Tag: Moustache Mountain

NXT UK results: Triple threat Tag Team title match

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Von Wagner defeated Sam Gradwell (6:48)

They traded strikes early until Wagner punched Gradwell in the face hard, then attacked him from the outside. Wagner continued his onslaught in the ring, including hitting a fallaway slam.

Gradwell hit a few forearms but quickly got caught in a bearhug. Gradwell hit a double strike that took Wagner off his feet, then followed with a flying forearm off the turnbuckle and body slammed the big man for a two count.

Wagner signaled that he wanted to throw Gradwell into the crowd, but Gradwell escaped from the military press position and locked on a sleeper. Wagner then hoisted Gradwell on his shoulders from that position and hit a neckbreaker slam for the win.

– Xia Brookside skipped into the Performance Center, followed by Eliza Alexander. They were asked about using questionable tactics in their tag team match and Brookside took offense. Amale came up and called out Alexander for a match, which she accepted.

– Ivy Nile talked about her upcoming title match with Meiko Satomura. Nile said she’s the hardest worker and has 26 years of tape to study for Satomura while Satomura has none of her. They meet for the NXT UK Women’s Championship next week.

– In the parking lot, Mark Andrews was asked about his upcoming match with Kenny Williams. He saw Williams screwing around with his car and they brawled before being quickly broken up. Tiger Turan was seen crouching in the background, watching them.

Stevie Turner defeated Angel Hayze (4:05)

There was a split-screen pre-taped promo from Turner where she said she is the future.

Turner threw an armband at Hayze and kicked her, but Hayze came back with a schoolboy and another quick pin attempt. Turner came back with a running knee lift and a running kick to the head as Hayze was in the ropes.

Turner quickly followed with a neckbreaker for another nearfall, then locked in a chinlock on Hayze. Hayze came back with a slingblade for a close two count, but she quickly got flattened with a running kick. Turner followed with a Mass Effect for the pinfall victory.

– Emilia McKenzie apologized to Satomura for letting her down by losing to Lash Legend. Satomura told her to be “more strong, work harder, and be better.” Now why didn’t McKenzie think of that?

– East End Bookie with Noam Dar & Sha Samuels was up next. They talked trash about Damon Kemp & Wolfgang, who they will face in two weeks. Dar & Samuels said Kemp & Wolfgang are fake friends — but Dar & Samuels are real friends.

Triple threat match: Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith defeated Moustache Mountain and Die Familie to win the NXT UK Tag Team titles (14:17)

The rules were that each team could have a member in the ring at the same time, every man had to tag their own partner, there were no disqualifications, and a decision had to be reached by pinfall or submission inside the ring.

Tyler Bate, Carter, and Teoman started. They quickly went after each other with lots of fast pinfall attempts and attacked each other’s legs. Bate and Carter eventually teamed up as Carter launched off Bate to hit a corkscrew plancha on Teoman.

Soon, Smith, Rohan Raja, and Trent Seven were in and traded punches. Smith hit a huge powerslam on Seven, who got tripped by Die Familie subsequently. They trapped him under the apron and rained down blows on him. Die Familie then double teamed Smith before focusing their attention on Seven.

After a few minutes, Seven finally managed to tag out to Bate, who ran wild on everyone. Smith tagged in Carter, who cleaned house as well. Carter almost had Teoman pinned after an assisted moonsault, but Raja made the save.

Teoman got the crossface on Bate off an airplane spin, but he then got squashed off a quebrada by Carter. Seven meanwhile hit a Super Emerald Frosion on Smith off the top, but he narrowly kicked out of the subsequent pin.

Moustache Mountain hit a Birminghammer/foot stomp combo on Carter, but Teoman broke up the pin. Teoman tried to steal the pin but got thwarted. Raja brought one of the tag belts into the ring and Teoman tried to hit Smith with it. Smith ducked and clotheslined Teoman to the outside, but he got hit with a lariat by Seven a split-second later.

Seven grabbed the title belt and was looking to use it on Smith, but Bate grabbed it from the outside and they had a tug of war over it. Carter then wiped out Bate with a dive and Smith rolled up Seven to win the titles.

Smith and Carter were ecstatic and celebrated. Seven looked shocked and Bate at ringside was devastated about the whole ordeal.

Smith and Carter celebrated with the belts on their way to the back as Seven and Bate were left in the ring. They eventually had words and Seven left, signaling that he was “done” and saying “this was it” as he went to the back.

Final Thoughts —

Basically a one-match show. Gradwell vs. Wagner was okay but forgettable, and Turner vs. Hayze was basically a squash.

The triple threat Tag Team title match was very good, as is to be expected with those three teams. Smith & Carter as champions will mix things up, while it will be interesting to see if Seven will actually retire after the loss.

Tension had been brewing within Moustache Mountain for months now. Seven’s storyline of looking for redemption and it leading to his inevitable downfall has been playing out ever since NXT UK returned from its pandemic hiatus during the fall of 2020.

Next Week —

  • NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura defends against Ivy Nile
  • Mark Andrews vs. Kenny Williams

In Two Weeks —

  • Noam Dar & Sha Samuels vs. Damon Kemp & Wolfgang

WWE announces two upcoming NXT UK title matches

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has announced two upcoming title matches that will be airing on NXT UK.

On next Thursday’s NXT UK episode, Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) will defend their NXT UK Tag Team titles against Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith and Die Familie (Teoman & Rohan Raja) in a triple threat match.

Meiko Satomura will then defend her NXT UK Women’s Championship against NXT 2.0’s Ivy Nile on the NXT UK episode that airs in two weeks.

Carter & Smith and Teoman & Raja each earned their way into the triple threat Tag Team title match with victories in recent weeks. Carter & Smith defeated Gallus (Joe & Mark Coffey), while Die Familie defeated Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz.

Moustache Mountain have twice retained their titles against Carter & Smith, but Seven cheated to win both times. There’s been dissension between Bate and Seven over Seven cheating to win their matches.

Nile is a member of Diamond Mine in NXT 2.0. She’s one of four NXT 2.0 wrestlers who took part in NXT UK’s April television tapings. Lash Legend, Damon Kemp, and Von Wagner have also appeared on this set of NXT UK episodes.

Nile defeated Nina Samuels on NXT UK two weeks ago. Last week, Nile respectfully approached Satomura and asked for a title shot.

Next week (Thursday, June 2) — 

  • NXT UK Tag Team Champions Moustache Mountain defend against Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith and Die Familie in a triple threat match
  • Sam Gradwell vs. Von Wagner

In two weeks (Thursday, June 9) —

  • NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura defends against Ivy Nile
  • Mark Andrews vs. Kenny Williams

NXT UK results: Two-out-of-three falls Tag Team title match

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Taped at BT Sport Studios in London, England

The show opened with a video looking at tonight’s main event, where Moustache Mountain will defend their NXT UK Tag Team titles against Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith in a two-out-of-three falls match.

Back Alley Brawl: Sam Gradwell defeated Kenny Williams (9:45)

Gradwell attacked Williams during the latter’s entrance and beat him up at ringside. He went to get a trash can from under the ring, but Williams kicked Gradwell and rammed him into the stairs. Williams then rolled him into the ring to officially start the match.

A masked man in a hoodie was watching the match from the crowd.

Gradwell took over back in the ring, then threw Williams out of the ring and over the barricade. Gradwell emptied a trash can onto Williams and then attacked him with it. Williams went for an attack on the barricades, but the masked man stared at him and Williams was distracted, allowing Gradwell to catch him.

Williams got a fire extinguisher from under the ring and sprayed it into Gradwell’s face. He placed a chair on Gradwell’s back (as Gradwell was draped over the steps) and then jumped on it a few times.

Gradwell slammed Williams onto a trash can, then set up a table. Back in the ring, Gradwell slammed Williams into a chair that was set up in the corner. Williams removed his belt and teased hitting Gradwell with it, but Gradwell caught it and used it on Williams.

When Williams was once again distracted by the masked man in the crowd, Gradwell gave Williams a Death Valley Driver off the apron through the table on the floor. Gradwell picked up the pinfall victory after the table bump.

After the match, the masked man entered the ring and stalked Williams to the back.

– A segment looked at Symbiosis’ attack on Wild Boar with a dog collar and Mark Andrews making the save. Eddie Dennis challenged Wild Boar & Andrews to a tag team match.

Emilia McKenzie defeated Stevie Turner (4:43)

McKenzie was in control early and got a two count off a swinging neckbreaker. Turner came back with a bicycle kick that took McKenzie down, then locked in a chinlock.

McKenzie escaped and hit a Saito suplex for a two count. Turner hit a Mass Effect for a two count of her own. McKenzie then hit a German suplex and a spear to get the victory.

– Isla Dawn talked about welcoming NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura into her “world of darkness.” She will face Satomura in a World of Darkness match for the title in two weeks.

– Von Wagner, Lash Legend, Ivy Nile, and Damon Kemp from NXT 2.0 were shown arriving in the UK earlier this week. Saxon Huxley interrupted their autograph signing, leading to Wagner ripping up Huxley’s autograph and walking off.

– Xia Brookside and Eliza Alexander cut a promo backstage. Brookside said she’ll be in action next week and somebody will get “battered.”

– In three weeks, on the 200th episode of NXT UK, Ilja Dragunov will defend his NXT United Kingdom Championship against Jordan Devlin. There will be a contract signing for the match next week.

Two-out-of-three falls NXT UK Tag Team title match: Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) retained against Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith (21:39)

Bate and Smith started and traded wristlocks early on. There was some fast action, and they traded pinning combinations until Bate tagged in Seven. Smith dominated the action and then tagged in Carter, who hit Seven with a shoulder block over the ropes.

Seven turned things around, and Moustache Mountain took turns working Carter over.

Smith finally came in and he and Carter sent the champions to ringside. Shortly after, Moustache Mountain were back in control, working over Smith until he finally got the hot tag to Carter.

Carter ran wild. Bate went for his slingshot lariat, but Carter caught him and hit a German suplex for a near fall. After Carter hit an assisted moonsault on Seven, Smith got the first pinfall of the match at around the 10-minute mark. Carter & Smith 1-0

Smith and Carter took turns working over Seven, who was in trouble for a long time. Seven and Smith both finally tagged out, and Bate ran wild on Carter. Bate hit a ton of offense, including a running Shooting Star Press for a two count.

One tag later, all four men were in the ring. Seven and Bate hit stereo Tyler Driver ’97s for another near fall. Bate then pinned Smith after a lariat/snap dragon suplex combo at around 16:30. Moustache Mountain 1-1

Smith hit a spinning powerbomb on Seven for a close two count. As the champions regrouped at ringside, Carter hit an assisted moonsault knee drop on both men on the outside.

Back in the ring, Seven almost caught Smith with a small package before hitting a Seven Star Lariat and the Emerald Frosion on Smith for a close near fall. Moustache Mountain then hit an assisted Burning Hammer on Smith, but Carter made the last-second save on the ensuing pinfall attempt.

Moustache Mountain went for a double Burning Hammer on Smith, but Carter saved. Carter then sent Seven into Bate. Smith tried a roll-up, but Seven kicked out. Seven then sent Carter into Smith, rolled up Carter, and put his feet on the ropes for leverage to score the deciding pinfall. Bate saw Seven cheating from ringside and was visibly shocked at his partner’s actions. Moustache Mountain win 2-1

Bate was upset with Seven after the match but eventually still celebrated with him to close the show.

Final Thoughts —

The main event was one of the best tag team matches of the year that likely relatively few people will see. Those four are just so good. Bate keeps getting more and more upset at Seven, so they are still doing a slow build to some sort of explosion I presume.

The opener was a fun brawl with some intrigue when it comes to the masked guy. The women’s match mostly was just there and nothing special.

Next Week —

  • Contract signing for Ilja Dragunov vs. Jordan Devlin
  • Xia Brookside in action

In Two Weeks —

  • NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura defends against Isla Dawn in a World of Darkness match

In Three Weeks (NXT UK episode #200) —

  • NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov defends against Jordan Devlin

WWE announces two-out-of-three falls NXT UK tag title match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith are getting another shot at the NXT UK Tag Team titles — this time in a two-out-of-three falls match.

NXT UK Tag Team Champions Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) will defend their titles against Carter & Smith in a two-out-of-three falls match in the main event of the NXT UK episode that airs in two weeks (Thursday, April 21). The match was announced during a segment where the two teams met with NXT UK management on this week’s episode of the show.

This February, Moustache Mountain retained their titles against Carter & Smith when Seven knocked Smith’s foot off the ropes before the referee could see it and call for a rope break.

After Carter & Smith challenged Moustache Mountain to another title match, it was set up that they would have to get their shot by facing Bate and Seven in singles matches. Carter defeated Bate, but Seven won his match against Smith by holding onto Smith’s tights while pinning him. Bate wasn’t happy with how Seven cheated to win.

Moustache Mountain won the NXT UK Tag Team titles from Pretty Deadly in December of last year.

Here’s what’s been announced for the next two weeks of NXT UK episodes:

Next Week —

  • A-Kid vs. Teoman
  • Gallus (Joe & Mark Coffey) vs. Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz
  • Eliza Alexander’s NXT UK in-ring debut (Alexander was formerly known as Lizzy Evo)
  • NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura and Isla Dawn go face-to-face

In Two Weeks —

  • Two-out-of-three falls match: NXT UK Tag Team Champions Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) defend against Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith

NXT UK results: Moustache Mountain vs. Smith & Carter Tag Team title match

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Amale defeated Xia Brookside (6:14)

Amale outwrestled Brookside early on, leading to her complaining. Brookside eventually came back with a vicious attack and hit a running knee attack to the back of Amale’s head as she hung in the ropes.

Brookside locked in an armbar and further wore Amale down, until “The French Hope” came back with a samoan drop, running knee, clothesline and running senton. Amale smashed her head into the turnbuckles with a drop toehold, followed by a running kick in the corner and the Hopebreaker for the pin and the win.

– Gallus, Sha Samuels and Noam Dar were in Sid Scala’s office. Scala announced that in two weeks, Dar would defend the Heritage Cup against Joe Coffey. Mark Coffey and Samuels argued and Scala proposed they settle their issues in the ring.

– Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff had their latest lesson called “Bomber Initiative.” For some reason, Starz cut holes into Pretty Deadly’s shirts and they complained, presumably leading to a match between the two teams next week.

Rohan Raja defeated Danny Jones (5:00)

Jones dominated early before Raja briefly stopped him with a forearm. After some more offense, Raja retreated to ringside to consult his teammates. He eventually attacked Jones on the outside and took over from there.

Raja methodically wore him down until the Welshman came back with an enzuigiri and backdrop driver. He followed with another suplex for a near fall.

Raja eventually hit a backstabber, followed by Seek and Destroy and a pin to gain the victory.

After the match, Die Familie stomped on Jones. Charlie Dempsey briefly hesitated, but eventually joined in.

– Symbiosis were in a promo video where they said they were supposed to win. Eddie Dennis whispered to them that an arrow can only be shot into the heart of their enemies when the string gets pulled back first. He told them to keep calm and focused.

– A truck driver drove through darkness and ate a burger, which distracted him from the road. He saw something and braked hard. He got out of the truck and found some hair or fur on the ground. Some creature ran through the woods nearby. Then the scene cut to black.

– Samuels and Mark Coffey continued to argue backstage.

– Die Familie walked by a visibly angry A-Kid. He grabbed Dempsey, prompting Teoman and Raja to get involved. Dempsey calmed them down and asked A-Kid what he wanted to say. A-Kid said he thought Dempsey was better than that. Dempsey shrugged and said, “Maybe.” A-Kid then walked off, obviously still not pleased with the answer he got.

NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura celebration

Andy Shepherd was in the ring and welcomed NXT UK Women’s champion Meiko Satomura. They looked at a video package, showing her highlights. He presented her with flowers. Just as she started thanking everybody, the lights went out and Isla Dawn appeared behind the barricades.

She got into the ring and talked about how she thanked Satomura to give her something to desire. She said the one final trophy she lacked was the one Satomura was holding. The champion told her to just ask for a match if that’s what she wanted.

Isla said she did not ask, she takes. She then kicked Satomura in the face and stole her flowers. She slunk to the back and started eating the flowers. Ok, then. She is still scarier than Alexa Bliss and her doll.

– Sam Gradwell was backstage, looking at his bald head. He was furious and talked about his little son asking who did that to his hair. He said he just sees “that little cockroach” (Kenny Williams) when he looks into the mirror and Williams would not forget what he was going to do to him.

– NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov answered Nathan Frazier’s championship challenge from last week. He accepted and told Frazer he was good but not ready to become champion. He said he himself had to win a battle royal and then did not win the title because he wasn’t ready and his journey to the title was long and hard. He said Frazier would lose, but it would be the first step on his journey. The match between the two men takes place next week.

NXT UK Tag Team Champions Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) defeated Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter (13:03) to retain

Bate and Carter had some back-and forth exchanges early. Seven was in next and got worked over by Carter but quickly regained control once Smith was tagged in. The champs scored the first two count on Smith as Bate hit a somersault senton.

The challengers tried some double-team action, but Carter ended up in an airplane spin by Bate. He quickly came back from the attack and hit a top rope hurricanrana on Bate.

Bate turned things around but Seven was off the apron as Carter had taken him out seconds earlier. Bate still hit a running shooting star press for a near fall and finally tagged in Seven.

Seven held his own against both men, hitting the Seven Star Lariat and the Emerald Frosion on Smith but Carter made the save. Bate was in next and was almost pinned after a huge spinning sitout power bomb. He also kicked out of an assisted moonsault by Carter.

Smith hit a top rope leg lariat, followed by a Doomsday Cutter by Carter for what looked like the win, only for Seven to make the save at the last second. Some chaotic seconds later, Bate and Smith were in the ring.

They exchanged strikes until Bate hit Smith with a straight left that possibly knocked him out. Bate went for the pin but Smith got his foot on the rope. As the ref was already counting, Seven ran up to Smith on the outside and pushed his foot off behind the referee’s (and Bate’s) back giving the champs the win.

Final Thoughts:

This was a fun show with some interesting developments. Amale keeps looking good and there obviously is some storyline/match coming up between A-Kid and Dempsey. There will also be a Satomura vs. Dawn title match happening down the road.

The tag team main event was great and the seeds for a Moustache Mountain split ever so carefully get planted with Seven doing everything to hold on to championship gold, even if it means doing the wrong thing.

Next week:

  • NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov vs. Nathan Frazier in a title match
  • Mark Coffey vs. Sha Samuels
  • Pretty Deadly vs. Dave Mastiff and Jack Starz

In two weeks:

  • NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar vs. Joe Coffey in a title match

WWE sets date for Moustache Mountain’s first NXT UK Tag Team title defense

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has revealed when Moustache Mountain will be making their first defense of the NXT UK Tag Team titles.

Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) will put their titles on the line against Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith on the NXT UK episode that premieres in two weeks (Thursday, February 24). Carter & Smith won a four-team tournament to become the number one contenders to Bate & Seven’s titles.

Carter & Smith defeated Symbiosis (Primate & T-Bone) in the first round of the number one contender’s tournament and Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz in the finals.

In December, Moustache Mountain captured the NXT UK Tag Team titles for the first time by defeating Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley).

Bate & Seven vs. Carter & Smith is a matchup of babyface teams.

For next week’s NXT UK episode, WWE has announced two matches. They are: Jordan Devlin vs. Wolfgang and Kenny Williams vs. Sam Gradwell.

NXT UK results: Pretty Deadly vs. Moustache Mountain Tag title match

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Report —

They opened with an abbreviated version of last week’s Pretty Deadly vs. Moustache Mountain hype video.

Blair Davenport defeated Emilia McKenzie (06:01)

McKenzie looked strong early with an arm drag and swinging neckbreaker, which scored her a near fall at the one-minute-mark. Davenport came back with a tackle, then locked in a chinlock. They traded strikes until McKenzie hit a running spear for another near fall.

Davenport quickly ascended the ropes and hit a shotgun dropkick but McKenzie shot back with a German suplex. McKenzie went for her somersault spear out of the corner, but Davenport stopped her with a knee and hit the Falcon Arrow for the pin and the win.

After the match, Davenport locked a helpless McKenzie in an STF and screamed that she wanted “The Final Boss vs. The Ichiban Gaijin.”

**********

Moustache Mountain were warming up backstage

Noam Dar and Sha Samuels were about to enter Sid Scala’s office. Dar told Sha not to scream at the boss and be nice and quiet, so of course Sha loudly banged on the door and screamed that they were here at the top of his lungs. Dar wanted some congratulations, which Scala gave, but also informed Dar that next week, Nathan Frazer and A-Kid would be competing under Heritage Cup rules to determine a number one contender. Dar wasn’t thrilled.

They showed the clip of Rampage Brown being rendered unable to continue by an enzuigiri by Ilja Dragunov in their title match last week. They showed him being taken backstage on a stretcher and said he had been evaluated but refused further medical treatment and had been in no condition for a statement after losing the match due to ref stoppage. They will update us on further developments.

Xia Brookside was at the UK Performance Center, talking to somebody about losing her match to Meiko Satomura last week. The other person said it was a three count and Brookside wanted him to help. She then was interviewed about the match and went on a screaming tirade about it not being her fault that she lost, Sid Scala setting her up, her only having one week to prepare being unfair, then finally screamed at the interviewer to leave her alone and stormed off.

**********

Jordan Devlin-Ilja Dragunov in-ring segment

Devlin said he was the longest reigning cruiserweight champion in history, the star, the franchise player, the Ace of the brand. He said there was only one thing left for him to do and that was to take the NXT UK title. He said he wasn’t like other challengers interrupting Ilja Dragunov, but wanted Dragunov to come out to his ring and face him. Dragunov didn’t take long to answer the challenge and walked out to the ring.

Dragunov said he appreciated Devlin’s ring ability but said where he comes from, people don’t talk so much and if Devlin wanted a title match, why did he not just ask for it?

Devlin said he knew who Dragunov won the title from and defended it against, men to whom the sport was honorable and the mat was sacred. He also said that he is not like those men, he won’t stop if Dragunov knocks him out or quit, if he breaks his nose. He said to him, nothing between these ropes was sacred, if Dragunov gave him a chance he would only require one and would end his career to take the title and won’t lose any sleep over it.

Dragunov smiled and said that nothing Devlin said or did could intimidate him, scare him or make him nervous. He was prepared for everything Devlin could bring.

Devlin replied that he hoped that Dragunov knew what he got himself into and that “his little wife at home” forgave him for it. He also said that he hopes that Dragunov could explain to “your little boy – Konstantin, right?” – why he had to grow up taking care of his daddy. Dragunov looked incredulous, then decked Devlin as officials ran to the ring to break things up. Devlin smiled as he was led away.

This was a money promo if there ever was one. I now want to see this match take place in a big stadium and want to pay money to attend it at ringside. This was a blood feud on a personal level materializing out of thin air within minutes.

**********

An amazing video on Amale aired, which immediately transformed her from an arrogant heel to a lovable babyface. She said she had been perceived as ruthless and aggressive during her stay in NXT UK, but there was a reason for it. She had been told “no” all her life when all she wanted was to become a wrestler with WWE. They aired clips and videos of her childhood of Moroccan immigrants in France. She said she had two master’s degrees, had become a teacher and could have been anything she wanted, but she wanted to become a wrestler. She was tired of her parents telling her no and telling her to go to law school instead. She was tired of the parents of the children in her school telling her she couldn’t do WWE. She was crying and emotional during the video and it really tore at the heartstrings of everybody watching with a soul. She concluded that she was Amale and she was Hope.

Kenny Williams cut a promo on Mark Andrews, calling him a pretender and calling him being a rock star and a skateboarder and act. He said he recognized that, as he had been a pretender too for much of his life. He said Andrews was all that was left of Subculture and once he was done with him, there would only be Scum Culture.

**********

Sam Gradwell defeated Sha Samuels (w/ Noam Dar) (06:53)

They went back and forth early, with Samuels trying to go for Gradwell’s surgically repaired leg. They took turns flattening each other with lariats, then Gradwell clotheslines Samuels over the top rope. He followed with a clothesline off the apron. Samuels then pulled Gradwell off the apron and slammed him on the mats outside. Back in the ring, Samuels slammed him once more, then hit a suplex for a near fall.

Samuels took off his suspenders and threatened to beat Gradwell with them. Gradwell, also a despicable heel, grabbed Samuels’ scarf, wrapped it around his neck and pretended that Dar choked him with it from the outside. Dar seemed to confirm to the referee as he tried to take the scarf off Gradwell.

The referee was close to disqualifying Samuels when Dar jumped on the apron, distracting the ref and allowing Gradwell to whip the scarf into Samuels’ nether regions. He followed up with the fireman’s carry power bomb for the win.

**********

Gallus were in an underground garage, putting something into the trunk of their car. They once more acted like an Irish crime syndicate who were feuding with rivaling crime syndicate, headed by Teoman. Wolfgang suggested Joe Coffey leave a mark on Charlie Dempsey. They got into their car as police sirens approached.

They promoted the Nathan Frazer vs. A-Kid Heritage Cup match for next week. Both men talked about the match and once more, they went the extra mile in the buildup. A-Kid actually talked about adapting his training with more of an emphasis on strength in order to subdue Frazer. He said timing beats speed. Frazer on the other hand said he’d force A-Kid to play his game, take him to the sky and drop him. He said winning here would be the biggest moment of his life.

**********

NXT UK Tag Team Championship: Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) defeated Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley) to win the titles (17:49)

Moustache Mountain were in control early, with Bate using speed and technique, then both members of Moustache Mountain clotheslined Pretty Deadly to the outside. They then hit stereo vertical suplexes before Seven hit a top rope knee drop on Howley for a two count. Seven’s left hand was taped and he was favoring it, which the announcers pointed out.

They threw Seven to ringside, where Stoker rammed Seven into the steps. Back in the ring, Seven managed to fight free and ended up on the top rope, but got his legs taken out and took a brutal bump right on his head and neck from the top. The champs hit a double elbow/leg drop on Seven, then worked him over some more in and out of the ring. Seven finally made the hot tag and Bate ran wild on both opponents.

He hit an exploder followed by a running shooting star press on Howley, then went for the Tyler Driver ’97 and after some back and forth counters, hit the move for a close near-fall. Howley tagged out and Stoker hit an assisted gutbuster for a near fall of his own. Pretty Deadly went for the trademark Moustache Mountain slingshot lariat/dragon suplex combo but Bate ducked and the champs took out each other.

Seven was back in and hit the snap DDT on Howley, followed by the Seven Star Lariat for another close two-count. Pretty Deadly came back and hit Spilled Milk on Seven, with Bate narrowly making the save. Bate hit a dive through the ropes, but Stoker caught him and Pretty Deadly hit Spilled Milk on Bate on the outside.

Howley hit a powerbomb on Seven, the deadlifted him and hot another on on Stoker’s knee but Seven still managed to kick out. Howley managed to distract the referee with a title belt and snuck another one to Stoker who hit Seven with it. Seven somehow managed to kick out from the cover that followed.

Bate finally made it in, hit a rolling kick and Tyler Driver 97 on Howley. He took his time going to the top rope while Seven picked Stoker up for the Birminghammer and dropped him on Howley. Bate then followed with the Big Spiral Boi from the top and covered Howley for the title win.

Moustache Mountain are your new NXT UK Tag Team Champions and Tyler Bate is the first-ever NXT UK Triple Crown champion. This was a fantastic match.

Final Thoughts —

  • This was one of the best episodes of NXT UK in 2021.
  • The main event was fantastic and concluded Trent Seven’s redemption storyline that started more than a year ago with him losing in the Heritage Cup finals, losing to Jordan Devlin in their feud over the cruiserweight title and costing Bate the Heritage Cup. It also helped that those two teams are among the best in the UK if not the world right now and Pretty Deadly are criminally underrated.
  • Add to that the Dragunov/Devlin segment that felt very raw and personal and had some of the best mic work all year in WWE, the great Amale profile video and the A-Kid/Frazer hype video that felt more like a UFC Countdown style match profile. Davenport/McKenzie also was good and built to a Davenport/Satomura match down the line while Samuels/Gradwell was a fun mean guy hoss fight.
  • I’d recommend going out of your way to watch this one.

Next week —

  • Heritage Cup Rules: A-Kid vs. Nathan Frazer to determine the new number one contender to the Heritage Cup

Moustache Mountain to challenge for NXT UK Tag Team titles

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Image: WWE

Moustache Mountain are next in line for a shot at Pretty Deadly’s NXT UK Tag Team titles.

In the main event of this week’s NXT UK episode, Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) became the number one contenders to the NXT UK Tag Team titles by winning a fatal four-way match. They defeated Symbiosis (Primate & T-Bone), Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith, and Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz.

Moustache Mountain won with a double-team move where Bate jumped off the top rope and assisted Seven in hitting the Birminghammer on Primate.

Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley) came out to the stage, posed with their titles, and exchanged words with Moustache Mountain after the match.

Two weeks ago, Bate lost the NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship to Noam Dar after Pretty Deadly got involved. Seven accidentally threw in the towel after Pretty Deadly took it from him and he was fighting with them to get it back.

Pretty Deadly won the NXT UK Tag Team titles from Gallus’ Mark Coffey & Wolfgang this February. They retained against Moustache Mountain on an episode of NXT UK in August.

Moustache Mountain have never held the NXT UK Tag Team titles. WWE hasn’t announced when they’ll be getting their title shot against Pretty Deadly.

Moustache Mountain set for NXT UK number one contender’s match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has announced an update to next week’s NXT UK tag team number one contender’s match.

Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) have been added to next Thursday’s Tag Team title number one contender’s match on NXT UK, making it a fatal four-way. Bate & Seven, Symbiosis (Primate & T-Bone), Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith, and Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz will face off to determine the next challengers for Pretty Deadly’s NXT UK Tag Team titles.

The match was originally announced as a triple threat, but Moustache Mountain were added after Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley) helped cost Bate the NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship. Bate lost the Heritage Cup title to Noam Dar last week when Seven accidentally threw in the towel as he was trying to get it back from Howley.

Seven apologized to Bate on this week’s NXT UK and informed him that general manager Johnny Saint is letting them take part in next week’s number one contender’s match.

Moustache Mountain have never held the NXT UK Tag Team titles.

Pretty Deadly won the NXT UK Tag Team titles from Gallus’ Mark Coffey & Wolfgang this February. They retained against Moustache Mountain in August after a distraction where Howley threw in the towel and tried to make the referee think Seven did it. Howley hit Bate with a title belt as Seven was talking to the ref.

NXT UK results: Moustache Mountain vs. Dar & Samuels

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Report —

Taped at BT Sports Studios in London, England

Joe Coffey defeated Eddie Dennis (08:26)

Coffey punched Dennis out of the ring and attacked him at ringside. Back in the ring, Dennis escaped through the ropes to stop another barrage by Coffey. Dennis came back with a judo throw and kravate. Coffey eventually escaped with a slam, but missed the Glasgow Sendoff into the corner.

Dennis caught a body press by Coffey and hit a slam for a near fall. They traded strikes and Coffey hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex, followed by a running shoulder block and an elbow drop for another two count. Dennis caught Coffey on the turnbuckles, then hit the Severed Bridge for a another close near fall.

Coffey came back with a spinebuster and a Boston Crab. T-Bone and Primate ran in and distracted the referee, but Coffey disposed of them. Gallus ran out to brawl with T-Bone and Primate.

Back in the ring, Coffey hit the double-jump reverse body press, Glasgow Sendoff and All the Best for the Bells to pin Dennis.

Coffey got attacked immediately by Primate and T-Bone, but the rest of Gallus made the save and sent Dennis and his thugs packing.

**********

Ilja Dragunov sat at a laptop and watched clips of his match with WALTER, getting an incredulous look on his face as the match progressed. He then watched clips of his matches with Jack Starz, Sam Gradwell and others and how he would snap whenever he got chopped in the neck. His eyes grew bigger as he watched, before the screen faded to black.

**********

Gallus were excited as they came backstage. Joe Coffey encountered Rampage Brown and told him he’d watched him and WALTER and it was tough, as he’d been there himself. He reminded Brown that he had promised him a rematch and told him to give him a call.

**********

Sam Gradwell defeated “Bomber” Dave Mastiff (04:54)

Mastiff quickly backed Gradwell into the ropes and called him a “Yogurt”. They traded hammerlocks, before Gradwell got smacked in the mouth. Mastiff hit a judo roll over Gradwell, then followed with a fireman’s carry roll. Gradwell came back with a knee strike with his knee brace, hurting Mastiff’s back.

Mastiff eventually hit a running crossbody but couldn’t hit his cannonball senton into the corner because of his injured back.

Gradwell seized the opportunity, impressively hoisted Mastiff on his shoulders and hit a Falcon Arrow for the win.

**********

Aoife Valkyrie walked through a city at night and talked about this being her opportunity. She will face Meiko Satomura next week.

**********

A video profiled Emilia McKenzie.

**********

Jinny (w/Joseph Conners) defeated Dani Luna (04:03)

Dani took Jinny down with a waistlock takedown right away. Jinny slapped her, then escaped through the ropes and attacked Dani from behind when she turned away.

Jinny locked on an Iron Octopus but Luna powered out. Jinny locked it on once more from a seated position, but Luna lifted her up and threw her. Luna hit two consecutive rolling gutwrench suplexes, then followed up with another suplex.

They traded strikes and slaps and Dani followed with a running clothesline. Conners got on the apron, which distracted Luna and allowed Jinny to hit a kick to the knee, rolling Liger kick and pin Dani with a La Magistral cradle.

After the match, Jinny stomped away at Dani and locked her in a modified STF as Conners screamed into her face. Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster ran out to make the save.

**********

Sid Scala was asked about the Amir Jordan-Kenny Williams main event from last week when Jordan stormed in and demanded a rematch.

Scala said that Williams was willing to give him a rematch under no DQ rules, but only under the condition that the loser will leave NXT UK.

Jordan was taken aback, but eventually signed the contract and said that nobody would be taking this away from him.

**********

A video aired on newcomer Rohan Raja (Tony Gill, the former Gursinder Singh of the Desi Hit Squad in Impact in 2018/19), who said he was 6’1″, British born, Australian raised, Canadian trained (by Lance Storm, nonetheless). He said he would make his NXT UK debut next week against Teoman.

He said Teoman had been making people tap out but that he does not quit and Teoman would have to bring his A game.

Teoman replied to Raja’s promo, saying he would die for his family and protect them with honor, respect and fear. He reiterated that he was the “Babo” (boss) Teoman.

**********

Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) defeated Noam Dar & Sha Samuels (12:50)

Dar and Bate started the match. Bate had the early advantage with arm drags before Dar managed to tag in Samuels, who wanted Seven. Seven quickly hit a clothesline and leg drop. Bate was back in and hit a somersault senton, then worked over Samuels’ arm before Dar tagged back in.

Bate had Dar up for the airplane spin, but Samuels blind tagged back in and attacked Bate, who eventually tagged Seven. Dar and Samuels quickly tagged in and out and worked over Seven for several minutes. Seven finally hit a DDT and snap dragon suplex on Dar before finally making the hot tag.

Bate ran wild and hit an exploder on Samuels. Bate hit a Seven-assisted  power bomb on Samuels and went for a bridging pin, but the referee was distracted and Samuels eventually kicked out. Samuels hit a spinebuster on Bate off a slingshot lariat. Seven and Bate hit subsequent dives on both Dar and Samuels.

Bate then hit a double foot stomp of the top into a Burning Hammer by Seven on Samuels and pinned him.

Final thoughts —

A decent show with a good main event.

Dennis vs. Coffey lead to the inevitable six-men tag, which should be a fun, hard-hitting brawl next week.

Jinny vs. Dani Luna also progressed the storyline and we should get some sort of mixed tag team match out of it soon.

Sam Gradwell picked up his first proper win since returning, and looked good in doing so.

The main event was a small redemption story for Trent Seven, who I still suspect will turn on or challenge Tyler Bate if/when he wins the Heritage Cup from A-Kid.

I like how they had short promos building up next week’s Rohan Raja vs. Teoman match, which felt like watching Superstars or Wrestling Challenge when I was a kid.

Next week —

  • Aoife Valkyrie vs. Meiko Satomura
  • Teoman vs. Rohan Raja
  • Gallus vs. Eddie Dennis, Primate & T-Bone

Moustache Mountain set for action on next week’s NXT UK

Posted on by Joseph Currier

For the first time in more than a year, Moustache Mountain are set for tag team action.

WWE has announced that Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) will face Noam Dar & Sha Samuels on next Thursday’s episode of NXT UK. It will be the first time Bate & Seven have teamed together since NXT UK returned with new episodes in September of last year.

Bate & Seven teaming against Dar & Samuels comes after Bate defeated Dar at NXT UK: Prelude last week to become the number one contender to A-Kid’s Heritage Cup Championship. Seven was in Bate’s corner for the match, while Samuels was in Dar’s corner.

When A-Kid and Bate’s Heritage Cup Championship match will be taking place hasn’t been revealed. A-Kid became the first-ever Heritage Cup Champion by defeating Seven in the finals of a tournament last November. A-Kid successfully defended the title against Bate in December, winning the match two falls to one.

Two other matches have also been announced for next Thursday’s NXT UK. Joe Coffey will face Eddie Dennis, while Jinny will take on Dani Luna.

DIY to face Moustache Mountain at WWE Worlds Collide

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A big tag match between two of the top teams in NXT/NXT UK history has been added to the card for Worlds Collide.

DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) will face Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) at the Royal Rumble weekend special. It’s taking place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday, January 25 and will air live on the WWE Network.

After Ciampa and Gargano reunited on NXT tonight, the Worlds Collide match was set up by a tweet from Seven: “See @JohnnyGargano and @NXTCiampa are mates again. @Tyler_Bate… Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could stay mates long enough to fight us? Moustache Mountain vs #DIY? What do you say @RealKingRegal? Possibly #WorldsCollide?”

Gargano saved Ciampa from an attack by Undisputed Era on NXT tonight. After Seven’s tweet was shown, Gargano & Ciampa did an interview and accepted Moustache Mountain’s challenge “for old times’ sake.”

Here’s the updated card for Worlds Collide:

  • 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 two NXT UK wrestlers in a fatal four-way match

Moustache Mountain vs. Matt Riddle & Keith Lee set for PROGRESS

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An NXT UK vs. NXT tag match has been added to PROGRESS Wrestling’s show at Alexandra Palace next month.

WWE announced today that Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) will face Matt Riddle & Keith Lee at PROGRESS Chapter 95: Still Chasing. The show is taking place at Alexandra Palace in London, England on Sunday, September 15.

Bate & Seven are former PROGRESS Tag Team Champions.

Riddle and Seven both previously held the Atlas Championship. The Atlas title was unified with the PROGRESS World Championship when WALTER defeated Seven this May.

PROGRESS’ first show at Alexandra Palace — called Chase the Sun — was held in 2017.

WALTER will defend the PROGRESS Unified World Championship against David Starr at Still Chasing. Meiko Satomura will challenge for the PROGRESS Women’s Championship, which is currently held by Jordynne Grace. There will also be a rumble match to crown the first Proteus Champion. The Proteus Champion will be able to pick the rules for their title defenses.

Pete Dunne makes his return to PROGRESS at Still Chasing. The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) will also defend their PROGRESS Tag Team titles.

NXT UK results: Tag Team titles on the line, Niven vs. Ripley

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Quick Results —

Piper Niven pinned Rhea Ripley in a hard-hitting match, Alexander Wolfe made his NXT UK in-ring debut by making quick work of Jack Starz, Jazzy Gabert quickly defeated Dani Luna & Mercedes Blaze in a handicap match, and Kassius Ohno called out Mark Andrews for being a fraud.

In the main event, Moustache Mountain came close to defeating the Grizzled Young Veterans for the NXT UK Tag Team titles, but Tyler Bate & Trent Seven were attacked by Imperium as they were at the brink of victory. Seven was handcuffed to the turnbuckles as WALTER destroyed Bate with a number of powerbombs onto the apron and into the ring post.

Full Rundown —

– The show opened with a look back at the history between the Grizzled Young Veterans and Moustache Mountain.

– Vic Joseph and Aiden English were talking about tonight’s main event when Rhea Ripley’s music played and she stormed to the ring. She grabbed the mic and demanded that, instead of settling things between her and Piper Niven later tonight, they settle things now. Niven’s music played and she ran to the ring and got right into Ripley’s face.

Piper Niven pinned Rhea Ripley after a Michinoku Driver (8:42)

They started out with strikes and Ripley kind of got the better of things with a kick and strikes, but Niven hit a crossbody out of the corner and threw Ripley to ringside. Niven went after her, but got driven back-first into the apron, then got sent face-first into the post as she recovered and tried to slam Ripley on the outside.

Back inside, Niven kicked out of a cover at one. Ripley kept being aggressive, stomping a mudhole into Niven in the corner. She locked on a triangle and worked over Niven’s arm and hit a number of shots to the head. Niven eventually came back with a shotgun dropkick into the corner, then went up for a Vader Bomb, but Ripley pulled her off and covered her for a two count.

Niven impressively locked in her inverted cloverleaf and pulled Niven almost completely off the mat, but Niven made the ropes. Ripley trash-talked Niven and slapped her hard across the face, but Niven then held onto the ropes and hit a crashing belly-to-back suplex.

Both women got up, grabbed each other’s wrists, and traded stiff clotheslines. Ripley went for Riptide, but she couldn’t get Niven up. Niven hit Ripley with a headbutt, then sent her into the corner and followed with a running cannonball senton into Ripley’s back. She then hit a Michinoku Driver for the win.

– Kenny Williams was asked about what he was thinking when he walked out during Noam Dar’s match last week. As he answered, Dar attacked him and rubbed his face in the mud.

– A graphic announced that Alexander Wolfe vs. Jack Starz would be next. Starz keeps being the guy that gets fed to new NXT UK talent (WALTER, Ilja Dragunov, and now Wolfe).

Alexander Wolfe pinned Jack Starz after a sit-down powerbomb (4:04)

Wolfe walked out wearing just black trunks and a jacket, which was very strange, since I can’t remember ever seeing him not wrestle in a singlet, dating back to his time as Axeman/Axel Tischer in wXw.

Wolfe grabbed Starz and cranked his neck, then transitioned into a wristlock that might as well have been a grip of iron. Starz tried to flip and turn out of the move, but Wolfe held on, then quickly hit a release German suplex.

Wolfe turned Starz’s back to mush with a number of Irish whips into opposite corners, then hit a huge pump kick and a big body slam. Starz briefly fought back and hit a few European uppercuts, but Wolfe stopped that nonsense with a Death Valley Driver and a sit-down powerbomb for the victory. Wolfe then demanded Starz leave the ring.

– Wolfgang grabbed a cameraman and took him into a container where Gallus were meeting. They talked about their dominance and how they’d take out Dave Mastiff and The Hunt. Wolfgang then threw the cameraman out again.

– A graphic announced a statement by Kassius Ohno for later tonight.

– A video announced that Toni Storm would return to action next week.

Jazzy Gabert (w/ Jinny) defeated Dani Luna & Mercedes Blaze in a handicap match (1:43)

Luna started out for her team and got slammed and clotheslined right away. As she tagged out, Gabert grabbed Blaze and threw her into the ring. Luna came back in, but bounced off Gabert with a crossbody. Gabert then hit a Dominator on Blaze for the quick victory.

Kassius Ohno video package

Ohno said NXT UK was in distress and someone like him needed to save the British style. He talked about the “Founding Five” — British Strong Style, Wolfgang, and Mark Andrews. Ohno focused on Andrews, saying that he threw a superkick because of Shawn Michaels, forgetting that it was pioneered by a British wrestler, “Gentleman” Chris Adams.

Ohno called Andrews a disgrace and said Kassius Ohno is the best British wrestler in the world.

– The Grizzled Young Veterans were shown preparing for their match.

– A graphic announced Gallus vs. Dave Mastiff & The Hunt for next week.

Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) defeated NXT UK Tag Team Champions The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) by DQ when Imperium interfered

Gibson and Bate started out and Gibson had Bate in a wristlock, which Bate escaped from. He hit a dropkick to Gibson and tried to hit another one on Drake but came up short when Drake moved. Bate came back, tagged out, and hit a somersault senton from the top on Drake for a near fall by Seven.

Seven and Gibson were in and Seven hit a hard chop. The champs worked over Seven for a while as the crowd chanted “He’s got his own face on his ass/Assface” at Drake. They threw Seven to ringside, then hit a combination backbreaker/springboard elbow on him.

Back inside, Gibson locked in a sitting Cobra Clutch, then tagged out again so Drake could lock in a rear chinlock. Seven finally managed to throw Drake in the corner, but Drake was able to tag in Gibson. Seven then evaded Gibson for a hot tag of his own.

Bate hit a running European uppercut in the corner on Gibson, a dropkick on Drake, and caught Gibson on a corner charge and hit a suplex. He followed with a standing Shooting Star Press. He went for the Tyler Driver ’97 and when Drake interfered, hit a double hurricanrana on both opponents and then a suicide dive to the outside.

Seven was back in for an assisted powerbomb, but the referee was distracted by Drake. Moustache Mountain went for the dragon suplex/lariat combo, but Gibson escaped and hit a combo neckbreaker/superkick on Bate, then a reverse surfboard/leg drop combo on Seven for a near fall.

Drake wrapped his wrist tape around his knuckles for a few stiff shots at Seven, who made one last desperate comeback attempt with the Seven Star Lariat and got the tag.

Bate ran wild on both heels, then caught Gibson in a cradle for a close two count. As Gibson went for a superplex on Bate, Seven tagged in and caught Gibson in a torture rack position while Bate splashed Drake. Seven then hit a Burning Hammer on Gibson onto Drake.

As Moustache Mountain looked to have the match won, Imperium ran out and attacked them.

Fabian Aichner kneed Seven into the ring steps as WALTER held Bate for Wolfe to kick him in the face. Marcel Barthel and Wolfe then handcuffed Seven in the corner. They taunted him as WALTER powerbombed Bate on the apron twice, then powerbombed him into the ring post on the outside, all while the rest of Imperium forced Seven to look on.

Wolfe taunted Seven with the key to the handcuffs, then threw it into the crowd. The show went off the air with Imperium posing on the apron and their music playing while Seven screamed in agony and Bate laid motionless on the outside.

Next Week —

Gallus faces Dave Mastiff & The Hunt. Toni Storm will also be in action.

NXT UK results: Moustache Mountain vs. Andrews & Webster

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Image: WWE.com

Taped on 4/7 at WrestleMania Axxess in Brooklyn

Quick results:

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.