Tag: nxt uk results

NXT UK results: Title tournament semifinals

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

NXT United Kingdom Championship tournament semifinals: Trent Seven defeated Oliver Carter (9:15)

Seven mocked Carter’s knee injury early on and went to attack the knee, but Carter quickly threw him out of the ring and followed up with a dive. Carter held his knee on impact.

Back in the ring, Seven hit a dragon screw through the ropes on Carter as he was still on the apron on the outside. Seven went on to work over the knee, leading to Carter screaming in pain. Seven hit a kneebreaker and held onto the leg, but Carter managed to turn another attempt into a sunset flip for a near fall.

Carter eventually hit a springboard moonsault for another near fall. Seven came back with an Emerald Frosion for a near fall of his own before Carter countered a Seven Star Lariat attempt into a forearm smash and followed with a missile dropkick from the top.

Carter followed up with an axe kick and scored another close two count. He went for a corner attack but collapsed during the spring. Carter still caught Seven in a small package and almost had the match won. Seven then locked in a Figure Four leglock, which Carter valiantly fought to escape from but eventually succumbed to the pain and tapped out.

NXT United Kingdom Championship tournament semifinals: Tyler Bate defeated Joe Coffey (12:00)

They traded holds and counters early with neither man being able to gain the advantage. After trading shoulder blocks, Bate took down Coffey with a dropkick. Coffey hit the Glasgow Sendoff in the corner and got a near fall off the move.

Shortly after, Coffey locked in a bear hug. Bate fought out but actually found himself on the receiving end of a giant swing. They traded punches and Bate hit a right hook just as Coffey hit a combination of body shots. Bate followed with a spinning European uppercut and running Shooting Star Press for another near fall.

Coffey hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex for a near fall, then caught Bate as he came off the ropes and hit a nasty German suplex before locking in a Boston Crab.

Bate crawled toward the ropes, but Coffey pulled him back to the center of the ring. Bate finally managed to escape by spinning out of the move and landing some up-kicks. Bate evaded the Glasgow Sendoff but still got caught with the double-jump reverse crossbody. He rolled through though and scored another two count. They traded lariats and Coffey actually hit All the Best for the Bells as Bate was bouncing off the ropes with his slingshot lariat.

Both men were down, so Coffey failed to go for a cover. Bate then hit a rolling koppu kick and went for the Tyler Driver ’97, which Coffey countered with a back body drop. Bate landed on his feet, hit a forearm, and caught Coffey in a backslide for the victory.

Bate will face his former Moustache Mountain partner Seven in the finals for the vacant NXT UK Championship.

Seven came out after the match and teased getting into the ring but then chickened out. He shouted at Bate from ringside as — in a throwback to the days of World of Sport — a granny in the front row berated Seven.

– A video recapped the wild women’s division brawl from three weeks ago. Sid Scala announced a four-way elimination match between Blair Davenport, Isla Dawn, Amale, and Eliza Alexander for next week. The winner will be the new number one contender to the NXT UK Women’s Championship.

– A video looked at last week’s announcement that NXT UK will go on hiatus and be expanded to NXT Europe in 2023. They had lots of social media and news clippings covering that announcement and Nigel McGuinness said he was excited for it.

NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship match: Noam Dar defeated Mark Coffey to win the title (17:29)

Round One

Dar went for a roll-up 30 seconds in and scored a two count. They mostly fought for position for the rest of the round, with Coffey hitting an uppercut and locking in an armbar as the round ended.

Round Two

Dar went for an armbar right away, but Coffey made it to his feet and locked in one of his own. Coffey worked Dar’s arm over some more. Coffey got a two count off of a roll-up, then missed an elbow from the ropes. Dar hit a diving forearm and scored a near fall of his own.

Round Three

Coffey started out strong with a clothesline, a forearm, and a back body drop. Dar came back with a leg kick and spinning back elbow for another near fall. Coffey hit a sliding forearm to the side of the jaw and pinned Dar to take the lead. Dar looked to be knocked out. Coffey 1-0

Round Four

Dar struggled to his feet but still was wobbly. Coffey went for a full nelson, but Dar backed him into the ropes to break the hold. Dar still looked out on his feet but hit a few desperation forearms. Coffey went to the second turnbuckle for an attack, but Dar stumbled between the ropes and fell to ringside. The referee checked on Dar and told Coffey to back off.

Dar repeatedly collapsed whenever Coffey was going for another attack, prompting the referee to stop Coffey. Dar then suddenly went for a flash pin and got a near fall. Dar then locked in the kneebar and Coffey tapped. Dar 1-1

Round Five

Coffey went to the ropes again but thought better of it and hit a bulldog instead. Coffey went for the Gator lock, but Dar rolled out of it and transitioned into an armbar, which Coffey turned into a roll-up.

They briefly battled on the top rope, but Dar slid out from under Coffey and kicked his leg out. Dar locked in the kneebar once more with 20 seconds left in the round. Coffey fought to escape and finally did just as the round ended.

Round Six

They traded holds early and Coffey powered out of a guillotine attempt. Coffey hit a baseball slide that sent Dar out of the ring and Coffey quickly rolled him back inside. Suddenly, Sha Samuels hopped the barricades behind Coffey and rammed Coffey’s head into the ring post. As Coffey stumbled back into the ring, Dar hit the Nova Roller to win the round, the match, and the NXT UK Heritage Cup. Dar wins 2-1

Dar and Samuels hugged after the match and celebrated in the ring with the Heritage Cup. Thus concludes the penultimate episode of NXT UK.

Final Thoughts —

Wrestling wise, this was a tremendous show with three good-to-great matches. It’s painfully clear though that these episodes merely exist to finalize the ongoing stories and air matches that had already been taped. Besides the announcement of the women’s four-way next week, there were no angles, backstage segments, interviews, or anything else to build for the future, of which we know doesn’t exist for the brand.

If you saw NXT 2.0 this Tuesday, you also know who wins the four-way next week. And, of course, we also know the result of the tournament final. Both matches nonetheless will probably be very good.

Next Week —

  • NXT United Kingdom Championship tournament finals: Tyler Bate vs. Trent Seven
  • NXT UK Women’s Championship number one contender’s four-way elimination match: Blair Davenport vs. Isla Dawn vs. Amale vs. Eliza Alexander

NXT UK results: Two title tournament matches

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

NXT United Kingdom title tournament first-round match: Joe Coffey defeated Mark Andrews (7:40)

Both wrestlers cut in-set promos on their way to the ring. Coffey said it would be good to have two Gallus boys on top. Andrews said he had been in the original title tournament and would win this time.

Coffey blocked Andrews’ offense early on (including an arm drag, a hurricanrana, and a body press attempt) and then finally slammed him. Andrews hit a top rope hurricanrana but quickly got thwarted again.

Coffey locked in a full nelson and they ended up in a backslide battle. Andrews eventually hit a DDT. He hit a springboard crossbody for a near fall, but Coffey came back with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex.

Andrews hit the Stun Dog Millionaire but got caught with an uppercut just seconds later, followed by a spear in the corner and All the Best for the Bells for a Coffey victory.

– Backstage, Coffey celebrated his win.

Amale defeated Nina Samuels (6:31)

Amale started out strong and hit a number of running kicks and dropkicks to score a near fall early on. Samuels fought back and locked in a chinlock.

Samuels hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, then started attacking Amale in the ropes. Amale moved out of the way when Samuels went for a dropkick in the ropes. Amale then scored another near fall with a bulldog, followed by a running kick in the corner and the Hopebreaker for the win.

– Backstage, Oliver Carter was asked about his injured knee. Trent Seven came up and gloated about Carter’s leg being bandaged and braced. Carter said the last time they were in the ring together, Carter & Ashton Smith made Seven & Tyler Bate ex-champions. Seven admitted to that and said that was the pivotal moment of his career — people got to see the real Trent Seven now and he would break Carter’s leg.

– Ilja Dragunov cut a pre-taped promo where he said he was curious to see who would take his place — but Dragunov also pointed out it was “his place.” Dragunov said he would be back and would recapture his title.

Chase U (Andre Chase & Bodhi Hayward w/ Thea Hail) defeated Eddie Dennis & Saxon Huxley (6:49)

Chase and Dennis started. Dennis took Chase down, then yelled at Huxley to pay attention and see how it was done. Chase then took Dennis down using the same hammerlock takeover. Chase made the crowd spell “Chase U” and he stomped away on Dennis.

Chase U tagged in and out in order to isolate Dennis. Denis tagged in Huxley, who accidentally hit Dennis on a double axe handle off the top. Huxley hit a Thesz Press on Chase and slammed him into the mat. Dennis took over, but Huxley blind-tagged himself in once more.

Huxley beat Chase from corner to post but then missed an elbow as Dennis kept screaming at him from the apron. Dennis and Hayward both tagged in and Hayward beat Dennis down with tackles and a big splash. Dennis managed to tag out, then Huxley hit a top rope clothesline on Hayward.

Dennis yelled at Huxley that Dennis was the star and told Huxley to get out of the ring. Huxley walked up the entranceway as Chase U hit a double-team flatliner on Dennis to pick up the victory.

After the match, Dennis kept yelling at Huxley, who took him out with a powerbomb. Huxley celebrated with Chase U and shook Andre Chase’s hand.

– A very good video on the upcoming Heritage Cup rematch between Noam Dar and Mark Coffey aired. Both men were confident they would pick up the victory. The match airs next week. Also next week, both semifinal matches in the NXT United Kingdom Championship tournament take place.

NXT United Kingdom title tournament first-round match: Tyler Bate defeated Kenny Williams (13:19)

Both men cut in-set promos. Williams said he would win the title, while Bate said he would win and crush Trent Seven’s dreams.

They traded wristlocks early on and Bate rolled Williams up for a two count. They traded slaps and Bate was aggressive in his offense, but Williams poked him in the eye.

Bate picked Williams up with a bridge off of a test of strength. He then went for a dive, but Williams evaded it and hit a back elbow off the top. They ended up at ringside and Bate picked up Williams for an airplane spin. Williams grabbed the ring post, then threw Bate into the barricades to take over the match.

After some more back and forth, Bate picked Williams up for another airplane spin in the ring, which left both men dizzy until Bate hit a lariat. They traded offense until Bate threw Williams out of the ring and followed with a huge plancha.

Back in the ring, Bate hit a bridging German suplex. Bate went for the Tyler Driver ’97, but Williams escaped it and rolled Bate up for a near fall. Williams went for a backspring elbow from the rope, but Bate caught him in another German suplex, hit a lariat, and then the Tyler Driver ’97 to pick up the win and advance in the tournament.

Final Thoughts —

A strong show with good matches and very few angles/promos, which probably is more than just a bit of foreshadowing that the future of this show looks bleak.

WWE spoiled the results of the tournament recently when Tyler Bate appeared as champion on NXT 2.0 to call out Bron Breakker for the Worlds Collide show that was announced today.

WWE also cut a number of NXT UK wrestlers today, ranging from some who were injured or not featured recently (Flash Morgan Webster, Dani Luna, Ashton Smith) to some who were prominently on this show as part of the title tournament (Mark Andrews), some who were part of stables or ongoing (title) storylines (Rohan Raja, Sha Samuels, Emilia McKenzie, Amir Jordan), and some who were mostly used in the mid-card (Wild Boar, Primate, Dave Mastiff, Jack Starz, Nina Samuels). It will be very interesting to see where NXT Europe is headed and if any of the talent that was released today will be brought back or where the focus of this new brand will lie.

On the off chance any of the released wrestlers read this: Thank you for your hard work and some great and entertaining matches over the years — and all the best for your future. The UK/European indie scene will certainly be better off for it in the long-term, with the possible influx of great talent becoming available shortly.

Next Week —

  • NXT United Kingdom title tournament semifinal match: Tyler Bate vs. Joe Coffey
  • NXT United Kingdom title tournament semifinal match: Trent Seven vs. Oliver Carter
  • NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion Mark Coffey defends against Noam Dar

NXT UK results: Title tournament begins

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

NXT United Kingdom Championship tournament first-round match: Oliver Carter defeated Charlie Dempsey (w/ Die Familie) (9:10)

Both men cut in-set promos on their way to the ring. Carter vowed that, despite not being 100 percent, he would win. Dempsey said he’d beat Carter because of Carter’s disrespect for Die Familie.

Carter attacked every member of Die Familie right away and focused on Dempsey. The referee quickly rang the bell and the match was on. Carter was in control and clotheslined Dempsey to the outside, then followed with a plancha.

Dempsey came back and launched Carter into the corner knee-first, then extensively worked over Carter’s previously injured knee. Carter briefly fought back, but Dempsey was relentless.

Dempsey hit a picture-perfect dragon suplex, but Carter got his second wind and staged a comeback. Carter escaped a painful half-crab and turned it into a roll-up for the pinfall victory.

Die Familie hit the ring, but Carter wisely fled up the entranceway and celebrated his win.

– Blair Davenport, Eliza Alexander, Amale, and Isla Dawn all came backstage screaming after last week’s main event. Referees separated them and Sid Scala screamed that neither of them would get a title shot.

– Scala asked Tyler Bate not to interfere in Trent Seven’s match tonight. Bate said he’d never do something like that, but he will get under Seven’s skin by becoming the new NXT UK Champion.

Eliza Alexander defeated Thea Hail (w/ Chase U) (4:11)

Alexander attacked but Hail immediately took over with some clumsy looking lucha offense. Alexander stopped her with a clothesline. Alexander worked Hail over while Hail showed some glimpses of hope in between.

Hail powered out of a Camel Clutch and went for a standing moonsault, but Alexander got her feet up. Alexander then hit a running knee and scored the win via pinfall.

– Nina Samuels crashed an interview segment with Amale. Amale said she would beat whoever it took to get an NXT UK Women’s Championship shot, whether it was Davenport, Dawn, Alexander, or Nina Samuels.

– Andre Chase gave a lecture backstage. Eddie Dennis interrupted and ridiculed him. Chase snapped and swore at him. Dennis mocked Bodhi Hayward, saying that Chase got some neanderthal and taught him to comb his hair. Chase said if Dennis thought it was easy having a protege, he should get one and pointed out Saxon Huxley, who sat in the back of the room eating roasted chicken.

Sam Gradwell defeated Teoman (5:41)

Gradwell beat Teoman up early and threw him to ringside. Rohan Raja got in Gradwell’s way when he went for a kick, allowing Teoman to pull Gradwell between the ring and apron and take over.

Gradwell still held his own and thwarted some nefarious tactics by Teoman and Raja. A little later, Raja pulled Gradwell from the top. The referee saw Raja and expelled him. Teoman argued with the ref, then grabbed Gradwell. Gradwell hit Teoman in the head with his knee brace, then hit his finish for the win.

– Scala congratulated Mark Coffey on winning the Heritage Cup. Noam Dar entered the office and demanded a rematch. Scala said he would try and make it happen.

NXT United Kingdom Championship tournament first-round match: Trent Seven defeated Wolfgang (8:56)

Wolfgang started with a hip toss and an arm drag, then worked over Seven’s arm. Wolfgang hit a dropkick, but Seven threw him out of the ring. Wolfgang quickly took back over and threw Seven into the barricade. Wolfgang climbed the barricade, but Seven threw him down.

Back in the ring, Seven hit a DDT but Wolfgang countered an attempt at the Seven Star Lariat into a German suplex. Wolfgang hit another suplex for a near fall, then followed with an elevated gutbuster for another two count.

They battled on the top rope until Wolfgang threw Seven down and went for a Swanton Bomb, only for Seven to get his knees up. Seven then hit the Birminghammer for the win.

Final Thoughts —

A fun show. Oliver Carter vs. Charlie Dempsey was the best match on the episode, while Trent Seven vs. Wolfgang was a nice brawl between two powerhouses.

Teoman somehow has descended into the midcard. They told a nice story here, but he should not lose to people on the 50-50 level like Sam Gradwell.

Eliza Alexander vs. Thea Hail was another showcase of just how green the NXT 2.0 talent is, but I guess they need all the matches they can get.

Next Week —

  • NXT United Kingdom Championship tournament first-round match: Tyler Bate vs. Kenny Williams
  • NXT United Kingdom Championship tournament first-round match: Joe Coffey vs. Mark Andrews

NXT UK results: Ilja Dragunov vacates title

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Ilja Dragunov relinquishes NXT United Kingdom Championship

NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov came out on crutches and was wearing a walking boot. Dragunov said that — in his title defense against Wolfgang — he severely injured his ankle and was not medically cleared to compete. They showed the scene from the match where Dragunov landed badly on his foot.

Dragunov talked about never giving up and said the only man able to beat him was himself. Dragunov said he would not talk about his hard upbringing or hard work, as other people had similar fates and also worked hard. He said he left pieces of his soul in the ring and they were everywhere on the canvas.

Dragunov said he had to relinquish the title but would come back stronger and would get it back. He then placed the belt on the canvas and kissed it goodbye.

– Chase U toured London and eventually arrived at the NXT UK Performance Center, where Sha Samuels sat in front of the building. Andre Chase encouraged Bodhi Hayward to give Samuels a pep talk. The East End Bookie was not amused. He berated Hayward and told him he still had trunks and boots.

– Johnny Saint and Sid Scala were approached backstage and asked about the now-vacant NXT UK title. Scala said there would be an eight-man tournament to crown the new champion and they would announce the participants later tonight.

Oliver Carter defeated Rohan Raja (w/ Teoman and Charlie Dempsey) (5:25)

Carter started out strong, beating on Raja and clotheslining him to the outside. Charlie Dempsey distracted the referee while Teoman trapped Carter in the apron, where Raja could attack him.

Raja locked in an abdominal stretch, then kept dominating Carter. Carter came back and eventually hit a springboard moonsault. Raja threw Carter to the outside, but Carter turned the throw into a dive on the rest of Die Familie. He then hit a spinning heel kick on Raja in the corner for the victory.

After the match, Die Familie immediately attacked Carter. Dempsey put Carter in a half-crab/kneebar before officials pulled him off.

– Thea Hail was backstage talking about why she chose to go to Chase U. Eliza Alexander walked in, told her she went to the School of Hard Knocks, and said she was sick of Americans coming over (you and me both, Eliza) and taking opportunities from her. Alexander challenged Hail to a match and went off on Chase U, which greatly upset Hail.

– Die Familie was walking backstage and talking about taking out Carter. They were asked why they were happy, since Raja actually lost. Teoman sent his men away and said that the eye always had a plan and they actually won. Sam Gradwell walked up, said Teoman needed his men as backup, and said he would take Teoman out if they faced off in the ring alone.

Sha Samuels defeated Bodhi Hayward (w/ Andre Chase and Thea Hail) (4:45)

Samuels came out in ragged, grimy clothes and was begging fans for money with his hat. Hayward was disgusted with Samuels’ body odor.

Hayward threw Samuels around but fell for a fake test of strength and got kicked in the gut. Hayward threw Samuels to ringside, where Hail screamed at him with her megaphone. Back in the ring, Samuels took back over and beat down Hayward.

Samuels came off the second rope, but Hayward caught him with a power slam, then hit a number of tackles to the leg and shoulders. Hayward hit a big splash for a near fall. 

Hayward missed a corner attack, hit his head on the turnbuckle, and got pinned after a spinebuster.

– Oliver Carter came out of the doctor’s room and said his leg was in bad shape. Sid Scala ran up to Carter and told him we was in the title tournament and his match was next week. Carter said he’d be ready as he limped away.

The bracket for the NXT UK Championship tournament is:

Left side of the bracket —

  • Oliver Carter vs. Charlie Dempsey
  • Wolfgang vs. Trent Seven

Right side of the bracket —

  • Tyler Bate vs. Kenny Williams
  • Joe Coffey vs. Mark Andrews

NXT UK Women’s Championship number one contender’s match: Blair Davenport vs. Isla Dawn ended in a no contest (7:15)

This was originally supposed to be Meiko Satomura defending the NXT UK Women’s Championship against Sarray, but Blair Davenport came out and said Satomura and Sarray were “experiencing some difficulties” (I don’t think the match was ever taped at the previous set of tapings).

Davenport talked about how she would have been champion if not for her leg injury. Sid Scala entered and told Davenport to go to the back. Eventually, Amale, Eliza Alexander, and Isla Dawn all came out and bickered. Scala then made Davenport vs. Dawn as a number one contender’s match.

Davenport dominated briefly. Dawn quickly took over before getting stopped with a kick to the gut. They went back and forth, then Dawn scored a near fall off a running kick to the chest. She locked in a chinbar, which Davenport eventually countered into a small package.

Davenport followed up with a dropkick to the back of Dawn’s head for a near fall. Dawn hit a head kick and backdrop driver for a two count of her own. Dawn hit a top rope double knee and looked to have the match won, but Alexander pulled her out of the ring mid-pin.

Amale then was in the ring and hit Davenport with a kick. Dawn took out Amale, Alexander took out Dawn, and then all four women brawled in the ring and were eventually separated by the officials.

Final Thoughts —

Though it didn’t have a finish, the main event was a good match and had a good brawl at the end. The opener was fine, and Oliver Carter especially looked good. Bodhi Hayward and most of the NXT 2.0 wrestlers should not be on my television screen on Thursdays, but I guess it is what it is. Guys like him need to be on all the Florida Loop house shows going forward.

Ilja Dragunov’s injury sucks and I hope he recovers and comes back strong. The tournament matches that were announced all should be good to great.

Next Week —

  • NXT UK Championship tournament first-round match: Wolfgang vs. Trent Seven
  • NXT UK Championship tournament first-round match: Oliver Carter vs. Charlie Dempsey

NXT UK results: Ilja Dragunov vs. Wolfgang

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

NXT UK Tag Team Champions Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen defeated Mark Andrews & Wild Boar to retain their titles (9:05)

Jensen and Boar started with Boar outwrestling the bigger man. Boar and Andrews double-teamed Jensen until he made the tag to Briggs. The champs came back with a suplex into a powerslam on Andrews.

After being worked over for a few minutes, Andrews turned a double-team powerbomb into a Stun Dog Millionaire and tagged in Boar, who ran wild and scored a number of near falls on Briggs. Andrews and Boar hit a dropkick/German suplex combo on Jensen, followed by a frog splash by Boar for a near fall.

Briggs had Andrews up for a long delayed vertical suplex, but Andrews hit another Stun Dog Millionaire. But Andrews missed a Shooting Star Press when Briggs moved. Briggs and Jensen then hit their awkward high/low combination finisher for the win.

The teams shook hands following the match.

– After running in on Trent Seven last week, Tyler Bate was backstage and grabbed a camera. Bate said he had loved Seven like a brother but now was coming to “get” him.

– There was a press conference with NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura and her next challenger Sarray. They spoke in Japanese and Sarray then said in English that she was the sunrise and Satomura was the sunset. Satomura said no one could beat her.

They posed for a photo and Satomura stared at Sarray, which slightly flustered her.

Blair Davenport defeated Amale (5:47)

Amale dropped Davenport early with a double palm strike and head kick, but Davenport avoided a running kick to the corner. Davenport followed up with a slam and beat up Amale at ringside.

Davenport missed a stomp off the turnbuckles and it looked like her previously injured ankle was still causing her issues. She still scored a near fall, but Amale came back with a suplex and face wash in the corner. Amale went for the Hopebreaker, but Davenport countered into a roll-up. Davenport then followed up with a knee to the face and the Falcon Arrow for the pinfall victory.

– Oliver Carter was at Die Familie’s dinner table and did a voiceover with a German accent, just as Teoman usually does. He then switched to his own accent and started upsetting the table decoration. Carter wrote a letter to Die Familie and told them that Rohan Raja was next. Teoman then read the letter and was furious.

– People were still cashing their bets with Sha Samuels. As he had no money left, Samuels paid people with his shoes and various track jackets. He was distraught and half naked by the end.

– A segment announced NXT 2.0’s Chase U would make their NXT UK debut next week. Oliver Carter vs. Rohan Raja also was made official for next Thursday’s episode.

NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov defeated Wolfgang to retain his title (15:57)

Wolfgang backed Dragunov into a corner but let him out without any further attack. Dragunov took Wolfgang down with a side headlock but could not take him off his feet with tackles, while Wolfgang put Dragunov down with ease.

A few minutes into the match, Dragunov’s back gave out and he was also bleeding from the elbow. Dragunov went for a running kick, but Wolfgang caught him and slammed him into the corner.

Wolfgang worked over the champion’s back with submission attempts. Dragunov went for a bridge, dodging another attack and collapsing once more. Dragunov fought back, but his back kept giving him major problems.

After a failed attempt, Dragunov finally hit a flying head kick and a knee in the corner. He seemed to have injured his ankle in addition to his back. Dragunov hit a number of elbows and a senton, which did his back no favors.

Wolfgang survived a number of clotheslines, then hit one of his own for a near fall. He hit a Torture Rack into a backbreaker for another two count. Dragunov came back with a falling punch that almost had Wolfgang knocked out, but Wolfgang still kicked out of the subsequent pin.

Dragunov hit a top rope senton that may have injured him more than Wolfgang. He went for Torpedo Moscow, but Wolfgang countered it and hit a caveman toss suplex for another near fall. Wolfgang went for a vaulting spear, but Dragunov kicked him in the face.

Dragunov then deadlifted Wolfgang for a huge slam and followed with Torpedo Moscow for the pinfall victory and successful title defense.

The two competitors shook hands after the match.

Final Thoughts —

The main event was fantastic and Dragunov’s selling of his back was as good as Bryan Danielson’s selling of his head on last night’s AEW Dynamite. Hard-hitting and brutal with great psychology. Go out of your way to watch this one if you can.

Davenport looked strong in her comeback and the tag team match also was fun, mostly due to the big man/little man dynamic and Andrews & Boar, even though Briggs & Jensen didn’t look out of place.

Next Week —

  • NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura defends against Sarray
  • Oliver Carter vs. Rohan Raja
  • Chase U make their NXT UK debut

NXT UK results: Trent Seven speaks, Blair Davenport returns

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Blair Davenport defeated Angel Hayze (5:34)

Hayze used her speed and agility early on, but she got stopped with a basement dropkick and the returning Davenport took over. Hayze briefly came back and scored a two count off a botched slingblade.

Davenport hit a dropkick from the second turnbuckle, then turned a guillotine into a Northern Lights suplex. Davenport followed up with a Falcon Arrow for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Davenport declared that she’s back and vowed that she will crush dreams.

– Kenny Williams was in Sid Scala’s office when Tiger Turan walked in and they had words. They will have a match next week — and Williams vowed to unmask Turan.

– Noam Dar and Sha Samuels walked into the UK Performance Center, where Mark Coffey was training. They had words and Coffey challenged Dar to a match for the Heritage Cup Championship. Samuels gave 1 in 100 odds to Coffey winning and bet a stack of his own money. A lot of wrestlers and trainers then wanted in on the bet.

Fallon Henley defeated Emilia McKenzie (8:32)

McKenzie used grappling and submission techniques early, but Henley escaped. Henley came back with some power moves. McKenzie hit a swinging neckbreaker for a two count.

They traded pinfall attempts and McKenzie locked in a modified Cobra Clutch. Henley looked to have tweaked her knee when she jumped over McKenzie, who took advantage of the injury, hit a spear to the leg, and worked the leg over.

Henley then countered an attack into a sunset flip for the surprise victory. McKenzie looked upset but still shook Henley’s hand.

– Oliver Carter talked about Ashton Smith’s recovery from injury. Die Familie entered and Teoman greeted Carter in German. All three tried to persuade Carter to join them and told him that it would be in his best interest. They left and Carter looked like he was thinking.

– Sarray trained at the UK Performance Center. Xia Brookside and Eliza Alexander walked up and talked down to her. Meiko Satomura and Emilia McKenzie then walked into the frame and Satomura told the two heels that they talk too much. Satomura said that — if Brookside and Alexander wanted to step into the ring — she and Sarray would teach them a lesson. McKenzie briefly looked taken aback that Satomura would team with Sarray instead of her.

Wolfgang defeated Sha Samuels (10:20)

Wolfgang used his power early on to manhandle Samuels. Samuels finally outsmarted the bigger man and worked over his left arm. Wolfgang’s shoulder gave out on a suplex attempt and Samuels dropped him with a lariat.

Samuels applied a number of submissions on the injured shoulder, then hit a spinebuster as Wolfgang came off the top rope and was distracted by Noam Dar on the apron.

Wolfgang turned the match around when he got his knees up as Samuels came off the ropes. He dropped Dar with a big boot, then vaulted over the top rope and hit a spear on Samuels for the win.

Trent Seven in-ring promo

Seven came out dressed like a proper douche.

Since turning against Tyler Bate, Seven said he’s heard the question “Why, Trent? Why?” Seven said he had some visual aids. He brought up a picture of him low-blowing Bate, calling it a work of art.

Seven said it was the most important moment in British sports as he saved the industry. Seven said he was the center of attention now and took credit for having the most fans in BT Sport Studios since NXT UK started taping there.

Seven said Bate had lost his killer instinct and would not come back to face him. He said Bate was a weak little boy and would never be back — while Seven was British Strong Style and Moustache Mountain.

As Seven left, he got into it with a fan at ringside. Security told the fan to calm down, but the fan jumped the rail and Seven kicked him in the groin as security held the fan back.

Final Thoughts —

An average show with not a lot of great in-ring action. Wolfgang vs. Samuels was fine (as is to be expected with those two), Davenport’s return was a glorified squash, and Henley looked wooden at times. They are continuing to set up a slow-burn program between Satomura and McKenzie down the line it seems.

Trent Seven’s promo was the best thing on the show.

Next Week —

  • Kenny Williams vs. Tiger Turan
  • Meiko Satomura & Sarray vs. Xia Brookside & Eliza Alexander

In Two Weeks —

  • NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar defends against Mark Coffey

NXT UK results: Meiko Satomura vs. Ivy Nile Women’s title match

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

A video recapped last week’s Tag Team title match with Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith becoming champions. After the match, Trent Seven told Tyler Bate that he was “done.”

Mark Andrews defeated Kenny Williams (9:47)

Williams checked under the ring for his “stalker” Tiger Turan as the match began. Andrews hit Williams with a baseball slide and beat him around ringside. Andrews was in control until Williams rammed him into the ring post as they fought on the apron.

Andrews rolled through on a back suplex and hit one of his own but quickly found his hand being worked over again. Williams was in control until they battled on the top rope and Andrews threw him off. Williams rolled out of harm’s way and managed to pull Andrews off the top and onto the ropes arm-first.

Williams was looking to finish Andrews up, but Turan suddenly appeared on the apron, distracting Williams. He went to punch Turan, who dropped off the apron, evading the attack, allowing Andrews to roll Williams up with a small package to get the win.

– Another video looked at Seven declaring he was done last week. He will address the people next week on his status.

– Mark Coffey was asked about news from his brother Joe. Mark said he hadn’t heard from him, but then apparently received a call from Joe. Mark told Joe to call him when he needed anything or call either of their parents and told Joe to take as long as he needed. Mark seemed concerned after the call.

Symbiosis (Primate & T-Bone w/ Eddie Dennis) defeated Oli Blake & Tate Mayfairs (4:34)

Primate started strong but briefly got double-teamed. Symbiosis then systematically took apart Blake until he finally managed to tag out. Mayfairs ran wild on T-Bone but quickly got his head almost taken off by a lariat.

T-Bone hit a powerslam on Mayfairs, followed by a top rope headbutt by Primate for the dominant victory.

After the match, Symbiosis stared at Eddie Dennis as he celebrated with them. Symbiosis then turned against Dennis and hit their powerslam/flying headbutt finish on him as well.

– Ilja Dragunov was interviewed backstage. He said he was here to watch Meiko Satomura defend her title and said he admired her. Dragunov said they both are making sure NXT UK is the most dominant brand in the world.

– A video looked at Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith winning the NXT UK Tag Team titles last week and the roster backstage applauding them. The video also had headlines from various wrestling websites (including this one) about the win. There also was a video of Smith coming home to his little daughter and showing her the championship he had won. This was really nice.

Eliza Alexander (w/ Xia Brookside) defeated Amale (6:52)

Alexander dominated early, but Amale hit a neckbreaker and a dropkick for a two count. Amale went for a kick into the corner, but Xia Brookside pulled Alexander to safety.

Alexander hit a running kick to Amale’s head as she was in the ropes, then choked her in the corner with her boot. Alexander hit a knee to the head and then locked in a chinlock. They traded forearms and Amale hit a few kicks and clotheslines, then followed with a bulldog for another two count.

Amale hit a running kick on Alexander in the corner, then kicked Brookside off the apron for good measure before rolling Alexander up for a near fall. Alexander then quickly hit a running kick to the head to pick up the victory.

– Wolfgang picked Damon Kemp up from the gym and took him drinking at a pub. Kemp got more and more drunk, then apparently puked into some plants five rounds in as Wolfgang picked up another round. They kept drinking and then drunkenly stumbled down the street. They will team together against Noam Dar & Sha Samuels next week.

– Lash Legend talked about defeating Emilia McKenzie. Myla Grace walked up and took offense.

NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura defeated Ivy Nile to retain her title (10:24)

Satomura took Nile down early, but Nile kept going for submissions once they were on the mat. They had a test of strength until Nile hit a Northern Lights suplex. Satomura went for an armbar, but Nile quickly escaped.

Satomura locked in a sitting abdominal stretch before Nile escaped and they traded more submissions on the mat. Nile hit an impressive fallaway slam, then did some push-ups on top of the champion.

Satomura locked in a double wristlock, but Nile defended well against it. Nile then hit some stiff kicks for a two count. Satomura came back with an enzuigiri off the ropes for a two count before they traded more strikes.

Nile hit a few jumping kicks in the corner and then a blockbuster-style headlock driver off the ropes, but Satomura kicked out at 2.9. Nile was on offense for a while longer before Satomura dropped her with a head kick, followed by a DDT and a handspring knee drop for a two count of her own.

Nile countered a Death Valley Driver attempt into a dragon sleeper, but Satomura managed to roll through backwards and locked Nile’s head for a pinning combination that got Satomura the victory.

After the match, Satomura helped Nile up, shook her hand, and hugged her. 

Final Thoughts —

A fun show. The main event was good and Ivy Nile looked competent, while Meiko Satomura nicely complemented her style.

Mark Andrews vs. Kenny Williams also was good, but it was more a backdrop for the Kenny Williams/Tiger Turan saga continuing.

Primate and T-Bone turning on Eddie Dennis was interesting. I believe neither will be babyfaces going forward, but the former Symbiosis may try to challenge for the NXT UK Tag Team titles down the line. Amale vs. Eliza Alexander was fine but unremarkable.

Next Week —

  • Trent Seven addresses the NXT UK Universe
  • Wolfgang & Damon Kemp vs. Noam Dar & Sha Samuels

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

NXT UK results: A-Kid vs. Charlie Dempsey Heritage Cup rules match

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Mark Coffey defeated Saxon Huxley (4:13)

They went back and forth early until Huxley hit a Thesz Press and rammed Coffey’s head into the mat a few times. Coffey came back with strikes and got a near fall off a suplex.

Huxley scored a near fall of his own with a sit-down slam, but Coffey hit a back drop driver, followed by a sliding forearm for the win.

– Ivy Nile cut a promo on Meiko Satomura, who she will face in two weeks. Nile vowed to take the NXT UK Women’s Championship home to the Diamond Mine.

– Von Wagner and Sam Gradwell watched each other’s highlights and talked about their match next week.

Lash Legend defeated Emilia McKenzie (6:07)

Legend evaded and blocked McKenzie’s offense early. She ragdolled McKenzie around and hit an elbow drop. Legend caught McKenzie when she came off the turnbuckles with a crossbody and threw her around some more.

McKenzie finally came back and hit a spinning neckbreaker that sent Legend to the outside, where she got wiped out with a dive. McKenzie hit the crossbody this time for a near fall, then followed up with a spear seconds later for another two count.

McKenzie went for her flipping spear off the turnbuckles, but Legend hit her with a big boot for the pinfall victory.

– Kenny Williams was looking for the “masked bozo” who was “stalking” him. Williams talked to a few guys backstage, urging them to let him know if they saw the masked man. Mark Andrews entered the room and told Williams to worry more about him. They will meet in two weeks.

Sha Samuels defeated Damon Kemp (5:43)

Kemp dominated Samuels using his amateur wrestling prowess. Samuels eventually hit an elbow to the face and a lariat for a near fall. Samuels kept pressure on the rookie for a few more minutes until he missed an elbow off the turnbuckle and got suplexed around a few times.

Kemp was in control until Noam Dar wrapped his scarf around Kemp’s leg, which distracted the big man. This allowed Samuels to hit a spinebuster and pick up the victory by pinfall.

– A great video segment looked at next week’s triple threat match for the NXT UK Tag Team titles. Moustache Mountain, Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith, and Die Familie all talked about how they would win next week’s match. Teoman said Trent Seven was a desperate man and would make mistakes.

– Wolfgang gave Damon Kemp a pep talk and told him that if he wanted to beat Sha Samuels and Noam Dar, he had to learn to do things “the Glasgow way.”

Heritage Cup rules match: Charlie Dempsey defeated A-Kid in round six (18:10)

Round One —

They went back and forth with some great mat work and submission attempts for the first few minutes. A-Kid eventually hit a running dropkick for a two count late in the round before they went for more submissions. A-Kid got a bridging pin just as the round was ending and Dempsey kicked out right at the bell.

Round Two —

There were more submission attempts by both men as they used some unique offense and beautiful transitions. Dempsey hit a unique backbreaker just as the round ended.

Round Three —

Both men had locked in kneebars and leglocks at the same time, then both made the ropes. Dempsey was bleeding from the nose by this time.

Dempsey hit a running European uppercut for a two count. After some back and forth, Dempsey hit a wheelbarrow German suplex for two. Dempsey locked in a bow-and-arrow submission on the mat and A-Kid quickly tapped out to prevent further damage. Dempsey 1-0

Round Four —

A-Kid went to strike but Dempsey hit a dragon screw. They traded strikes until A-Kid hit a German suplex, followed by a Northern Lights suplex. A-Kid caught Dempsey with a sleeper in mid-air and then went for a guillotine, which Dempsey turned into a suplex. A-Kid hit a half-and-half suplex, followed by a flying superkick for the pin. A-Kid 1-1 

Round Five —

A-Kid hit a crossbody off the top early, then hit a fisherman’s suplex for a two count. A-Kid hit a hard knee and a kick for another near fall. A-Kid went for an armbar, but Dempsey Gotch-lifted him and hit a powerbomb for a two-count of his own.

A-Kid connected with a few punishing kicks. With just seconds left in the round, A-Kid hit the moonsault DDT off the top rope. He would have scored the pin, but time ran out before the referee could count to three.

Round Six —

A-Kid started with a running dropkick into the corner, then hit a suplex that dropped Dempsey on his head and neck. A-Kid followed with a German suplex.

Dempsey reached for his towel but got German suplexed before he could unwrap it. As the referee took the towel away, Dempsey had pulled brass knuckles from the towel, threw them to A-Kid, and flinched in hopes of the referee disqualifying A-Kid. A-Kid threw the brass knucks to the ref but ate a hard right cross from Dempsey in the process. Dempsey hit a bridging suplex for the deciding pinfall. Dempsey wins 2-1

Final Thoughts —

This was mostly a one-match show, but what a match it was! A-Kid vs. Dempsey was just plain fantastic and spectacular. If you like the British style or just plain submission/shoot-style wrestling like the old UWFI, AMBITION, or Bloodsport, go out of your way to check this match out. It was unreal and you basically only see these kind of matches within the WWE umbrella on NXT UK. Both men absolutely have the talent to headline PPVs on the main roster right now.

Coffey vs. Huxley was okay. Legend vs. McKenzie was basically a Lash Legend showcase and totally devalued McKenzie as a serious contender for the future. Kemp looked good against Samuels, and this sets up a tag match with Kemp & Wolfgang vs. Samuels & Dar.

Next Week —

  • 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 —

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

NXT UK results: Ilja Dragunov vs. Jordan Devlin Loser Leaves NXT UK

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

The show opened with a recap of the events leading to tonight’s Loser Leaves NXT UK title match between Ilja Dragunov and Jordan Devlin.

Tag Team title eliminator match: Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter defeated Gallus (Joe & Mark Coffey) (10:23)

The team that wins this match will advance to a future triple threat for Moustache Mountain’s NXT UK Tag Team titles.

Gallus briefly double-teamed Carter before he made a comeback, including hitting a backflip kick on Mark Coffey in the corner. Smith and Carter quickly tagged in and out, then hit stereo dropkicks on Gallus, sending them to ringside.

Joe Coffey and Smith were in and Joe favored his left knee, which he seemingly tweaked earlier. Smith and Carter capitalized and worked the injured knee over for a few minutes. Joe finally managed to tag out and Mark ran wild on both Smith and Carter.

Mark hit an enzuigiri on Smith for a near fall when Joe asked to be tagged back in. Joe went for the double-jump crossbody, but his knee gave out mid-jump. Carter then hit an assisted moonsault on Joe for the win.

– A-Kid came out of Sid Scala’s office and announced that his match against Charlie Dempsey in two weeks will be held under Heritage Cup rules.

– A great video package focused on NXT UK reaching its 200th episode, the past champions, and all the talent that graduated to the main roster over the years

– Emilia McKenzie was asked about Meiko Satomura’s successful title defense. McKenzie praised Satomura, calling her the standard bearer for the women’s division. Lash Legend interrupted and was annoying. I guess they’ll meet in the ring soon.

Ivy Nile defeated Nina Samuels (4:42)

Nile dominated early with headlocks and a headscissors on the mat. Samuels took over with some dirty tactics. Nile came back, caught Samuels on a body press, hit a Superman punch in the corner, and scored a two count.

Nile locked in a dragon sleeper on the turnbuckle, turned it into a blockbuster, then transitioned into a standing dragon sleeper for the submission victory.

– Damon Kemp cut a promo on Sha Samuels.

– Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz were in a segment where they ridiculed the kind of video that Die Familie usually puts out. They had a mop dressed up as Charlie Dempsey and did all the catchphrases that Teoman usually hits. This was quite funny.

– Joe Coffey walked out of the arena and was asked about his match earlier. He said he might take some time off. Joe said he disappointed his brother and himself.

– A segment previewed next week’s dog collar match between Eddie Dennis and Wild Boar.

– Kenny Williams was in a room trying to find out more about the masked man Tiger Turan.

NXT United Kingdom Championship Loser Leaves NXT UK match: Ilja Dragunov defeated Jordan Devlin to retain his title (16:16)

Dragunov and Devlin traded holds early until they ended up on the turnbuckles. Devlin hit a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle, which sent Dragunov crashing to the outside. Devlin then worked over Dragunov’s neck. Dragunov eventually collapsed as he hit the ropes.

Shorty after, Dragunov still managed to go for the Konstantin Special, but Devlin turned it into a Spanish Fly. Devlin locked in a single-leg Boston Crab that had Dragunov in trouble. Dragunov came back and hit some downward elbows on Devlin, then downed Devlin with three clotheslines.

Devlin headbutted Dragunov’s neck, but Dragunov still hit the Konstantin Special. Dragunov hit two German suplexes and then hit a Gotch Lift into a bridging suplex, but he further hurt his neck on impact. Devlin hit a rolling cutter over the ropes for a near fall.

Dragunov went for Torpedo Moscow, but Devlin evaded it and sent Dragunov into the corner. Devlin followed up with Devlin Side for what was seemingly a three count, but Dragunov had gotten his foot on the rope.

As Devlin’s music played and he posed with the title, NXT UK general manager Johnny Saint came out and alerted the referee to the fact Dragunov’s foot was on the rope. The referee then restarted the match.

Devlin went for another Devlin Side, but Dragunov decked him. Devlin countered Torpedo Moscow into a Destroyer, then hit a brainbuster for a close near fall.

Devlin missed a 450, then Dragunov hit Torpedo Moscow to the back of Devlin’s head. He further attacked Devlin, who hit a headbutt and went for Devlin Side once more. Dragunov turned the move into a German suplex, then hit Torpedo Moscow to retain the championship and remove Devlin from NXT UK.

Dragunov celebrated as Devlin sulked in the corner in shock, crying over his career in NXT UK being over.

Final Thoughts —

The main event was an excellent match with great storytelling. It will be interesting to see if Devlin “graduates” to NXT 2.0 or even the main roster soon.

The opening tag match was also good. Nile vs. Samuels was just there.

Next Week —

  • NXT UK Tag Team title eliminator match: Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz vs. Die Familie (Teoman & Rohan Raja)
  • Dog collar match: Wild Boar vs. Eddie Dennis (Symbiosis are banned from ringside)

In Two Weeks —

  • Heritage Cup rules match: A-Kid vs. Charlie Dempsey

NXT UK results: Women’s title World of Darkness match

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Supernova Sessions with Lash Legend

The segment took place inside the ring instead of at a set in the arena, which was a step down from the past.

Sha Samuels offered Legend his chair. Noam Dar then gave Legend some stale flowers, and Samuels gave her a beautiful bouquet. They aired a highlight reel of Legend in NXT 2.0 on the big screen.

Dar accidentally poured water all over himself, then Samuels ran the odds of all the NXT 2.0 “exchange students” (during which he insulted Damon Kemp). Legend then spewed a few catchphrases before the segment was over.

This didn’t get over with the crowd and the story was that both Dar and Samuels fawned over Legend.

– Sid Scala announced a four-team mini-tournament, with the two winning teams advancing to challenge for Moustache Mountain’s NXT UK Tag Team titles in a triple threat match. During the announcement, Von Wagner interrupted and told Scala the only important announcement was Wagner being here. Sam Gradwell appeared and took offense at Wagner putting his hands on Scala. They had words and we got more NXT 2.0 catchphrases. Looks like those two will meet in the ring down the line.

– Sha Samuels was backstage with Lash Legend, who took selfies. Samuels was hitting on her, but she wasn’t into it. Damon Kemp turned up and looked at the odds, prompting Legend to leave, which upset Samuels. Kemp said his odds meant “mad disrespect” and told Samuels to watch his match.

Tiger Turan defeated Tate Mayfairs (4:05)

The debuting Turan dominated the early minutes with some nice lucha offense. Mayfairs actually took over and scored a few near falls. Turan came back with a missile dropkick from the middle turnbuckle, then followed up with a somersault senton for the pinfall victory.

– Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter had words with the Coffey brothers backstage. The two teams will meet in a match next week, with the winners getting a title shot in the triple threat.

– A highlight video for next week’s special 200th episode of NXT UK aired. It looked at some of the past and present stars of the brand.

– Drew McIntyre narrated a video for Clash at the Castle, WWE’s first major UK pay-per-view in 30 years.

– A highlight video on Ivy Nile aired. Nina Samuels announced that she would personally welcome Nile to the show next week.

Damon Kemp defeated Danny Jones (4:15)

Kemp used some amateur-style takedowns and mat wrestling early. Did you know Kemp is from the same alma mater as Brock Lesnar and Gable Steveson, who he also looks similar too? What a coincidence, huh?

Jones floored Kemp with a short-armed clothesline and actually scored a two count. Kemp quickly came back, then hit a rolling fireman’s carry and running powerslam to get the win.

After the match, Sha Samuels ran in and beat down Kemp.

– A few people were backstage and clapped for Tiger Turan as he came back from his match. Kenny Williams ran after Turan and was upset the people didn’t take notice of his wanted posters for Turan.

– A highlight video on Die Familie aired and was narrated by all three members of the group. Charlie Dempsey said he would again defeated A-Kid, while Rohan Raja said that him and Teoman would become NXT UK Tag Team Champions. They toasted to conclude the segment.

– A tremendous video on next week’s Loser Leaves NXT UK match between NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov and Jordan Devlin aired. It showed highlights from their previous empty arena match and the contract signing from last week.

Devlin said his father told him when he was a young kid that he could be whatever he wanted, but also to rise. Dragunov said he was in constant pain and was always sore, but he wants it no other way. Dragunov said Devlin will have a lot of time to think about his decisions when he has to leave NXT UK next week. Devlin said he would want himself gone too if he was sharing a locker room with himself. He told Dragunov to never bet against an Ace.

World of Darkness match: NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura defeated Isla Dawn to retain her title (12:49)

The rules of a World of Darkness match are no DQs, no countouts, and the match is contested in a “low light setting.”

Satomura attacked Dawn before the bell rang. Once the match started, Satomura ran wild until Dawn caught her with a kick to the head. Dawn stumbled to ringside and Satomura hit her with a soccer kick from the apron. Dawn came back and got some plunder from under the ring, including a broom.

Satomura kicked a chair into Dawn’s face, but Dawn rammed her into the barriers. Dawn got on her knees and conjured up some smoke and spooky noises. She got her box of trinkets and pulled out a strand of Dani Luna’s hair, then used it to choke Satomura across the mouth and eyes.

Satomura stepped onto the box as Dawn went to get something from it again. Satomura got on the top rope, but Dawn attacked her with a chair. Satomura blocked an attempt at a backdrop driver on a pile of chairs. They brawled on the outside and Dawn broke the broom over Satomura’s back.

Dawn used a cable to tie Satomura’s hands to the ring post, then started whipping and choking her with a thick piece of rope. Satomura managed to kick Dawn and free herself. Satomura ran at Dawn, but Dawn caught her with a drop toe hold into the ring steps. Satomura evaded Dawn and threw her into the steps herself. Satomura then got a kendo stick and beat Dawn with it before hitting a DDT and handspring knee drop.

They got into it with a kendo stick and a chair before tying each other up in the ropes with mutual leg holds. Dawn hit a meteora from the top rope, which drove the champion into a pile of chairs neck-first. Satomura narrowly kicked out from the subsequent cover.

Dawn set up two chairs and went for a half-nelson suplex through them, but Satomura blocked it and hit a Death Valley Driver on a chair, followed by a chair-assisted Scorpio Rising for the pin and successful title defense.

Final Thoughts —

The main event was a fun, creative street fight with a few original spots I’ve never seen done like this. This was probably Isla Dawn’s best match thus far. The rules sounded campy, but the dark atmosphere actually added to the match and things made sense within the context of it, unlike past “Bray Wyatt Red Light District” fiascos.

Tiger Turan, who will turn out to be Amir Jordan, looked good, as did Damon Kemp, who incorporates his amateur background well into his style. Them not acknowledging his family connections is beyond stupid, though.

Lash Legend does nothing for me as a character. The Supernova Sessions segment moving from a set to the ring detracted from it, as did the interaction between Dar, Samuels, and Legend feeling fake and forced. I also hate the NXT 2.0 rookies being portrayed as being bigger stars than the established and far better talent on the UK brand, but I guess it is what it is.

Next Week (NXT UK #200) —

  • Loser Leaves NXT UK match: NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov defends against Jordan Devlin
  • Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter vs. Mark & Joe Coffey (winning team advances to future triple threat match for the NXT UK Tag Team titles)
  • Ivy Nile vs. Nina Samuels

NXT UK results: Ilja Dragunov-Jordan Devlin contract signing

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Nigel McGuinness was back for live commentary, after having provided remote commentary since the post-pandemic restart of NXT UK in 2020. McGuinness and Andy Shepherd talked about tonight’s contract signing between NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov and Jordan Devlin.

Mark Andrews & Wild Boar defeated Symbiosis (T-Bone & Primate) w/ Eddie Dennis (7:28)

Andrews and Boar ran wild on Symbiosis before the bell and brawled with them around ringside. Eddie Dennis ran away right away. The match finally got underway in the ring and Andrews was in control.

Symbiosis took over once Wild Boar was tagged in, and Dennis reappeared at ringside as well as Andrews got worked over. Andrews finally made the hot tag and Boar ran wild on both members of Symbiosis, then crushed Primate with a seated senton. Boar took out T-Bone at ringside with a running clothesline from the apron before scoring a near fall on Primate.

Dennis got on the apron with his steel chain, allowing Primate to hit a spear on Boar. Boar managed to ram Symbiosis into one another, then hit a running senton into T-Bone in the corner. He tagged in Andrews, who hit a Shooting Star Press on T-Bone to get the win.

After the match, Boar hit a dive on Dennis through the ropes, then chased him through the arena with Dennis’ steel chain/dog collar.

– Robert Stone cut a taped promo about Von Wagner and why Wagner is like no other athlete. As highlights of Wagner from NXT 2.0 aired, Stone talked about how this was Wagner’s world and Saxon Huxley just lived in it.

– Moustache Mountain drove up to the arena and were asked about their match last week. Tyler Bate confirmed that, in his opinion, Trent Seven had been cheating — and Bate seemed not too thrilled about it. Seven blew it off, saying a win is a win and it’s only cheating if you get caught, to which Bate also took offense.

Seven said it was water under the bridge and he and Bate had talked about it. Seven said they want Johnny Saint and Sid Scala to find them some reputable opponents.

– Eddie Dennis was still running from Wild Boar backstage and encountered Sid Scala. He told Scala to do something about Boar. Scala said he would make a dog collar match between Boar and Dennis with Symbiosis banned from ringside. Dennis looked scared, then ran off as Boar came around the corner to give chase.

Xia Brookside (w/ Eliza Alexander) defeated Angel Hayze (5:06)

Hayze got some offense in and had Brookside in trouble in the first few minutes of the match. Brookside got the upper hand with some nefarious tactics, then locked in a Camel Clutch on Hayze, who eventually powered out.

Hayze came back with an elbow in the corner, then reversed a roll-up for a near fall. Eliza Alexander got on the apron and Hayze decked her with a forearm, allowing Brookside to roll up Hayze for the win.

Alexander and Brookside beat Hayze down after the match until Amale ran in for the save and sent Alexander and Brookside packing.

– Earlier in the week, A-Kid (who seems to still be a regular here) confronted Charlie Dempsey in the UK Performance Center. He told Dempsey that they had to set the record straight and that “there was something in his heritage” that makes A-Kid believe Dempsey will say yes. Dempsey nodded. I think Dempsey’s heritage is even more of a secret than Bron Breakker’s was.

– Sid Scala was in his office with Damon Kemp. He ran down all of Kamp’s amateur wrestling accomplishments (none of which come up if you Google “Damon Kemp” instead of his real name). Kemp, who is Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson’s brother, was excited to learn the “nitty gritty of the British style” and Scala was happy to introduce him to Johnny Saint, the master of the style.

Von Wagner defeated Saxon Huxley (4:05)

They showed the scene from last week where Wagner ripped up Huxley’s autograph.

Huxley was not impressed by Wagner and beat him up early, but Wagner came back with a knee and a suplex. Huxley eventually hit a Thesz Press, but Wagner caught him on a body press attempt, then hoisted him on his shoulders and hit a DVD for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Wagner cut a brief promo, saying this was just his first victory and we all just live in his world

– With Joe and Mark Coffey having argued last week, Gallus held a press conference. Wolfgang introduced them and asked “the press” to turn off their flashes. “The press” ignored his request and happily clicked and flashed away, so someone now has about 200 photos of Gallus sitting at a table. They basically said everything is fine, they’re all on the same page, and they’re hungry for competition.

– Tiger Turan, “a mysterious and sensational superstar emanating from the Himalayas,” will debut next week. This is the masked guy who stalked Kenny Williams last week and looks suspiciously like Williams’ old partner Amir Jordan under a mask.

– Isla Dawn cut an eerie promo on Meiko Satomura ahead of their NXT UK Women’s Championship match next week, which will be under “World of Darkness” rules.

– A Lash Legend highlight video aired. She will be the guest on Noam Dar’s Supernova Sessions next week.

Ilja Dragunov-Jordan Devlin contract signing

Johnny Saint and Sid Scala were in the ring, where a table and chairs were set up. Devlin entered first, wearing a ridiculous, douchey shirt. Dragunov entered in a nice black suit to his new music, which is even more ridiculous than Devlin’s shirt.

Devlin put his feet on the table and talked about the winds of change. Dragunov told Devlin to take his feet off the table.

Devlin said they were only in the ring with the GMs for a contract signing because their match is a big deal — and Dragunov didn’t have any of that for his previous matches. Devlin vowed to become champion, to which Dragunov said that seeing Devlin as champion is his biggest nightmare. Devlin said he will make Dragunov live his nightmare.

Dragunov suggested they raise the stakes for their match, and Devlin said he’s a gambling man and would listen. Dragunov said that he had a dream of an NXT UK without Jordan Devlin — and he wants their title match to be Loser Leaves NXT UK.

Devlin said that when he becomes champion, Dragunov won’t want to show his face around here anyway, so he accepts. Saint and Scala also agreed and both competitors signed the contract.

Dragunov got up and raised his championship belt in the air. Devlin went to headbutt him, but Dragunov evaded the shot and hit a headbutt of his own.

They brawled in the ring. Devlin looked to powerbomb Dragunov through the table, but Dragunov escaped and propped the table up in the corner instead. He went to hit Torpedo Moscow, but Devlin pulled Scala in front of him as a human shield, making Dragunov stop. Devlin then hit Devlin Side on Dragunov through the table, as Scala screamed at Devlin to leave. Devlin posed with the NXT United Kingdom Championship and went past a scolding Johnny Saint on his way to the back.

Final Thoughts —

Basically a fun show. The opening tag match set up the inevitable dog collar match with Eddie Dennis and Wild Boar, while the women’s match further established Eliza Alexander as an asset to Xia Brookside and set up a future match with Amale.

Von Wagner’s match was short and painless and he is decent, but I am not a huge fan of having the NXT 2.0 wrestlers come over here. I understand they need every in-ring experience in front of a crowd they can get, but I preferred NXT UK as the one brand mostly untouched by whatever the current “WWE direction” is. I also don’t like the NXT 2.0 wrestlers being portrayed as the “bigger stars” — when most of them really are not.

The show-closing angle was good and the added stipulation gives more intrigue to Dragunov and Devlin’s match in two weeks, which should be a slobberknocker.

Next Week —

  • World of Darkness match: NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura defends against Isla Dawn
  • Supernova Sessions with Lash Legend
  • Tiger Turan debuts

In Two Weeks (NXT UK #200) —

  • Loser Leaves NXT UK match: NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov defends against Jordan Devlin

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

NXT UK results: A-Kid vs. Teoman

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Taped at BT Sport Studios in London, England

Jack Starz & Dave Mastiff defeated Gallus (Joe & Mark Coffey) (8:32)

Mastiff and Joe Coffey started out and Coffey bounced off Mastiff. Starz tagged in and got worked over, briefly came back, and tagged back out. Joe Coffey actually picked Mastiff up, but Starz dropkicked him over.

Joe Coffey now got worked over, with Starz and Mastiff taking turns. Joe hit a missile dropkick from the top on Mastiff and finally tagged out. Mark Coffey ran wild on Starz for a bit until he managed to tag in Mastiff once more. Mark hit a forearm on Mastiff, but Joe had blind-tagged himself in, so Mark wasn’t the legal man to go for the pin.

Joe told Mark to get out of the ring. Mastiff then hit Joe with a rolling Samoan drop.  Mastiff tagged in Starz, who hit Joe with a powerbomb to get the win. This was kind of an upset.

Gallus argued after the match and got into a shoving match until Wolfgang came out to calm things down.

– A recap of last week’s NXT United Kingdom Championship match between Ilja Dragunov and Roderick Strong aired. We were shown scenes from after the match backstage where Strong congratulated Dragunov on his victory and shook his hand — but Strong told Dragunov that they’d see each other again and the outcome would be different next time.

Jordan Devlin walked in and made fun of Dragunov and Strong, telling Strong he was lucky he had dodged the Irish Ace and telling Dragunov that when they had their empty arena match a while back, Devlin didn’t mean tables, chairs, and stairs, but that Dragunov couldn’t beat him one-on-one (except, Dragunov did just that).

Devlin said Dragunov had the title, but Devlin still was the Irish Ace. Usually, Dragunov vs. Devlin would be money and they will always be great in the ring, but the words leaving Devlin’s mouth here made zero sense at all.

– We saw a recap of the feud between Sam Gradwell and Kenny Williams. Gradwell talked about growing up in the slums of Blackpool, including some video footage of the area. Gradwell challenged Williams to a Back Alley Brawl and Williams accepted, saying that Gradwell doesn’t want to find out what Williams would do to him in a match where no one could stop him. The match takes place next week.

NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura and Isla Dawn confrontation

Satomura entered and demanded Dawn come out and return her stolen title belt.

Dawn came out and said that she was willing to hand the title back temporarily, under one condition: a rematch, under Dawn’s own “chaotic” rules. Satomura accepted and said that she already told Dawn that if she wanted to fight again, all she had to do was ask. As Satomura picked up the title belt from the mat, Dawn spit black mist into her face.

As Satomura slowly recovered, Dawn talked about her world of darkness and said the match would take place in her domain.

– Backstage, Amale said she would watch the debut match of Eliza Alexander and — even if she showed a sweeter side of herself recently — she was still full of rage and would get her hands on Xia Brookside and Alexander eventually.

– Gallus were shown still arguing in their dressing room, then Joe Coffey came out and left.

– Wild Boar and Mark Andrews talked about their 15-year friendship, and Andrews said the only time they were not on the same page was when Eddie Dennis got into Boar’s head. Boar was in a rage and wanted to fight Dennis, but Andrews told him he had to fight Dennis with his head, as Dennis would always try to get the odds in his favor. Andrews said Subculture were here to support Boar.

Eliza Alexander (w/ Xia Brookside) defeated Angel Hayze (4:13)

Alexander beat Hayze up for most of the match until she made a brief comeback and scored a two count off a slingblade.

Alexander quickly hit Hayze with a running knee to pick up the win.

– Emilia McKenzie was asked about her time in NXT UK. McKenzie said she was training hard and was training with the best in Satomura. Stevie Turner also was in the room and said she was in awe of McKenzie — because while everyone wanted to be number one, McKenzie was happy being number two.

Turner said Satomura chose McKenzie as a trainee because she didn’t think McKenzie was a threat. Turner told McKenzie it was just something to think about.

– A really good video recapped the history between Moustache Mountain and Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith ahead of their two-out-of-three falls match for the NXT UK Tag Team titles next week. Tyler Bate looked taken aback at times at Trent Seven’s comments during the segment, where Seven claimed he/they would do anything to win.

Teoman (w/ Rohan Raja and Charlie Dempsey) defeated A-Kid (11:23)

A-Kid dominated Teoman on the ground early on, clearly annoying the head of Die Familie. Teoman came back with submissions, including a straightjacket choke.

After A-Kid connected with a dropkick, Charlie Dempsey got on the apron to distract the ref as Rohan Raja swept A-Kid’s leg on the apron, allowing Teoman to hit a dropkick through the ropes. A-Kid eventually came back with leg kicks, but he got slammed off a suplex attempt.

A-Kid got back on offense with more kicks and a flurry of submission moves. Teoman further worked over A-Kid’s neck, then got a nearfall off a running forearm smash to the jaw.

Teoman went for a back handspring elbow off the ropes, but he got caught in a sleeper in mid-air. A-Kid then transitioned it into an armbar, but Teoman made the ropes.

They ended up at ringside, where Teoman looked to smash A-Kid into the ropes, but he instead ran into the ropes himself. A-Kid then went for a springboard moonsault to the outside, but Teoman moved out of the way and A-Kid only hit Raja and Dempsey. That allowed Teoman to slam A-Kid onto the apron. Teoman then followed up with a reverse headlock driver to score the pinfall victory.

Final Thoughts —

A fun show. The tag team opener was an upset victory for Jack Starz & Dave Mastiff, who are rising in the ranks. It will be interesting to see if there will be a Gallus split down the line.

Eliza Alexander looked good in her debut, while it looks like Meiko Satomura vs. Isla Dawn may lead into some sort of gimmick match for the NXT UK Women’s Championship.

Teoman also looked strong, and Die Familie is slowly becoming the top heel faction on the brand.

It will also be interesting to see how NXT UK will compensate for the recent or impending losses of A-Kid, Nathan Frazer, and Pretty Deadly (who were some of the best workers on the brand) to NXT 2.0.

Next Week —

  • Two-out-of-three falls match: NXT UK Tag Team Champions Moustache Mountain defend against Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith
  • Back Alley Brawl: Sam Gradwell vs. Kenny Williams

NXT UK results: Ilja Dragunov vs. Roderick Strong

Posted on by Markus Gronemann

Taped at BT Sport Studios in London, England

The show opened with a look at tonight’s main event between NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov and Roderick Strong

Primate defeated Wild Boar

Eddie Dennis led out Primate and T-Bone on chains.

The match started out with a wild brawl and Primate and Wild Boar attempted to kill each other with death. Boar eventually got the better of his former partner with some ground and pound and a vicious slam. Boar then rolled to ringside in an attempt to go after Dennis, but he couldn’t get to him yet.

Back in the ring, Primate hit a pop-up powerbomb and floored Boar with an elbow. Boar came back and squished Primate in the corner. Before Boar could do more damage, T-Bone got on the apron, leading to Dennis hitting Boar with a chain to briefly knock him out and allow Primate to score the pin.

After the match, Symbiosis put the dog collar around Primate’s neck and proceeded to beat and choke him with the chain until suddenly Mark Andrews, Boar’s former friend, ran out to make the save with a steel chair in hand. Symbiosis ran off.

– Sam Gradwell was being interviewed backstage when he opened his bag and found it full of (colorful!) maggots. He immediately suspected Kenny Williams to be the culprit.

– Die Familie were in a hotel room or nice apartment overlooking the city. Charlie Dempsey said he tapped out Wolfgang before and will do it again. He warned Teoman that A-Kid was a dangerous opponent and asked him what “the eye saw.” Teoman smiled and said the eye saw that people say pain is only temporary, but for A-Kid, it will be permanent. They smiled and toasted to their continuing success.

– Dave Mastiff and Jack Starz were working out in the UK Performance Center while the Coffey brothers did the same in the background. Joe Coffey was spotting Mark Coffey and got distracted when Mastiff loudly roared after finishing his lift. Joe left his spot and Mark almost got crushed by his weight. The two teams had words.

Charlie Dempsey (w/ Rohan Raja) defeated Wolfgang

Dempsey locked on a cravate early on and took Wolfgang on a tour around the ring and the mat while holding on. Wolfgang then locked on an armbar and also held it for a long time.

Dempsey came back with a leg lock, kneebar, and Cobra Clutch until Wolfgang threw him off. Wolfgang hit an elbow drop and then went for a spear, but he got kneed in the face. Dempsey further worked over Wolfgang’s leg until Wolfgang escaped.

In a scene right out of wXw in 2019, suddenly the big eye (EZEL) appeared on the big screen, distracting Wolfgang and the referee, allowing Raja to get on the apron. Wolfgang speared Raja, but he ran right into a bridging double underhook suplex from Dempsey. Dempsey held onto the bridge and pinned Wolfgang to get the win.

Dempsey then fluidly rolled backwards out of the bridge and teased some ground and pound, but he did not go through with it.

– NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura was asked about Isla Dawn stealing her title belt. She invited Dawn to the ring for next week to talk face-to-face.

– Kenny Williams came out of the shower and went to his locker room. He was asked about cockroaches in Sam Gradwell’s bag but said they were maggots, revealing himself as the culprit. Williams found a mean note on his locker, which set him off.

– Xia Brookside bragged about the help she got from her daddy and her new friend last week. She introduced us to Eliza Alexander (the former Lizzy Evo), who said she would have Brookside’s back and also is there for herself. Alexander will make her NXT UK in-ring debut next week.

– Sid Scala was in his office with Moustache Mountain and Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith. Trent Seven was all cocky again and the teams started bickering, but Scala announced that the teams will face off in a two-out-of-three falls match for the NXT UK Tag Team titles in two weeks. They shook hands on it and Seven said Moustache Mountain would “beat them again, two times.” Smith and Carter complained about that wording.

– Wolfgang confronted the rest of Gallus about not having his back at ringside for his match against Dempsey.

NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov defeated Roderick Strong to retain his title

Dragunov entered to his incredibly bland and generic new music but still did his orchestrating motions during his entrance in tune to his old theme, so this may have been dubbed in.

They locked up and Strong got the better of things with a hammerlock before Dragunov got a headlock on. They tried hitting each other in the ropes and eventually traded chops. Dragunov then took down Strong with a bicycle kick. He charged at Strong, but Strong moved out of the way and Dragunov crashed into the ring post.

Strong immediately followed Dragunov to the outside and slammed him into the ring steps shoulder-first, then proceeded to work over the champion’s shoulder with attacks and submission holds. Dragunov tried a corner attack but got caught in a backbreaker instead.

Dragunov finally came back with a dragon screw, then hit an explosive attack on Strong’s left knee. Dragunov applied a single-leg Boston Crab, a kneebar, and Stretch Muffler, so the story of the match became Dragunov’s injured shoulder vs. Strong’s injured knee.

Dragunov hit German suplexes and then followed with a Gotch-lift suplex. Strong managed to evade a Torpedo Moscow, then dragged Dragunov to ringside once more and slammed him on the ring steps. Strong hit a backbreaker off the top rope, but he further injured his knee on the move. He still got a nearfall off the attack.

Dragunov came back with a series of strikes, two flying head kicks, and spinning chops. Strong hit a flying knee, but Dragunov evaded him off a whip and hit Torpedo Moscow for the pin and successful title defense.

Final Thoughts —

The opening match was again more of an angle to further the Symbiosis vs. Wild Boar storyline. This will probably lead to a tag team match with Wild Boar & Mark Andrews vs. Symbiosis and/or some sort of chain/dog collar match with Eddie Dennis down the line.

Charlie Dempsey continues to impress with his unique technical style, and he is still reserved enough toward Die Familie that I could see him splintering off on his own again down the line. The perfect group for him would be his father’s Blackpool Combat Club — but sadly he’s in the wrong promotion for that.

The main event was really good and told a great story of selling injured body parts that rarely is done these days. Ilja Dragunov keeps being a dominant champion who takes on all challengers, and Roderick Strong also looked great here. Dragunov’s generic theme really hurts the overall presentation, though (the same goes for Imperium’s new theme, just for the record).

Next Week —

  • A-Kid vs. Teoman
  • Gallus (Joe & Mark Coffey) vs. Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz
  • Eliza Alexander’s NXT UK in-ring debut
  • 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