Gunther enjoys being a heel and the chaos that erupts with it. He also recognizes the impact his move from the European wrestling circuit to WWE has had on his own career and the future opportunities it could create for talent from the continent.
In an interview with Enry Lazza, Gunther talked about the fan backlash after defeating John Cena in his retirement match. He stated it was a struggle for his WWE colleagues to deal with the negative reactions from crowds, but he personally thrives on it.
“It is and I feel like it’s a struggle that a lot of my colleagues sometimes have, where they struggle to get negative reactions, because it cannot feel nice, but I enjoy it, I have to say. I like to be the one that creates chaos and stirs the pot and that worked out really well with John (Cena).”
Gunther also elaborated on WWE scouting and discovering talents from across Europe. He emphasised on his transition to mainstream wrestling audiences through WWE, noting how his success at the global stage creates more visibility for future European wrestlers.
“Yeah, it was definitely the case that it was hard and because WWE wasn’t quite that open yet. That really just changed with Triple H when he took over NXT where they changed the strategy and basically looked at everybody out there. And I feel like Europe was under the radar for a very long time because especially Italy, I remember that when I started like 2008 or something had years, after that, had a really good wrestling scene.”
“I remember there was a guy called Kyle that I used to wrestle here and there and if you’re looking up you find him. They had great crowds in Italy like thousands of people and then he changed up a little bit again but that would be something where back then you didn’t have the reach yet to get the eyes of WWE on the talent over here. And then I was there at the right time when the European indies really came up again and then WWE looked at it and actually said hey there’s a lot of talent we can look at and I wasn’t the first out of that scene or bubble that made the jump but I think I was most likely the guy made the biggest impact I never made a jump from that scene and that leads to kicking the door open for other guys.”
Gunther competed in Japan and Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) in Germany before WWE NXT UK. He later enjoyed a dominant reign as NXT UK Champion before the branch was eventually merged with NXT.
Gunther’s main roster debut in 2022 was marked by his longest reign as Intercontinental Champion, a reign which spanned across 666 days.
Finn Balor feels the European indie scene is slowly starting to rebuild after the existence of NXT UK “starved” it of talent.
While appearing on Cody Rhodes’ “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast, Balor praised OTT Wrestling in Ireland and said he believes the level of talent in the promotion is rising. Balor also addressed the impact that NXT UK had on the indies. While the brand was a huge opportunity for British and European wrestlers, Balor thinks the scene is still attempting to recover from all of the stars that were taken away.
“When NXT UK started, which was a huge thing at the time for British and European wrestling, I feel like it kind of took all the talent, and it starved all the indies,” Balor said. “And it took a long time for them to rebuild.
“For a lot of them, it hasn’t even happened yet. Because there’s no one to learn from or look up to. The guys like Tyler [Bate] and Pete [Dunne] and everyone else who came to WWE, now the younger kids don’t have anyone to learn from. I feel like there was probably a huge negative effect on the gulf of talent that WWE took out of that, I guess, territory, you know? But slowly it’s starting to rebuild.”
Rhodes added that he thinks a similar dynamic has played out in the United States.
“We’ve seen that domestically in the States with everything that’s popped up with other places to wrestle and things of that nature, it strips away,” Rhodes said. “And then there’s a negative byproduct to it, but then the positive byproduct is these 18, 19 year olds, all of a sudden they’re 22, they’ve grown, and they’ve had to do it very much on their own and they’ve got a set of skills. So it always kind of, I hope, refreshes itself and replenishes. Otherwise we have nowhere to look, you know, when we need it the most.”
NXT UK existed as a weekly series from 2018-2022. After its closure, there were plans for WWE to replace it with an NXT Europe brand — but that has not happened to this point. NXT UK was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including an Ireland TakeOver special being canceled in 2020 that would have seen Balor face off against Gunther in the main event.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Lance Storm returns with tons to talk about including the injury to Zoey Stark and whether the dropkick itself is even a good idea, the RAW report, line-ups, WWE/NXT UK perhaps in the works, All Out going international, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Former NXT UK wrestler Amale is alleging abuse from her former partner, Tristan Archer.
Amale, who was with WWE from 2020 to 2022, posted to social media on Monday stating that she is a victim of “extremely abusive and brazen behavior” by Archer. She also confirmed that legal proceedings have been initiated.
“I am writing with the conviction that you will listen to me with the utmost attention. Too many things have remained in the shadows, drowned in uncertainty, the absence of testimonies, and the blind protection of misinformed workers or those who choose to turn a blind eye. I swear that I will only speak about my own experience. These facts go beyond the immediate short-term interests of French wrestling and must be used to clean up this environment, even if it means bringing down its leading figures. I speak out now, cornered by anxiety, pressure, anger, and also fear. I know my testimony will be heard, and that things can finally change.
I am including photos and testimonies of the physical and psychological consequences that I am still enduring today (included below).
I was the victim of extremely abusive and brazen behavior by the French wrestler TRISTAN ARCHER.
My only fault was remaining silent all this time. I didn’t speak out of shame, fear of not being heard, fear of retaliation, but today I act with the belief that everyone in this industry will stand firmly behind what is right. I also count on the unconditional support of the fans in this matter to cleanse this environment, but this story goes far beyond wrestling—it’s a matter of justice, morality, and human conscience.
It is crucial that you are aware of the impact this has had on me, on the wrestling work environment, and the consequences this behavior has had, can have, and will continue to have on this industry. These actions were observed by witnesses who have supported me, and I hope that my testimony will help free the remaining voices that are still tied down by fear or manipulated by this man.
Tristan and I had a past relationship. It was marked by physical, psychological, and emotional abuse. He humiliated me, belittled me, cheated on me, destroyed my confidence, forced me to quit my studies, threatened me, and even threatened my family. He threatened to reveal intimate photos to my family if I did not obey him. When I had suicidal thoughts, he told me he wanted me to do everything he asked before, and that afterward, I could die in peace. Since then, I live in constant fear that he will carry out his threats. This is just one example among many.
He hit and pushed a close friend of mine onto the road when she tried to defend me and warn me about his unhealthy behavior. He then restrained me so that the woman he was having an affair with could hit me, leaving marks on my face for several months. I dissuaded my friend from filing a complaint at that time, blinded by his influence. He has displayed violent behavior towards me, other women, colleagues, and fans.
After some difficult times, everything settled down. He seemed to regret his actions, and I thought that people can change. But he never stopped contacting me. When I didn’t respond to his messages, he would question me: “Where were you, with whom, why didn’t you respond sooner if you were alone, I know you have someone,” etc. And then he would become courteous again.
I moved on when I signed with WWE. During this entire period, he was always kind to me, but he continued to send me messages asking for news, even though I hardly responded anymore. Until one day when I ran into him on a flight to NXTUK. I immediately behaved professionally with him. I helped him get settled, then distanced myself, and everything went smoothly. He begged me not to talk about him during the SPEAKING OUT movement. I was at peace and didn’t want to cause him any harm. Despite his past actions, I chose not to speak before, during, or after the movement. However, his behavior towards me has recently escalated, leading to harassment, threats, intimidation, racist and misogynistic remarks, defamation among my colleagues and wrestling promoters, and attempts to sabotage my career.
Indeed, after my departure from WWE, the first days were tough, but I felt supported by the French circuit. Everything went well at several shows with Tristan and others, the atmosphere was good. But he continued to watch me. He started to have increasingly intrusive behavior. I decided to stay away from him. I started hearing his defamations, his obsession, his relentless efforts to exclude me from shows and turn people against me, until one day everything erupted on the way to a show while I was no longer speaking to him. I heard him say that life was hard for him as a white man and that he never had any privileges, that life was easier for racialized women. This made me break my silence, having truly experienced discrimination because of my origins. But according to him, the only reason I signed was because I’m an Arab woman, because “it sells more” in the media, according to him and his white journalist friends. This was followed by an onslaught against me, my appearance, my ability to be in the ring, my family, etc. It was too mentally overwhelming for me, so I decided to drive myself to the shows or have someone else drive me to avoid ever having to endure such behavior again.
He created a fake account (paulLepaul – pikapika080888 / Dblegends2105) used daily since late 2019 to hide the fact that he had told his then-girlfriend that he wouldn’t contact me anymore, and he blocked me from his main account. This account was used to stalk me, stalk my loved ones (several people found him in their stories), and to perpetuate harassment, persistent unsolicited messages, and all his manipulation to make himself look like the good guy afterward.
He then discovered that I was in a relationship with someone. He stalked us, made insulting remarks about me to my partner in hopes of causing a breakup and sabotaging even my private life. He made very violent, defamatory, misogynistic remarks. Even before this person, he acted the same way with anyone interested in me. His obsession only grew, even displaying this behavior in the locker rooms during wrestling events.
He became very toxic again, spoke ill of me to promoters, caused me to lose bookings, harassed me, and intimidated me on the way to shows. I made sure to always be surrounded by a trusted person if I had to attend events where he was present.
This behavior continued, both at events for various promotions (wXw, Wrestling Kult,…) and during private interactions, causing me enormous psychological pressure. He even threatened to kick me out of the wXw locker room, claiming he was in charge there. Several people witnessed the scene. I took steps to distance myself from Tristan and ensure my well-being, even if it meant making sacrifices, such as stepping away from the ring, arranging my own travel for various shows without requesting reimbursement. The promotions where these incidents occurred, as well as WWE, were informed of his actions. The latter, given the gravity of the facts and the testimonies, decided to exclude him from the WWE Backlash France extras as well as any future participation in WWE events. Other informed promotions have also taken or will take necessary steps to remove him to ensure the maintenance of a healthy work environment.
His constant threats and intimidation have had a devastating impact on my mental and emotional health, leading me to seek professional help and to organize my professional and personal life to avoid him at all costs. I’ve lost a lot of weight, just like when I was under his control (45 kg), and I am going through severe episodes of anxiety, stress, and eating disorders daily, impacting all aspects of my life: my physical health, mental health, relationships, and activities. I feel like I’m dying slowly when all I wanted was to be left alone. (Photos included.)
He even dared to defame me by saying everywhere that the reason I lost weight was because I was taking cocaine when he is the only one responsible for my condition. This has to stop; my life depends on it. The defamation has gone as far as telling people that I was violent in the locker rooms with colleagues/friends. They can refute his claims.
Your support and understanding mean the world to me, and I hope that together, we can work toward a resolution that ensures the safety and well-being of everyone within the French wrestling community. This man is extremely toxic. The involvement and stance of all promotions are crucial to ensuring the healthiest environment possible.
I have already initiated discussions with the press, workers, WWE, Wrestling Kult, wXw, and I hope to count on the support of all promoters, especially in France, fans, and anyone who can hear my voice to help me. I have already tried to discuss this internally within French wrestling, and it has always ended in failure. Today, I speak out publicly to try to make a change, despite the fear of retaliation. In France, more than elsewhere, I believe it is more important than ever that these matters are exposed and revealed to the public, who deserve to see the true face of their wrestlers and protect women and future generations. I know he will try to defame and discredit my words as he always has. But this time, things will be different.
I was pressured to resolve this internally; I had the support of all foreign promotions, but in France, the charade continues. No one wants to act; people find excuses because it’s Tristan Archer; if it had been someone else, there would have been no leniency. I trusted people in the industry who did not hesitate to put me in danger and report my testimony to Tristan, who has since been trying by all means to discredit me. Tristan can be very nice and friendly with people, helpful, kind, but that’s just one side of his personality, which he reveals after every bad action to get forgiven. He is so skilled that people are willing to forgive him for anything, but not this time.
I would like to emphasize that I have moved on. I have moved on with my life and put past mistakes behind me. He has not done the same. I gave him more chances than I can count. All I wanted was to be left alone. I never spoke ill of him, neither to his family, our mutual friends, nor in the locker rooms; I always let him live his life, which was never the case for him. I was forced to defend myself—I have to choose ME. It’s hard, but I have to do it.
A big thank you to all the workers who supported me, helped me DEFEND myself, reminded me of who I am, and gave me the strength to speak out. All the evidence and testimonies have been provided; I leave it to the competent authorities to handle the rest. I just want to be left alone, so please respect that. Legal actions are ongoing, and I will no longer back down from any pressure.
Legal proceedings have been initiated, and I will no longer back down from any pressure. I am making this thread for my protection, to finally be able to move forward in my life, and to help the new generation break free from his grip.
Sincerely, Amale Dib”
Amale also posted the below photos:
Please guys read my testimony before sharing the pictures. As I said theses pictures are the physical consequences of extreme stress, anxiety, eating disorders this whole situation created on my physical health. It is so strong it makes parts of my face swollen and red patches… https://t.co/g37q0Iv2Hr
The 31-year-old from France was one of several NXT UK wrestlers to be cut by WWE in June 2022. Since then she has continued to perform for promotions across Europe including Germany’s wXw promotion.
Archer (38) continues to wrestle across France for promotions such as CACC and BZW. He challenged EC3 for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on a BZW show in Lille, France back in July. Archer also took part in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic in 2016, losing to Cedric Alexander in the first round.
At 24 years young, Dani Luna has been wrestling for nearly a decade but it feels like her career is truly just beginning.
After beginning at just 16, Luna got her first big break as part of the now-defunct WWE NXT UK when she was 19 — just three years after she began training.
Luna now finds herself as a full-time member of the TNA Wrestling roster with title aspirations on her goals for 2024.
In our 20-minute interview you can watch on YouTube above, Luna and I talked about her TNA pay-per-view debut in a high-risk match, her NXT UK run, and those aforementioned goals.
She believes being with TNA is “exactly what I needed at this point in my career.”
“It was terrifying more than anything.”
The England native signed with TNA Wrestling in December 2023 after working for the company during both their Canadian and UK tours earlier that year.
She made her PPV debut at January’s Hard to Kill in an Ultimate X match with five other women for a future Knockouts title shot.
While she said the opportunity was “cool,” she also said it was more “terrifying than anything” due to fear about falling off the structure — something she wished she had done earlier than later in the match to get it out of her system.
“…The fear of falling off of that thing is so much worse than actually falling off of it. But, it was it was so cool…the amount of things you can do in a match like that. If you think of all the things you can do in a match and then you add six other people and then you add this huge structure that you can all hang off of….there’s just so many ways to get around it.”
“And obviously I was sharing it with some incredible women too, lots of women that I had never even wrestled before. So that was a whole thing in itself. But yeah, it was crazy. It was it was a great time, but I reckon I’d like to do another one, but maybe not loads of them.”
The night was a big one for TNA as it was the first following their rebrand from Impact Wrestling back to their iconic naming convention. The match was also first on the PPV, something that wasn’t lost on Luna.
“It did really kind of throw me into the deep end a little bit. So many people that might not have even been watching TNA at the time who tuned in because this was the first PPV back, and then I’m one of the first people they see and they might not have even never heard of me. So, it was a really nice way and a really good showcase for me to show what I’m all about in a really exciting way.”
Luna is still early in her TNA run, but has already found a friend in Jody Threat. The two teamed up last month and Threat backed her up following her win over Killer Kelly on Thursday’s Impact. It’s a partnership she hopes has gold in its future.
“I think our goal for 2024 is to win the Knockouts Tag Team Championships and I don’t think that’s completely out of left field. I think is absolutely something we could do. I think we’re starting to build a really good tag division in TNA now and I would love to get there on a bigger stage with her. She’s one of my favorite people in the world so I would love to hold gold with her in TNA this year.”
The NXT UK years
Luna first became a fan of wrestling when she was 14 after her brother introduced her to it. Two years later, she was in wrestling school at just 16. Three years after that, she was signed to a WWE deal for the NXT UK brand where she made her home from 2019 through 2022.
She went on to say that while she learned a lot in NXT UK, she was too young to be on a stage of that level and that it was a lot to handle.
“I don’t think I was necessarily ready for that sort of stage at my age and my experience level, but it gave me so many tools that I think now I can bring to somewhere like TNA where I’m a bit more grown up, a bit more experienced, and a lot more prepared for it.”
Former NXT UK wrestler Aleah James is officially no longer under contract with WWE.
In a tweet on Monday, the 24-year-old James confirmed her WWE departure. She was still under contract following the closure of NXT UK but hadn’t been brought into NXT.
James wrote: “Sooo now we know I’m free as a bird.. who am I going to wrestle first?????”
James started her in-ring career in 2019 and first appeared for NXT UK in 2020. She hasn’t wrestled since defeating Stevie Turner on an episode of NXT UK in March 2022.
It was announced in August 2022 that NXT UK would be closing its doors. WWE stated at the time that NXT UK would “form the foundation” for NXT Europe, which would launch in 2023.
Earlier this month, Paul “Triple H” Levesque said that the Endeavor-WWE merger has changed the timeframe for NXT Europe’s launch:
It’s just slowed down the process I think. At some point, end of the year, last year, whatever it is, we said in 2023 it would happen. Not having a crystal ball to see where everything was headed in that moment in time, obviously this transition with this merger with UFC with Endeavor and TKO, it’s changed the timeframe. But I think the intent is still the same.
I mentioned under the premise of WrestleMania and Premium Live Events going global, we’re a global company. We’re looking to be everywhere. And I think — there are a lot of amazing talents here, internationally. And we’d love to explore that and give them opportunities to shine on the biggest stage possible and see what we can do with that. It’s just going to take a little bit of time.
A former NXT UK wrestler is stepping away from the ring.
Eddie Dennis retired from in-ring competition at Revolution Pro Wrestling’s Revolution Rumble event in London on Sunday. Dennis said going into the show that he would retire if he didn’t win the Revolution Rumble match.
Michael Oku won the Revolution Rumble. Dennis was eliminated by Connor Mills.
Dennis was released by WWE in August 2022. Most of the NXT UK roster was released at that time, with WWE announcing that NXT UK was ending in its current form and would become NXT Europe.
The 37-year-old Dennis was both a wrestler and a manager in NXT UK. He was part of the Symbiosis faction with Primate and T-Bone.
Dennis, who is from Wales, is a former PROGRESS Wrestling World Champion and Tag Team Champion.
PROGRESS tweeted about Dennis’ retirement: “We didn’t want to believe the news, we didn’t think it could be true. The reality has set in and now we know this is the end. #ThankYouEddie We will forever party hard with your amazing memories from what you created with us at PROGRESS.”
Before becoming a full-time wrestler, Dennis worked as a math teacher. “It was a risk giving up teaching altogether to pursue my dream,” Dennis told the BBC in 2022. “It was pretty terrifying… I had a very much established a life, my fiancee and I had a mortgage. I was leaving that to go and wrestle independently.”
Former NXT UK wrestler Jinny has explained her decision to retire from in-ring competition.
The 35-year-old Jinny announced her retirement last month, stating that she had made the decision to hang up her boots after a long time away due to injury. The announcement came more than a year after her last match.
During an interview with Ring The Belle, Jinny confirmed that a concussion was the injury that caused her to retire. Jinny said she had taken quite a few blows to the head, but this was the worst head injury that she ever had. Her body was taking a long time to heal and she wondered if it would take even longer if she suffered another injury.
So when I was injured, this was actually the longest time that I had been out with any injury. During the time of being injured and having the symptoms, I was just like, ‘Wow, this is just taking so long for my body to heal.’ The injury that I actually had, it was a concussion. Unfortunately, I took quite a few blows to the head, and it was the worst one I ever had. Halfway through, I was like, ‘If my body is taking this long to heal, if I get hit again, is it going to take even longer?’ I just had to be smart about it. I love wrestling. I’m a wrestling fan, I always will be. It was a really hard decision because if it wasn’t for that, would I be wrestling still? Yes. But your health is wealth. And as difficult as it is, and as much as I love this business and as much as I was like, ‘maybe I’ll be okay,’ I had to be smart about it and make sure that I look after myself, not just for now, but in the long run as well.
Though she’s currently healed and cleared to compete, Jinny closed the door on ever returning to the ring for another stint. When asked if she would be interested in coming back for one retirement match, Jinny said her focus is on her health right now but you never know what’s going to happen in the future.
Right now, I don’t know [if she’d consider having a retirement match]. I don’t want to take a chance and then get hurt, but never say never. You never know what’s around the corner. But right now, I just need to focus on my health, even though I’m healed and I’m fine and I’m cleared and everything. Right now I just need to focus on health-wise, but never say never. But would I fully come out of retirement and have like another stint? No. I don’t want to take that chance. And it’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.
When we get into this business, whether you sign with a big company or you work on the Indies, we all know the risks that we take. But we take those risks because we have a dream and we have a passion for wrestling. It happens, but looking back on everything, I had so much fun, I really did. And I’m very, very grateful for everything I’ve come out of wrestling. I met my husband in wrestling. I met some great friends in wrestling. I got to work with some amazing people. And all of those companies like PROGRESS, Eve, RevPro, OTT, and all of that — they gave me opportunities when I was so new and they still believed in me. When I was experimenting with my ring gear, trying to work on the basics in the ring and still training and stuff, they still gave me an opportunity. Yes, it would always be nice to come out of retirement and achieve more, but looking back, I achieved so much and I’m very, very grateful.
Jinny wrestled on the United Kingdom indies before being signed by WWE in 2018. Her character was “The Fashionista” both on the indies and in NXT UK.
Jinny is married to WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther.
Ring The Belle’s full interview with Jinny can be seen below:
Former NXT UK wrestler Jinny is stepping away from the ring.
More than a year removed from her last match, Jinny announced her retirement in a social media post on Saturday. Jinny said that, after being away for a long time due to injury, she’s made the decision to hang up her boots.
“After a long time away due to an injury, I have made the decision to hang up my fashionable boots,” Jinny wrote.
“Thank you for all the memories. I’ll remember that chapter for the rest of my life. Every journey has an end, but in life, every ending is just a new beginning. I’m excited about what’s next.”
Jinny was one of the most prominent women’s wrestlers on the United Kingdom indie scene before signing with WWE in 2018. She held the PROGRESS Wrestling Women’s Championship twice and Revolution Pro Wrestling’s Undisputed British Women’s Championship once. Her character was nicknamed “The Fashionista” both on the indies and in NXT UK.
Jinny last wrestled for NXT UK in November 2021. She’s married to WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther.
Five title matches — including three unification bouts — are set for today’s NXT Worlds Collide special.
Ahead of NXT Europe launching next year, NXT UK will close out its run with today’s unification matches. In the main event of the show, NXT Champion Bron Breakker will face off with NXT United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate to unify the titles.
The NXT Women’s Championship and NXT UK Women’s Championship will be unified in a triple threat match between Mandy Rose, Meiko Satomura, and Blair Davenport. And the NXT Tag Team titles and NXT UK Tag Team titles will be unified in The Creed Brothers vs. Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen vs. Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly.
Plus, main roster wrestlers are also in action. Ricochet is challenging for Carmelo Hayes’ NXT North American Championship. Doudrop & Nikki A.S.H. are challenging Katana Chance & Kayden Carter for the NXT Women’s Tag Team titles.
Today’s main card begins at 4 p.m. Eastern time. There will also be a pre-show starting at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
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McKenzie Mitchell and Sam Roberts are the hosts for the pre-show, which is mostly hype and ballyhoo.
Besides video packages and such, the pre-show has a few promos. That includes a promo from the Toxic Attraction trio. Others on the card, like NXT Champion Bron Breakker, are seen arriving to the building. No matches air on the pre-show.
The voice of NXT UK, Andy Shepard, appears on the pre-show via a virtual link. Shepard helps break down the unification matches from his perspective as the lead announcer of the NXT UK brand.
The soundstage in Orlando looks like it does for most every NXT telecast, with the exception of a different graphics on the LED screens. The live studio audience is hot at the start.
The main card is opening with one of the few titles that is not a unification bout.
NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams) defeats Ricochet to retain his title
Hayes pins Ricochet in what is an exciting opener. Great bout to kick off the show. Hayes in the closing moments counters Ricochet, and he cradles Ricochet with a small package to score a three count.
Ricochet shines in the first part of the match, looking like a superstar. Hayes fights back and he gain control of the match. Superkick by Hayes leads to a close near fall. Another great near fall, after Hayes springboards into a lariat to cut off a handspring high spot from Ricochet.
They trade lariats with neither going down. They then collide in mid-air when both go for a springboard clothesline, leading to a double down. They get back on their feet, and they trade strikes.
Parade of high spots as they keep trading moves. Ricochet goes for a cover, but Trick Williams puts Hayes’ foot on the bottom rope to break the count. Ricochet, in turn, sails through the ropes to hit Williams with a missile dropkick.
Ricochet is distracted with Williams, allowing Hayes to catch Ricochet in a cutter for another two count. Moments later, Ricochet pops up to the feet and counters Hayes, setting up a superplex.
Fighting spirit exchange as they again trade strikes and big moves. They keep trading near falls, as the studio audience chants for them to “fight forever.”
Ricochet spikes Hayes with a poison rana, and Ricochet looks to measure Hayes for a finisher. Williams interferes, but he is thwarted by Ricochet.
Ricochet goes for a shooting star press, and he lands on his feet when Hayes rolls out of the way. Hayes catches Ricochet in a small package, and Hayes cradles Ricochet for the deciding pinfall.
Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) become the unified NXT Tag Team Champions after winning a fatal four way elimination match, defeating defending NXT Tag Team Champions The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed with Damon Kemp), NXT United Kingdom Tag Team Champions Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen (with Fallon Henley) and Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang with Joe Coffey)
Pretty Deadly win the four-way elimination match after Damon Kemp turns on the Creeds, costing the Creeds the titles. Briggs & Jensen are eliminated first, followed by Gallus. Pretty Deadly then goes on to defeat the Creeds, thanks to Kemp turning on his stablemates.
The NXT UK Tag Team Champions are the first eliminated when Mark Coffey pins Brooks Jensen. Jensen trips going for a spot off the top rope, and he crashes into the ring. Not missing a beat despite the botch, Gallus executes tandem offense, leading to Coffey pinning Jensen.
Second elimination is Gallus, after Julius Creed pins Wolfgang. The Creeds reemerge as a house of fire, after spending several minutes down selling. Creeds deliver a cannonball Doomsday Device. Julius hits Wolfgang with a sliding lariat, and he covers him for a pinfall.
Two team remain as the Creeds face off against Pretty Deadly. The heels work over Brutus Creed. He is finally able to tag out, and Julius runs off after a hot tag.
Briggs & Jensen brawl with Gallus, as the eliminated teams filter back on stage for a melee. Meanwhile, Julius is the ring deadlifting Prince into a delayed vertical suplex. Near fall for Julius as the brawling at ringside continues.
Julius pulls the strap down on his singlet, signaling for a finisher. Wilson tries storming the ring with a metal folding chair, but Damon Kemp makes a save by spearing Wilson. The turn can be seen from a mile away.
Kemp picks up the chair, while Julius has his back to him. Kemp hits Creed with the chair. Kemp then gives Julius a uranage into a backbreaker, and Julius is a laid out.
Prince crawls over to steal a pin as he covers Julius for a three count. Pretty Deadly become the unified champs, thanks to a treachery from Damon Kemp.
Tony D’Angelo and Stacks are talking when they see Cameron Grimes passing by them. D’Angelo stops Grimes, and he basically asks Grimes to discuss him joining the family. Grimes declines to chat.
NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose defeats Blair Davenport and United Kingdom Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura in a triple threat unification match
Rose pins Davenport to become the unified women’s champion of the brand.
Unile the previous unification match on the card, this bout was one fall to a finish. So a champion could lose her title without dropping a fall, which happens to Satomura.
Rose gets a special entrance, arriving in a fancy sports car. Rose also appears to have a new version of the NXT Women’s Championship belt, with an updated color scheme on the main plate. Same for Breakker.
Satomura gets a Goldberg entrance of sorts, as cameras follow her to the ring. She deserves the world, because she has been so great in the ring for so long.
Satomura remains as smooth as ever. Her experience stands out above her two opponents, even if they also did well in the match.
Good near fall at one point after Rose gives Davenport a superplex, and Satomura capitalizes with a splash off the top rope.
The live studio audience eventually gets super invested in the match, even if they were quieter at the start than they are for previous bouts. They are won over by the end, despite a heel win. Overall a good crowd all night.
In the closing moments, Davenport rolls ups Rose with a schoolgirl. Satomura rushes in to break up the pinning attempt, and Satomura strikes with her Scorpion Rising kick on Davenport. Satomura is lifting Davenport to her feet when Rose sandwiches them with Kiss By the Rose (running knee strike). Rose then covers Davenport for a three count.
Rose has become the unified women’s champion of the NXT brand.
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Kayden Carter & Katana Chance defeat Doudrop & Nikki A.S.H. to retain their titles
Chance pins Doudrop to win the match, after a distraction by Toxic Attraction.
Toxic Attraction (Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolan) run in just before the finish. Nikki jumps off the apron on to Toxic Attraction, and Nikki brawls with them at ringside. That leaves Doudrop alone against both Carter & Chance. The champ execute their tandem finisher, and Chance pins Doudrop to retain to the titles.
Not necessarily a bad match, but still the weakest on the show so far. In their defense, they were put in a death spot. Likewise, a lame distraction finish did not help matters. The two teams tried with what they had, but this is filler.
NXT Champion Bron Breakker defeats NXT United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate in a unification match
Breakker pins Bate to become the unified men’s champion of the NXT brand.
Special entrances and ring introductions for both, which helps give the match a true main event feel. Breakker seems like a sure winner going into the match, but Bate is so such a good pro wrestler he gets the audience to buy into him as a threat.
Breakker is protected, at times at the expense of match itself (which is mainly in the first half of the bout). However, Bate gets to shine at times as well. He excels when given the chance within the story of the bout. Hopefully, there are good plans for him after this match.
Bate gets some near falls as he gains control of the match in the second half. The crowd starts a NXT chant, and the match was good, but it seems as if everyone was waiting for the inevitable. Then they start to cook, and the crowd starts to really invest.
Breakker gets a near fall after using a flying bulldog, which honors his father Rick Steiner. Bate keeps kicking out after a few more near falls, and they fight on.
The match heats up in the closing minutes. The studio audience begins dueling chants. Counters, reversals, and power moves galore. The power moves are not only from Breakker, as Bate rallies with some power moves of his own.
Deadlift by Bate into a Tyler Driver ’97 for another near fall, in what was arguably the best spot of the match. The crowd buys it as a false finish.
Breakker executes one of his finishers, dropping Bate from a military press into a powerslam. Bate drapes a leg on the bottom rope to break a count.
Down come the straps on the singlet, as Breakker means business. He measures Bate, but Bate seemingly has plenty more fight left in him. Bate counters, and he peppers Breakker with strikes.
Another attempt at the Tyler Driver is blocked, but Bate uses a victory roll for another one last near fall. Breakker kicks out.
Bate slingshots himself off the ropes, and Breakker is there to meet him with a Steinerline. Breakker then covers Bate for a three count.
Breakker has become the unified champ. Bate shakes hand with Breakker in a show of sportsmanship. A victorious Breakker then holds up both titles belts as the show closes.
What, no singalong? Where’s “American Pie”?
The last stop on the journey of NXT UK appears to be a soundstage in Orlando. Let us see what tomorrow brings. Here’s to NXT Europe rising like a phoenix.
This week’s final NXT UK show opened with a video looking at the history between Tyler Bate and Trent Seven, culminating in the end of their feud in tonight’s main event for the vacant NXT UK championship.
Blair Davenport beat Amale, Isla Dawn & Eliza Alexander in an no. 1 contender’s elimination match (15:07)
Dawn attacked Amale, but got subsequently punched out by each of her three opponents and was sent to ringside. Amale was next to fall victim to a flurry of offense. Davenport then threw Alexander out of the ring only to be tossed by Amale, who followed up with a dive from the top to the outside.
All four women brawled at ringside until Dawn threw Davenport back into the ring. Dawn dominated and hit a backdrop driver on Davenport, followed by all four women getting back in the ring and taking turns taking each other down.
Davenport and Alexander looked to hit a double superplex, but Amale took all three of them down with a Tower of Doom. She then took turns landing kicks on both Davenport and Alexander in the corners before Dawn attacked her. Amale hit the Hopebreaker on Dawn, and Davenport and Alexander got on top of Amale for the triple pin to eliminate Dawn at around 7:00.
Amale managed to keep both remaining opponents at bay for a few minutes. Davenport hit a springboard missile dropkick on Amale but got thrown into the post by Alexander, who hit a running knee on Amale followed by the pin around 10:20.
Alexander hit a release German suplex for a near fall on Davenport. She kept working her over and had her in trouble on a few occasions. Davenport finally evaded a corner attack and hit a double foot stomp onto her neck as she was bent over.
Davenport hit a barrage of lariats, but got hit with another release German suplex when Alexander finally ducked under one. Davenport came back with a German of her own off the middle turnbuckle, followed by a running knee and the falcon arrow to win the match and a future shot at the title.
Davenport will be involved in Sunday’s Worlds Collide against NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose and NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura.
Saxon Huxley beat Kenny Williams (5:45)
Huxley threw Williams around and ran wild. Williams eventually came back and worked over Huxley’s legs. As Huxley was in trouble, Chase U came out to cheer him on.
As Huxley went for his bodypress into the ropes, Williams ducked and Huxley hit the ropes in full force. Huxley threw Williams to the outside where Chase U picked him up. The referee asked them to put him down, so they dropped him.
Huxley then pulled him back into the ring and hit a choke bomb for the pin and the win. After the match, Chase U celebrated with Huxley in the ring who waved their flag.
– There was a great video package looking at the history between Seven and Bate. Seven talked about how he took Bate under his wing early on and they had clips from all of their big moments together and a ton of footage from Progress as well.
Tyler Bate beat Trent Seven to win the vacant NXT UK title in the tournament final (20:31)
Johnny Saint and Sid Scala were in the ring with the championship before the match.
They started with a fierce lockup before going to the mat where Bate dominated his mentor early on before they traded offense. Seven started attacking Bate’s left leg before he got pushed over the ropes and was hit with a dive seconds later.
Seven went back to attack the leg and Bate started grabbing his knee. Bate came back, but quickly got a hit with a DDT for a near-fall. Bate egged Seven on to kick him, then caught him and hit an exploder.
Bate went for a slingshot lariat, but Seven ducked out of the way and went for a suplex, but got suplexed himself for a near fall. Seven eventually locked in a figure four and Bate looked to reach the ropes, but couldn’t make it. He turned the move around and Seven finally made the ropes.
Both were on their knees and traded punches before Seven transitioned to chops. He hit quite a few, but Bate no-sold them and they were off to trading European uppercuts.
They ended up on the top turnbuckle and Bate went for a superplex, but Seven turned it into the Emerald Flowsion for a near fall. Seven then hit the Tyler Driver ’97 on for another super close near fall. He went for a pump handle slam, but Bate turned it into a DDT in mid-air.
Bate then repaid the favor and hit Seven with a Seven Star Lariat and a near fall of his own before hitting a corkscrew senton off the top for another one. Seven turned a Tyler Driver ’97 attempt into a pinning combination, but Bate kicked out. Bate then hit Seven with a fist to the jaw and followed up with the Tyler Driver ’97 for the title-winning pin.
The episode ended with a great highlight video, looking at the history of the brand, all the way from the initial UK Tournament in early-2017 to the finish of tonight’s main event. It had scenes from all major title wins and TakeOver highlights and concluded with a group picture of the final NXT UK roster.
Final Thoughts:
This was a great show with a fun four-way opener that was one of the better women’s matches in the brand’s recent history. Huxley and Williams also had a nice match with a happy ending.
The main event was fantastic and a worthy finale to NXT UK with a clash of two of the brand’s pillars and founding fathers. Tyler Bate is certainly a superstar of the future and will hopefully get the recognition he deserves stateside. Even if this was not the planned finale at the time of taping the match, this really was a perfect, full-circle ending with Bate as the first and final champion and watching him grow from a “Big Strong Boi” into a Big Strong Man over the course of nearly six years.
With a smile on a face and a tear in my eye, I look back at covering NXT UK since its first show in October of 2018 (with only a handful of exceptions). I really enjoyed the shows and during most of this period, it felt like the best show that WWE did on a weekly basis with great matches, fun backstage segments and storylines that were simple but made sense.
It almost seemed like this was a well-booked show from back in the territory days that mostly got left alone as it ran under the radar of the WWE brass at the time. From WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov to a ton of unique interview and sit-down segments not done that way anywhere else to probably the best tag team division in the world at a time and a lot of quirky, fun, unique characters, I really enjoyed the ride.
It also was great to see a number of people from Germany, the UK, and other parts of Europe who I have been following for years get a chance to shine here and make a proper living off wrestling for a few years.
Thanks also to Josh Nason for giving me the chance to cover these shows for the site back in 2018 and to everyone else working hard on a daily basis on content for F4WOnline. I hope to be back if and when NXT Europe launches next year and in the meantime, I will continue to provide updates on the European scene to the Observer.
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
Join on-air personality Denise Salcedo on Speak Now Pro Wrestling as she recaps the August 23, 2022 edition of NXT 2.0. This show featured more NXT UK talent, belt unifications, the build to Worlds Collide, a promo exchange between Apollo Crews and Grayson Waller, a noteworthy promo from Cora Jade, the love story between Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis, plus a lights out main event with Wendy Choo and Tiffany Stratton. This is the perfect podcast to stay up to date with NXT!
WWE will unify the NXT and NXT UK Championships on September 4 at Worlds Collide.
NXT Champion Bron Breakker will face NXT UK Champion Tyler Bate in a title unification match at Worlds Collide on Sunday, September 4. The match was announced during Tuesday’s WWE NXT episode.
Bate appeared on NXT 2.0 last week, confronting Breakker in a face-to-face segment to close the show. On this week’s NXT, Breakker opened the show by calling out Bate.
Breakker challenged Bate to a “title-for-title” match at Worlds Collide, and Bate accepted. The match was made official later in Tuesday’s program.
The unification match comes on the heels of WWE announcing that NXT UK is being shuttered, with a new NXT Europe brand launching in its place in 2023. Additionally, a number of NXT UK wrestlers were released from their WWE contracts last week, as NXT UK will “end in its current form and serve as the foundation for a bigger, better NXT Europe,” according to a WWE statement.
Worlds Collide is set for Sunday, September 4 at 4 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock and WWE Network, the same day as AEW’s All Out pay-per-view.
Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio talking all the latest news in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter including WWE’s financials for Q2, AEW and WWE ratings, and the NXT UK releases.
We also discuss some of the frustration backstage at AEW, the CM Punk and Jon Moxley promo, MJF’s situation, and more.
We talk about the great G1 Climax final match between Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay and Wrestle Kingdom news. Then we preview UFC 278.
