other matches from the post-TakeOver tapings will air.
Episode 24 (taped November 25, 2018 at the Liverpool Olympia in Liverpool, England)
Quick results:
Ligero beat Joseph Conners. Travis Banks beat Tyson T-Bone in a short match, marred by Jordan Devlin coming out during the match. Banks won anyway and then sent Devlin packing. Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) beat British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven & Tyler Bate).in a tremendous 25 minute match, leading up to Dunne and Coffey facing each other for Dunne’s WWE UK Championship this Saturday at NXT TakeOver: Blackpool.
Full rundown:
A video of the Gallus/British Strong Style rivalry and tonight’s six men tag main event match opened the show.
Ligero beat Joseph Conners in 5:21 after a springboard tornado DDT
Conners for weeks talked about the “shiny new toys” of NXT UK, mentioning guys like Ligero vowing to break them. Ligero started out strong, hitting Conners with a number of quick moves. Conners eventually managed to take over by pushing him into the ring post on the apron, then hit a hard clothesline in the ring for a near-fall. Conners continued to aggressively work Ligero over. Ligero finally came back with a fireman’s carry and kick to the head, but was quickly stopped again. Conners started to tear at Ligero’s mask, but Ligero eventually hit his springboard tornado DDT for the win.
Radzi interviewed Zack Gibson and James Drake backstage about their upcoming NXT UK tag team title match at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool. Gibson reiterated that they were undefeated and said they were so confident that they cleared a space on their mantelpieces and would take to Facebook Live for an early celebration. He said they were “sssssoon to be recognized the NXT UK Tag Team Champions”.
British Strong Style and Gallus were shown preparing for their match backstage.
A Dave Mastiff/Eddie Dennis aired. Mastiff talked about their rivalry, stating that he was the only undefeated monster in NXT UK and that Dennis was jealous and he would be the victor in their no disqualification match.
Travis Banks beat Tyson T-Bone in 2:08 with A Slice of Heaven
T-Bone was aggressive from the start, rag dolling Banks around and hitting him with some hard strikes, but Banks came back with strikes and a running shotgun dropkick, followed by a double foot stomp into the corner. 90 seconds in, Jordan Devlin’s music played and he came out, dressed like Banks. As this was not RAW, Banks only briefly was distracted, but took right back over, eventually hitting a Slice of Heaven for the pin.
Devlin then entered the ring and attacked Banks, but Banks quickly hit a Slice of Heaven on him and sent him packing.
A recap video of the Toni Storm/Rhea Ripley rivalry aired, featuring the NXT UK Women’s Championship finals between them, followed by Ripley’s dominant title reign and Toni winning the Mae Young Classic and challenging for the title.
A segment ran down the NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool card, including a breaking news announcement of Travis Banks facing Jordan Devlin
Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) beat British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) in 25:29 when Joe Coffey pinned Tyler Bate after a spinning lariat
Bate and Joe Coffey started things off to massive Tyler Bate chants. Bate got forced into a bridge off a test of strength, with Coffey going for a number of pin attempts before fighting his way back to his feet. All six men briefly faced off before the referee could restore order. Seven and Wolfgang were in next and Seven hit a cross body before chaos between all six men broke out again. Now Dunne and Mark Coffey were in. Dunne quickly hit a hard clothesline before another melee broke out, this time ending in a big brawl with Gallus ending up at ringside.
Back in the ring, Dunne started stretching Mark Coffey and British Strong Style quickly tagged in and out, working over Mark Coffey until Bate crashed into Wolfgang and the heels got the advantage, working over the Big Strong Boi. At one point, Bate took a great Bret-Hart-style chest-first bump into the corner before managing the hot tag to Trent Seven. who took over like a house of fire on all three men, prompting Wolfgang and Mark Coffey to hi each other inadvertently a number of times. This ended when Joe Coffey smashed him shoulder-first into the ring steps on the outside to turn the tables once more.
Gallus worked over Seven for a few minutes before he finally managed to hit a big superplex on Joe Coffey and make the hot tag Pete Dunne. He hit an X-Plex on Mark Coffey and locked in a knee bar on Wolfgang, who eventually managed to tag Joe Coffey. Dunne immediately locked Coffey in a triangle, and then, as Coffey tagged Wolfgang who came off the top rope, Dunne caught him in an arm bar.
Wolfgang eventually suplexed his way out and Dunne tagged Bate. Bate and Coffey had a few great spots, ending with Coffey missing a springboard body press and Bate hitting a running shooting star. Bate escaped a wheel barrow spin by Coffey, then picked him up for a long air plane spin. Coffey escaped a Tyler Driver ’97 attempt and then both men went down after trading strikes.
Both tagged out to Seven and Mark Coffey with Seven hitting a ripcord DDT before all three members of British Strong Style hit a triple power bomb on Mark. Bate then hit a dive on Wolfgang. Dunne and Mark Coffey were in the ring, but Dunne got distracted when Joe Coffey has his WWE UK title on the apron. Joe Coffey hit a big power bomb on Dunne for a very close near fall, with Bate breaking up the pin.
After some more chaos, Dunne and Joe Coffey ended up together in the ring, doing the Frye-Takayama exchange of strikes. Dunne stomped on Coffey fingers but ate a spear in return. Dunne thwarted a second attempt with a hard knee to the head. Dunne broke Coffey’s fingers and hit the Bitter End, but didn’t see Wolfgang getting tagged in. Dunne tagged Bate, who hit a corkscrew senton on everybody on the outside. Bate hiot a rolling kick on Wolfgang who managed to tag out to Joe Coffey. Bate went for his springboard lariat, but Coffey caught him with the spinning lariat for the pin in the finish to a great match,
Pete Dunne faced off with Gallus from the apron as the show went off the air.
Next episode:
The fallout from the first ever NXT UK TakeOver special, probably with matches being taped this coming weekend.
Also, don’t miss NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool this coming Saturday at 2 PM ET (7 PM BST, 8 PM CET) on the WWE Network (pre-show starts half an hour earlier).
Episode 19 (taped November 24, 2018 at the Liverpool Olympia in Liverpool, England)
Quick recap —
NXT TakeOver UK was announced for January 12 in Blackpool, and Toni Storm made her intentions clear to challenge for the NXT UK Women’s Championship on that show.
Jordan Devlin defeated Kenny Williams in a good, fast-paced match, then cryptically called out an opponent but wouldn’t say who he was talking about. Eddie Dennis won by disqualification over Dan Moloney when Dave Mastiff attacked him, keeping their program alive.
Saxon Huxley & Tyson T-Bone beat Jack Starz & Tucker in a quick match. In the main event, Joe Coffey defeated Ligero in another good match, trying to prove that NXT UK was indeed his kingdom.
Full rundown —
– Sid Scala was in the ring, welcomed the crowd to Liverpool, and introduced NXT UK general manager Johnny Saint. They announced NXT TakeOver UK: Blackpool for January 12, 2019. This prompted Toni Storm to come out. She said she was proud to be part of this brand and had been living in Liverpool for the past five years.
Storm said she went to Evolution and won the Mae Young Classic. This meant she got a championship opportunity of her choosing and wanted to challenge for the NXT UK Women’s Championship at TakeOver: Blackpool. Saint’s reply was “Toni Storm: you got it.” Storm proclaimed that the title would be hers and said it was “Toni Time.”
– Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness were in studio, talking some more about TakeOver and then announced that we would bear witness to Zack Gibson’s “Guide to Liverpool” later, plus our main event — Joe Coffey vs. Ligero.
Jordan Devlin defeated Kenny Williams in 5:20 after Ireland’s Call
Amir Jordan was out with Williams. Devlin and Williams started out with a test of strength that Williams turned into a monkey flip, then sent Devlin to the outside. He followed up with a springboard back elbow from the second turnbuckle that hit Devlin on the apron. Williams hit a double kick through the ropes, but Devlin caught him, pulled him through, and slammed him on the apron.
Back in the ring, Devlin hit a high-angle backbreaker for a two count. Devlin applied a double-arm stretcher submission that Williams eventually rolled through on. Devlin hit his uranage/moonsault combo, but Williams pulled his knees up and cradled him for a near fall.
Williams came back with some strikes and a running boot that sent Devlin to ringside, then hit a suicide dive to the outside and into the ramp. He dropkicked Devlin — who was stuck in the ropes with his upper body — and rolled him up for a two count, then followed with a kick for another two count. Devlin caught Williams on a wheelbarrow roll-through and hit a half nelson snap suplex right on his neck.
Devlin clobbered Williams to the back of the neck, then hit his pull-up backdrop driver. He followed up with Ireland’s Call for the victory.
– Radzi Chinyanganya tried to interview Devlin after the match, but Devlin sent him to the corner and cut his own promo. He said every week he gets his hand raised and a whole country celebrates with him. He said his next opponent would find out never to bet against the Irish Ace.
Joseph and McGuinness were clueless as to who Devlin was referring to.
– A video promoted the arrival of Marcel Barthel in NXT UK on the next episode.
– Radzi was backstage, trying to get a word with Scala and Saint. They were interrupted by Rhea Ripley. She said she would decide who she defends her title against at TakeOver, but next week she wants to defend her title as well. Ripley said they better find her a proper opponent.
Scala and Saint briefly conferred. While Ripley asked Radzi if he had a question for the champ, the GM and his assistant returned from their office and announced Ripley would meet Deonna Purrazzo next week. Ripley said that she still did not like Scala. Saint just looked at Scala and said “Well, what can you do.” Johnny Saint is the best.
Eddie Dennis defeated Dan Moloney by DQ in 1:14 when Dave Mastiff attacked Dennis at ringside
During Dennis’ entrance, we saw him take out Dave Mastiff last week. Moloney started strong, hitting a float-over suplex and a few shoulder tackles, but Dennis quickly regained control with a judo-style hip toss and throwing Moloney to ringside. Moloney tried for a few chops, but he got knocked down by a big forearm, followed by a Black Hole Slam onto the apron.
At that point, Mastiff ran out and attacked Dennis, causing a disqualification loss for Moloney.
Mastiff threw Dennis back in the ring and hit a release German suplex, then tried to hit his cannonball into the corner, but Dennis rolled out of the ring. Mastiff then struck down Moloney with a forearm and hit the cannonball on him.
– Scala and Saint were backstage with Ligero. Gallus walked up to them and Joe Coffey said he’s going to put Ligero into the hospital. Coffey said NXT UK was his kingdom and Ligero was just a stepping stone. Scala said the three of them should not get any ideas, as Mark Coffey & Wolfgang will face Moustache Mountain in two weeks in the NXT UK Tag Team title tournament semifinals.
Saint then dismissed Gallus, with Coffey getting in his face and repeating that it was his kingdom. Ligero said he would not be just a stepping stone.
– A graphic announced Zack Gibson’s guide to Liverpool was next.
– Gibson and James Drake were walking the streets of Liverpool and Gibson showed him around. They went to the harbor. Gibson said that the city had been built on the shoulders of hard-working men, working class men and women not afraid to get their hands dirty. He said this city has been overrun with entitled leeches who are prepared to take and take. As soon as Gibson received an ounce of success, the city turned his back on him and was jealous.
Gibson said he was bigger than any legend and if he ever left the city, it would crumble. He told Drake they would win the NXT UK Tag Team titles, as Liverpool needs Zack Gibson more than he needs Liverpool. A graphic announced Gibson & Drake in action next week.
Saxon Huxley & Tyson T-Bone defeated Jack Starz & Tucker in 2:41 after a knee by Huxley and a right hand by T-Bone on Starz
T-Bone chucked Starz across the ring right away. Starz escaped a fallaway slam and tagged out, then the faces hit a double dropkick on T-Bone. T-Bone immediately regained control and threw Tucker into the air. “The Ultrasonic Inspector” Saxon Huxley then was tagged in and they hit a double chokeslam on Tucker.
Tucker rolled through on a back suplex attempt for a quick roll-up, but Huxley plucked him out of mid-air on a crossbody attempt with a knee to the body. Tucker escaped another attack and tagged out to Starz, who hit a crossbody on Huxley from the top rope but didn’t notice T-Bone had been tagged in as well. T-Bone hit him with a running crossbody then laid out Tucker.
Huxley hit Starz with a knee — followed by a right fist from T-Bone for the victory.
– Radzi was backstage with Isla Dawn. She said it didn’t feel good that it wasn’t her time but she would do what she always does: rise up, dust off the ashes, and follow her path, which will be the NXT UK Women’s Championship. She was interrupted by Jinny — who said no one cares about Dawn’s path. She went out there and lost her title match. If Jinny was in her position, she would have walked out the champion. And that is the difference between a witch and a queen.
– A video promoted the post-TakeOver NXT UK tapings in Blackpool on January 13.
– A graphic aired for the Rhea Ripley/Deonna Purrazzo match scheduled for the next episode.
Joe Coffey defeated Ligero in 10:08 after hitting All the Best for the Bells
They locked up, leading to a clean break against the ropes by Coffey. Ligero went down off a shoulder block but rolled out of the way of a number of stomps, then rolled up in a ball, much like Johnny Saint or Daniel Bryan would do at times. He went for a hurricanrana, but Coffey picked him up for a powerbomb.
Ligero rolled through but couldn’t get a pin. Coffey went for a Boston crab, but Ligero pulled himself up, ran into the corner, and hit a hurricanrana. They countered back and forth outside the ring until Coffey speared him into the barricades, then rammed his back into the apron.
Back in the ring, the crowd chanted for Ligero. Coffey locked in a full nelson, transitioned into a butterfly hold, spun Ligero around a few times, and hit an overhead butterfly suplex for a two count. Coffey dead-lifted Ligero into a vertical suplex, but Ligero escaped by hitting a few knees. Coffey went for it again, but once more, Ligero escaped. Coffey went for his spear again, but Ligero jumped over him and then hit a somersault plancha to the outside.
Ligero went to the top rope back in the ring, then hit a somersault block on Coffey. Coffey briefly came back, but Ligero hit a rope-assisted Sliced Bread Number 2 for a near fall. Coffey hit a European uppercut, a spear to the back, a corner splash to the back, and a powerslam for another very close near fall. Coffey tried a dead-lift German, but Ligero elbowed his way out.
Ligero tried to throw Coffey out, but he got grabbed by the mask and driven into the turnbuckle. Coffey went to the top, but Ligero intercepted him and went for a top rope hurricanrana. Coffey caught him in mid-move and jumped off the second turnbuckle while simultaneously lifting Ligero up, which looked very impressive. Coffey powerbombed him and locked in a Boston crab, but Ligero made the ropes.
Ligero hit a number of big boots and a wheelbarrow roll-up for a near fall. He went for his springboard tornado DDT finisher, but Coffey caught him with All the Best for the Bells (his discus lariat) in mid-air for the victory.
Next episode —
Rhea Ripley defends her NXT UK Women’s Championship against Deonna Purrazzo. Plus, Marcel Barthel makes his NXT UK debut.
Episode 16 (taped October 14 at Plymouth Pavilions in Plymouth, England)
Quick recap:
The two undefeated monsters of NXT UK clashed, as Dave Mastiff met Eddie Dennis in the main event, with the Bomber reigning victorious in a fun hoss fight. Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) were victorious over Ashton Smith & Ligero in a quest to qualify for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship Tournament. Jinny managed to beat Xia Brookside, while Joseph Conners squashed Jack Starz in a quick match. Rhe Ripley will make her first NXT UK Women’s Championship defense next week, facing the “White Witch of NXT UK”, Isla Dawn.
Full rundown:
– The show opened up with a split screen of Dave Mastiff and Eddie Dennis warming up for their match backstage, while Vic and Nigel talked about the main event
Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) beat Ashton Smith & Ligero in 5:37 when Coffey pinned Smith after an enzuigiri
Ligero and Wolfgang started out, and the Leeds Luchador frustrated the bigger man with a spin kick and a drop kick but got caught on a body press attempt. He quickly tagged out to Smith and both men hit a double drop kick on Wolfgang. Ligero got himself caught on a spinning DDT attempt but managed to escape until Mark Coffey distracted him and a forearm to the back of the head sent him to ringside.
The heels worked Ligero over until he managed to throw Wolfgang out of the ring and made the hot tag to Smith. Smith ran wild for a bit and hit a springboard back elbow on Coffey, but Wolfgang eventually pulled him out of the ring. Ligero then hit a somersault senton to the outside onto Wolfgang, jumping over Smith who was hanging in the ropes.
Back in the ring, Smith tried and O’Connor Roll on Coffey but he managed to kick out, hit a double hammer to the chest followed by an enzuigiri for the win.
– We took a look back at Isla Dawn challenging Rhea Ripley last episode. Both women were backstage with Johnny Saint and Sid Scala, who announced the match for next week. The women had a stare down, with Rhea saying “See you next week” and walked off
– A graphic announced Joseph Conners to be in action next, followed by a TLC promo.
– Radzi was backstage with Gallus after their match. They said that they set a standard and were the team to beat. Joe Coffey said that he was concerned with Pete Dunne and was going to rip the WWE UK Championship from his mouth. But first, he would meet Travis Banks and squash him like a bug.
Joseph Conners beat Jack Starz in 2:16 with Don’t Look Down
This was basically a squash. Starz refers to him as the Self Made Machine, but Conners wasn’t impressed, grabbed his ear and yanked him down to the mat. He sent Starz into the ropes and hit a backbreaker as Starz came bouncing back. Conners worked him over, went to ringside and pounded on Starz who was on the apron.
Starz got a brief hope spot in and hit some European uppercuts, but that was ended quickly. Conners then hit a sunset bomb into the corner and followed up with Don’t Look Down fpr the quick win.
– Radzi was backstage with Xia Brookside, who said while she may not be the most experienced wrestler in NXT UK, Jinny better get read to “fly with Brookside”. Jinny then turned up, looked at Xia, turned away with a disgusted look on her face and walked off.
– There was a commercial for the Royal Rumble Axxess shows; no word on if any NXT or NXT UK talent would be on those events.
– A video package for Saxon Huxley and Tyson T-Bone aired, where Huxley said that T-Bone was violent, destructive and almost as twisted as he was. He also talked about his shadow being rooted in hell, channeling his best inner Undertaker from the 1990s. T-Bone and Huxley concluded that they would be the NXT UK tag team champions.
Jinny beat Xia Brookside in 4:13 after hitting her with A Touch of Couture
Xia wanted to shake Jinny’s hand, but she kicked it away. Xia went for a headlock and took her down, but Jinny quickly locked on a head vice with her legs, from which Xia escaped via head stand. Jinny kept working Xia’s arm, but Xia came back and eventually hit a huracanrana from the corner, followed by a dropkick and a cross body from the second turnbuckle.
Jinny came back with the Fashion Disaster, which is her STO into the corner. Jinny went to bend Xia’s arms backwards, working over her back until Xia managed to roll through on the move and escape. She hit a chin breaker, followed by a bulldog and a head scissors takedown.
As Jinny was propped up in the corner, Xia hit a running double knee to the back of the head and went for a surfboard variant, but her back gave out and Jinny rolled through on the move, sending Xia into the ropes. As she got back up, Jinny hit A Touch of Couture, her rolling kick, for the win.
– A Dave Mastiff video package aired, and a graphic announced Mastiff vs. Eddie Dennis next, followed by a WWE Custom Tees ad.
– Zack Gibson and James Drake came out for a short in-ring promo. Gibson said that people got a tiny glimpse of what they could do when they beat Jordan and Williams and that they would soon be recognized as the NXT UK tag team champions.
– An Eddie Dennis video package aired, where he said that NXT UK meant everything to him as he could apply his trade here; this was followed by a WWE Network commercial.
– A graphic announced Rhea Ripley defending against Isla Dawn next week.
“Bomber” Dave Mastiff beat Eddie Dennis in 11:47 after a cannonball into the corner
Mastiff pushed him into the corner early. Dennis tried for some shoulder blocks, but Mastiff wouldn’t budge. Dennis tried some striking but was stopped by a drop kick by the big man. Mastiff trapped Dennis’ arms and rained down some elbows on his jaw. Dennis was back on offense a little later but got mowed down by a running cross body block by Mastiff.
Mastiff missed a senton, allowing Dennis to recover, hot a running boot, followed by a kick to the jaw that sent “the Bomber” to ringside. Dennis kicked him off the apron as he tried to re-enter the ring, but a second kick showed no effect, so Dennis slid out of the ring and pulled Mastiff off the ring.
When they came back to the ring, Dennis applied a cravat but Mastiff eventually powered out, hit a head butt and eventually a big superplex. After exchanging some more strikes, Mastiff hit a Finlay roll and a senton for a near fall. Mastiff stepped things up with a bridging German suplex for another close two count.
Mastiff tried to hit the cannonball into the corner, but Dennis got up, caught him in mid-air and hit a black hole slam for a near fall. He tried to get the big guy up for his Severed Bridge into the corner, but Mastiff back body dropped out of it. Dennis was on the apron and put his upper body through the ropes, but Mastiff pulled him back into the ring and into the ropes.
Mastiff set Dennis up for another superplex attempt, but he escaped and got Mastiff up for the Severed Bridge. Mastiff escaped the move. A hard clothesline by Dennis led to another near-fall. Mastiff cut him off, hit a snap mare followed by a head butt, a release German suplex and eventually the cannonball senton into the corner to end Eddie Dennis’ undefeated streak and pick up the win.
Next week:
Rhea Ripley will defend the NXT UK Women’s championship against Isla Dawn and more tag teams will be in action.
Episode twelve (taped August 26 at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, England)
Quick recap
Rhea Ripley was crowned the inaugural NXT UK Women’s champion, beating Toni Storm in a hard-fought battle. Story of the match was Toni injuring her back early on, so she couldn’t hit Storm Zero and fell victim to Rhea’s Riptide in the end. In other matches, Tyler Bate (replacing Sid Scala) beat Joe Coffey by DQ when Mark Coffey and Wolfgang interfered, leading to a brawl between Gallus (the new name for Wolfgang & the Coffey Brothers) and British Strong Style. Ligero beat Dan Maloney in a fun match and Zack Gibson & James Drake beat Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams.
Full rundown
The show opened with a recap of the NXT UK Women’s Championship tournament, leading down to the two final participants. Nigel and Vic talked some more about the tournament in the studio, as we saw Rhea Ripley and Ton Storm warm up for their match backstage.
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Tyler Bate (replacing Sid Scala) beat Joe Coffey by DQ in 9:47 due to outside interference
Coffey was supposed to face Sid Scala, who came out in a suit and with a microphone and said he had not been medically cleared to compete. He said Johnny Saint had given him permission to introduce his replacement, who was Tyler Bate.
Bate got right down to business, attacking Coffey with strikes and a punching battle ensued. A dropkick by Bate sent Coffey to the outside and Tyler followed up with a tope and after some back and forth on the outside, hit a flying European uppercut off the ring steps. At that point, Mark Coffey and Wolfgang came back out which distracted Bate and he got smashed into the ringside barriers.
He couldn’t lift up Coffey for the airplane spin and Coffey took over, hitting a butterfly swing into a butterfly suplex, before applying a double arm stretcher submission. Bate eventually reversed out of it, but got backed into the corner and ate a high belly-to-belly overhead suplex for his troubles.
A striking battle was won by Bate, as he hit a huracanrana and a standing shooting star press for a two-count, Mark Coffey got on the apron, which distracted Tyler Bate and Joe went for a pop-up power slam. Trent Seven came to the ring at that point to even the odds somewhat. Coffey missed a reverse body press off the top and Bate hit his neck-and-shoulders springboard lariat and managed to pick up Coffey for an airplane spin, even doing a squat in the middle of it, before spinning him some more in the other direction.
Coffey briefly got a few more shots in, but was wiped out with a rolling kappa kick. Bate set up the Tyler Driver ’97 but Wolfgang and Mark Coffey interfered for the DQ.
Trent Seven got in the ring to help out his mate, but the heels took over, until Pete Dunne’s music hit and he stormed out to a big pop and evened the odds. The heels were sent to ringside, briefly tried to come back into the ring but were finally driven off by British Strong Style.
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A graphic announced Dan Maloney facing Ligero next
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Ligero beat Dan Maloney after a springboard swinging DDT in 5:13
Maloney slapped Ligero right away and received a leg kick in return. He then picked up Ligero for a suplex and put him down on the apron, but Ligero flipped back into the ring and hit a dropkick for a quick cover. He went for a huracanrana but Maloney caught him and held him in position, but before he could capitalize, Ligero escaped and hit a flying huracanrana off the middle rope for a near fall.
A spine buster briefly stopped Ligero and a submission slowed the match down. Maloney briefly took over but missed a leg drop off the second turnbuckle. Ligero came back with a Rey Mysterio style seated senton off the top, followed by an enzuigiri. Ligero hit an assisted Sliced Bread, bouncing off the top rope and Maloney rolled ot the outside.
Ligero kept pushing, hitting a somersault senton on the bigger man and finally back in the ring, hit a springboard swinging DDT for the win.
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A graphic announced the upcoming tag team match, pitting Zack Gibson and James Drake against Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams. This was followed by a WWE Shop commercial
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Zack Gibson & James Drake beat Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams in 8:26 when Gibson pinned Williams after hitting Ticket to Ride
“Shoes off, if you hate Gibson” chants could be heard immediately, as the fans held their shoes into the air. Gibson and Williams started out and Gibson locked in a cravat and a side headlock right away and tagged his partner in crime. Williams rolled up Drake and hit a springboard back elbow before tagging out himself. Jordan hit a high hip toss and a drop kick and did his dance.
After being hit by a cross body and a drop kick, Drake was blind tagged by Gibson on a whip-in and the Grizzled Young Veterans hit a double chop to Amir’s throat.
Gibson locked in his seated cobra clutch variant and Drake tagged back in, while Amir was still in the hold. Amir played face in peril for a while, as the heels tagged in and out in quick succession. Gibson slammed Drake on top of Jordan for a two count. After some taunting and more beat downs, Drake finally missed a running dropkick into the corner and Amir managed the hot tag to Williams, as Drake tagged in Gibson.
Williams ran wild for a bit, hitting a dropkick on Gibson and taking out Drake on the apron. He hit a lucha-style roll-through into a face buster on Gibson for a near fall.
Gibson managed to tag back out and the heels went for a double back suplex on Williams, but Jordan pulled him down and hit a dropkick on Gibson as Williams hit a superkick on Drake, which sent both men to the outside. Williams hit a running dropkick through the ropes, but held on to the top rope and skinned the cat back inside, before hitting a double topés with Jordan.
Williams went to the to rope, but Gibson rammed Amir into the steps on the outside, distracting Williams and giving Drake a chance to push him off. With Amir being take out, the heels hit Ticket to Ride, a throw from a tombstone position by Drake into a codebreaker by Williams for the win.
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A split screen saw Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm walk to ringside for the main event.
Johnny Saint’s music hit and he came out carrying the NXT UK Women’s championship, followed by a WrestleMania ticket commercial.
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NXT UK Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley pinned Toni Storm in 9:28 after hitting Riptide to become the inaugural champion
This really was the battle of music styles, as the 80’s rocker, Toni Storm faced the Mosh Pit Kid, Rhea Ripley.
Ripley shoved Storm right away and hit her double arm sign of the horns pose. Toni retaliated with a firearm, slap, spin kick and running boot, sending Rhea crashing into to corner, where she promptly got hit with a hip attack by Toni and rolled to ringside. Toni followed up with a plancha between the middle and lowest rope.
Rhea recovered quickly and whipped Storm into the barriers back first, then briefly rolled back into the ring and stomped hard into Toni’s back on her way back out. This started telling the story of the match, which was Toni not being able to hit some of her signature moves due to her lower back being injured.
Toni came back with some knee strikes and forearm smashed and went for Strong Zero on the apron, but couldn’t lift Ripley up and got back body dropped on the apron. Toni barely made it back into the ring at 8 and Ripley was onto her right away with some ground and pound. Toni came back into the match, but quickly got stopped again with a knee breaker off a headlock attempt.
Ripley locked in her modified clover leaf, putting further pressure on Toni’s knees and lower back. Storm eventually made the ropes for a break, but Ripley kicked her left wrist hard, which still was clutching to the ropes.
Storm came back with some right hand slaps and went for the German suplex, but couldn’t lift Ripley due to her back problems. Ripley went for a back suplex, but Toni escaped and finally hit a snap German and picked Ripley up for a second one. Ripley eventually countered an attempt for a third one, but Toni hit a head butt and finally hit the third German suplex into a bridge for a near fall. She followed up with a running kick, a hip attack into the corner and flying double knees into the corner for another two count.
Ripley briefly took over but missed a corner charge and crashed into the post. Toni tried a bridging pin, but her momentum actually helped Ripley kicking out. Toni went for the Storm Zero, but got back body dropped over the top to the outside. where Ripley threw into the barriers a few more times and managed to get another two count back in the ring. She went for Riptide but Toni managed to escape the move and went for Storm Zero, but again, couldn’t get Ripley up due to her injured back.
Ripley tried for Riptide again, finally hit the move and pinned Toni Storm for the win and the championship.
Johnny Saint and Triple H entered the ring to congratulate Ripley and hand her the title. Rhea hugged both men and they celebrated in the ring together as the whole NXT UK roster came out on the stage to applaud the new champion as the show went off the air.
In a WWE.com exclusive video, Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed Rhea Ripley in the ring. She said that this was so unreal and that she really wished she could catch her breath, but she couldn’t. She said Toni, you are a legend and I love you so much. She thanked everyone for coming out and said that it meant the world to her. The fans chanted “you deserve it” and she smiled and said, she was not going to lie, she might.
She thanked all the women who fought so hard for this and said that they were finally making history. This prompted chants of “British Wrestling”. She said she sould continue to rip everyone apart and then went to the top of the stage to pose with Johnny Saint, Triple H and the whole NXT UK roster.
Episode nine (taped August 25 at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, England)
Quick recap —
Ligero and Jordan Devlin had a very good main event match. Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley advanced in the NXT UK women’s tournament, joining Dakota Kai and Jinny in the second round. Eddie Dennis and Mark Andrews also were victorious and Ashton Smith challenged Dennis to a match.
Full rundown —
A graphic informed us about tonight’s main event of Ligero taking on Jordan Devlin. We got a quick recap of the NXT UK women’s title tournament and went to Xia Brookside taking on Rhea Ripley.
Rhea Ripley beat Xia Brookside in 4:13 after the Riptide
The “Mosh Pit Kid” Rhea Ripley at just 22 years old (21 when this was taped) has a football (soccer) background and hails from the land Down Under, where she started out at Riot City Wrestling at just 16 years of age, where she eventually won the women’s title twice.. She moved on to Japan in 2015, competing for Diana and REINA and eventually participated in the Mae Young Classic in 2017 and returned again in 2018.
Xia Brookside is the 20-year-old daughter of NXT trainer Robbie Brookside and started out in 2015 with All Star Wrestling. She wrestled for IPW:UK, ICW, RevPro, GWF (in Germany), Defiant and Southside among others and first went to Japan to wrestle for Stardom in 2017. She is a former IPW:UK women’s champion and part of the current Southside tag team champions with Sean Kustom in a mixed team and also competed in the 2018 Mae Young Classic.
Ripley pushed Xia away as she went to shake her hand and proceeded to power the smaller woman down. Xia went for some head scissors in the corner, but Ripley picked her up and buckle bombed her into the turnbuckles before hitting a delayed vertical suplex. Rhea then applied a variation of the clover leaf, using just her hands and picked Xia up almost completely from that position which looked both cool and impressive.
Xia eventually managed to counter and dive between Ripley’s legs and threw Rhea into the turnbuckles head-first in the process. Xia hit a bulldog, tilt-a-whirl head scissors and double knees into the back of Ripley’s head. She went for a body press, but Rhea caught her and transitioned into the Riptide, a pump-handle power bomb for the win.
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We saw Toni Stom and Isla Dawn backstage, preparing for their match.
A graphic informed us that Eddie Dennis would be in action tonight, followed by a NXT UK taping commercial.
Radzi Chinyanganya interviewed James Drake and Zack Gibson backstage, asking about why Drake helped Zack against Trent Seven last week. Gibson stopped him, told him he had known Drake for 13 years and this was just a friend helping a friend. He then threw their names into the hat for the NXT UK tag team title tournament and stated that no team could come close to beating them and nonchalantly ended the interview.
Nigel and Vic discuss the interview and throw it to a WWE.com Exclusive video of the Coffey Brothers and Wolfgang continuing their attack on Moustache Mountain backstage last week, seemingly injuring Seven’s hand in the process.
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Eddie Dennis beat Jack Starz in 3:16 with the Neckstop Driver
Starz is a Robbie Brookside and Dan Collins trainee, who started in 2012 and wrestled for All Star Wrestling, Kamikaze Pro and Preston City Wrestling, among others. He also is a former Kamikaze Pro tag team champion.
This was a glorified squash, with the much taller Dennis toying with his much smaller opponent, patting him on the head to start the match. Starz came back but got caught when attempting a body press, which Dennis turned into a back breaker. A series of European uppercuts actually got the big man down to one knee before Starz missed a dropkick when Dennis stepped out of the way. Starz received a big buckle bomb out of a splash mountain position for his troubles and was pinned after a Neckstop Driver.
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After a WWE Shop commercial, we got another WWE.com Exclusive, this time showing a backstage confrontation between Dave Mastiff and Tyson T-Bone ffrom last week. A Tweet by NXT UK GM Johnny Saint conformed a match between the two behemoths for the next episode.
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Mark Andrews pinned “Wild Boar” Mike Hitchman in 5:28 after a shooting star
Boar hit an amateur-style suplex takedown early and worked over Andrew’s arm. Andrews kipped up and eventually flipped out of the hold using the top rope and used some arm drags and a huracanrana for his comeback. Boar escaped to ringside, Andrew hopped the ropes and attempted a moonsault body block, but Boar wasn’t where Andrews expected so he landed on his feet on the floor and got dropped face first on the apron for his troubles.
Hitchman used his body as a weapon with a number of senton variations and a jumping head butt into Andrews’ back. Andrews slid on his knees beneath an attack by the Boar, hit an enzuigiri that sent Hitchman to the outside and this time hit his moonsault body block off the apron perfectly. Back in the ring, he hit a nice springboard somersault seated senton for a two count.
They traded full nelsons until Boar flipped Andrews over with a half-and.half suplex. Hitchman eventually missed a frog splash but still managed to turn Andrews inside out with a stiff clothesline. A suplex attempt got turned into the Stunt Dog Millionaire by Andrews, who finished things off with a beautiful shooting star press.
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Nigel and Vic threw us to an interview with Eddie Dennis. Radzi talked about Dennis being undefeated to which he replied that Starz didn’t even knock him off his feet once. Ashton Smith interrupted, telling Dennis he watched his match last week. Dennis freaked out, telling Smith not to touch him, asking if he knew who he was and telling Smith he’d destroy him.
After a commercial for the Dean Ambrose documentary, we took a look a the women’s title tournament again.
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Toni Storm beat Isla Dawn in 4:07 with the Strong Zero
Isla started strong, hitting a running dropkick into the corner at the bell, followed by a backdrop driver and double knees for a near fall. SHe followed with stomps and kicks, a running knee and then transitioned into the Rings of Saturn, from which Toni eventually escaped. Storm came back with strikes and kicks of her own and took Isla down with a big left boot, followed by a hip attack.
She got stopped by a head kick from Isla though that got her down on her knees, but she quickly transitioned into a release German suplex and quickly hit the Strong Zero (the tiger driver variant this time) for the win. Afterwards, she helped up a devastated Isla Dawn.
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After a WWE 2K19 promo, graphics informed us that both Rhea Ripley vs. Dakota Kai and Toni Storm vs. Jinny would be on the next episode.
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Jordan Devlin beat Ligero in 11:45 with the Island’s Call
This was a very good match, with both guys looking impressive again. They traded arm locks early and Ligero managed to get a two count early on. Ligero escaped to ringisde as Devlin was charging at him, so Devlin bumped into the ropes and Ligero swept his legs. Ligero hit some head scissors and a side kick before falling victim to Devlin’s uranage/moonsault combination. Devlin went for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but Ligero turned it into a body block, followed by a running kick and a Code Red for another close call.
Devlin came back with a running knee into the corner and then, in an impressive spot, pulled Ligero up into the air and hit a backdrop driver in one swift motion. Devlin then escaped to ringside when Ligero was on the top rope, so Ligero tried a baseball slide, charged Devlin who moved, jumped up and did a hand stand on the apron, bounced back off the ropes and took Devlin down with another pair of head scissors.
Back inside Ligero went to the top again, but Devlin hit an enzuigiri and got on the ropes as well. Ligero eventually threw him down and tried a splash but got caught in Devlin’s knees. Devlin hit a beautiful standing Spanish Fly for a near fall and went for Island’s Call, but Ligero turned it into a victory roll. They battled up on top once more, but this time Ligero managed to throw Devlin off and hit the splash for another near-fall.
They battled on the apron and on top of the steps, but Devlin kicked Ligero’s legs way and he took a dive onto the steel steps. Devlin hit a moonsault off the second turnbuckle to the outside and back in the ring followed things up with a running knee and the Island’s Call for the victory.
Afterwards, Devlin screamed into the camera that Pete Dunne was on his radar as the credits rolled.
