Several members of the NXT 2.0 roster have been advertised for future episodes of NXT UK.
On Thursday’s edition of the show, footage was shown of Damon Kemp (Bobby Steveson), Ivy Nile, Von Wagner, and Lash Legend arriving at the BT Sport Studio in London for Wednesday’s tapings.
“Starting next week, the Americans are coming,” Nigel McGuinness said on the broadcast. “NXT Superstars Lash Legend, Ivy Nile, Damon Kemp, and the imposing Von Wagner arrived here earlier this week. I, for one, cannot wait to see what matchups NXT UK General Manager, Johnny Saint, comes up with for this fresh batch of talent.”
Von Wagner was then shown tearing up an autograph Saxon Huxley signed for a young fan, perhaps setting up an angle between the two of them.
Kemp posted a photo of himself in front of the NXT UK logo to social media on Wednesday. Legend and Nile both posted similar photos on April 15.
WWE has revealed when Meiko Satomura and Ilja Dragunov’s next title defenses will be taking place.
On the NXT UK episode that airs in two weeks (Thursday, May 5), Satomura will put her NXT UK Women’s Championship on the line against Isla Dawn in the first-ever “World of Darkness” match.
Dawn challenged Satomura to the match after stealing possession of Satomura’s title belt. Dawn said the match will be held under her own “chaotic” rules.
WWE has also announced that Dragunov will defend his NXT United Kingdom Championship against Jordan Devlin on the Thursday, May 12 edition of NXT UK. That will be the 200th episode of NXT UK since the show launched in 2018.
A contract signing for Dragunov vs. Devlin will take place on NXT UK next Thursday.
Satomura vs. Dawn and Dragunov vs. Devlin are both rematches. Satomura retained against Dawn on NXT UK last month, but Dawn took the NXT UK Women’s title belt from the referee after the match and left through the crowd.
Satomura regained possession of the title belt last week when she agreed to give Dawn a rematch. Dawn spit black mist into Satomura’s face after she gave the belt back.
Dragunov defeated Devlin in an empty arena match this January to retain the NXT UK Championship. Devlin confronted Dragunov on NXT UK last week and said that Dragunov wouldn’t be able to beat him without the weapons that Dragunov was able to use in the empty arena match.
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
In a video that aired tonight during NXT, Frazer talked about how he had made a name for himself in NXT UK. He said he had a one-way ticket across the Atlantic Ocean to come to the United States and NXT 2.0.
Frazer started wrestling under the name Ben Carter in 2018 and trained at Seth Rollins’ Black and Brave Wrestling Academy. In 2020, he made appearances in GCW, Warrior Wrestling, Black Label Pro, and Impact Wrestling. He also made several appearances on AEW television, including an appearance on AEW Late Night Dynamite on September 10, 2020 where he lost to Scorpio Sky.
Following his appearances on AEW television, he signed with the WWE later that year and made his debut on the NXT UK brand, adopting the name Nathan Frazer. He most recently lost a NXT United Kingdom title match on the edition of NXT UK that aired on March 3, losing to champion Ilja Dragunov.
Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith are getting another shot at the NXT UK Tag Team titles — this time in a two-out-of-three falls match.
NXT UK Tag Team Champions Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) will defend their titles against Carter & Smith in a two-out-of-three falls match in the main event of the NXT UK episode that airs in two weeks (Thursday, April 21). The match was announced during a segment where the two teams met with NXT UK management on this week’s episode of the show.
This February, Moustache Mountain retained their titles against Carter & Smith when Seven knocked Smith’s foot off the ropes before the referee could see it and call for a rope break.
After Carter & Smith challenged Moustache Mountain to another title match, it was set up that they would have to get their shot by facing Bate and Seven in singles matches. Carter defeated Bate, but Seven won his match against Smith by holding onto Smith’s tights while pinning him. Bate wasn’t happy with how Seven cheated to win.
Moustache Mountain won the NXT UK Tag Team titles from Pretty Deadly in December of last year.
Here’s what’s been announced for the next two weeks of NXT UK episodes:
Next Week —
A-Kid vs. Teoman
Gallus (Joe & Mark Coffey) vs. Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz
Eliza Alexander’s NXT UK in-ring debut (Alexander was formerly known as Lizzy Evo)
NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura and Isla Dawn go face-to-face
In Two Weeks —
Two-out-of-three falls match: NXT UK Tag Team Champions Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) defend against Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith
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
Amale dominated early. She caught Brookside off a body press and slammed her before getting a near fall with a suplex. Brookside foiled a corner attack, then stomped Amale. Brookside kept up her offense and locked in a Camel Clutch, which Amale eventually broke.
They traded strikes, with Amale getting the better of the exchange. “The French Hope” hit a Northern Lights suplex on Brookside for another two count. Brookside countered the Hopebreaker into a sunset flip and leg submission.
Brookside evaded a running knee in the corner but still ate one at ringside against the barricades. As Amale stood by the barricades, she suddenly was yanked against the barrier by the hair by an unknown woman (Lizzy Evo, a notable name on the UK indie scene), who also clotheslined Amale before vanishing into the crowd. Brookside then hit Broken Wings for the pinfall victory.
The woman then joined Brookside in the ring for a celebration.
– Isla Dawn cut a creepy promo on Meiko Satomura. Dawn had the NXT UK Women’s Championship belt that she stole and basically said she was holding it hostage until Satomura gave her what she wanted. Dawn never said what that was.
– A video hyped next week’s NXT UK Championship match between Ilja Dragunov and Roderick Strong, with a number of NXT UK talent giving their thoughts on the bout.
NXT UK Tag Team champion Trent Seven (w/ Tyler Bate) defeated Ashton Smith (w/ Oliver Carter)
The two traded power spots early until Seven got an early two count after a leg drop. Smith escaped an attempted Cobra Clutch, then hit a huge powerslam, a Snake Eyes, and a running shoulder block for a two count of his own.
Smith caught Seven coming off the top rope, then hoisted him up into a vertical suplex in a vulgar display of power. Seven came back with a huge superplex, but he couldn’t get the win with the subsequent pin.
Smith hit a clothesline after evading the Seven Star Lariat. Seven countered a sunset flip into one of his own and grabbed the ropes, which Tyler Bate disapproved of, so he let go. Seven then scored the pin with a handful of tights, which Bate also visibly was not happy about.
– A-Kid talked about facing Teoman soon.
– Wild Boar vowed to get his hands on Eddie Dennis.
– Moustache Mountain and Smith & Carter argued about the match result backstage. Sid Scala turned up and said they’d settle the issue in his office next week.
Tate Mayfairs defeated Kenny Williams by countout
Williams repeatedly refused to finish the match, pulling Mayfairs up from pinfalls. Eventually, Mayfairs laid motionless on the mat when Sam Gradwell appeared from under the ring. Gradwell chased Williams off and rolled Mayfairs into the ring, allowing Mayfairs to win by countout.
– Wolfgang talked about Mark Coffey being ready for his Heritage Cup match against Noam Dar tonight. Die Familie appeared and talked trash to Wolfgang. Charlie Dempsey then challenged him to a match, which will happen next week.
– Ilja Dragunov and Roderick Strong had a sit-down interview ahead of their title match next Thursday. This was really great. Strong said he respects Dragunov and Dragunov is at the top of his list. Strong said he’s held many titles but also lost them — and nothing pained him more than saying he “was” a champion. Dragunov has never experienced that with the NXT UK title — and Strong would be interested to see how Dragunov bounced back from that. Dragunov vowed that he won’t be the one losing.
NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship match: Noam Dar (w/ Sha Samuels) retained against Mark Coffey (w/ Joe Coffey) two falls to one in round five
Round One —
The round was pretty even. Dar drank from a hip flask that Samuels handed him. Dar used submissions late in the round as the clock ran out.
Round Two —
They went back and forth and Dar caught Coffey with a small package at 1:10 of the round. Dar 1-0
Round Three —
Coffey was dominant and scored a pin at 1:25 of the round after hitting an enzuigiri as Dar came off the ropes. Coffey 1-1
Round Four —
Coffey dominated the whole round until Dar caught him with the kneebar very late. Coffey was saved by the bell as he was writhing in pain.
Round Five —
Dar attacked early but was quickly overwhelmed. Coffey applied a Gator Lock and Dar looked like he was about to tap, but Samuels got on the apron and distracted Coffey. Joe Coffey also got in the ring. And as the referee was looking to restore order, Dar hit the Nova Roller for the deciding pinfall at 1:38 of the round to win 2-1.
Final Thoughts —
The main event was good, as basically always is the case when Noam Dar wrestles. Trent Seven vs. Ashton Smith was really good, with the gradual turn of Seven who cheats out of despair continuing. The debut of Lizzy Evo adds to Xia Brookside’s character, and the Sam Gradwell/Kenny Williams feud also got extended. More of a building block show for the future.
Next Week —
NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov defends against Roderick Strong
Die Familie (Charlie Dempsey & Rohan Raja) beat A-Kid & Saxon Huxley (08:25)
A-Kid and Dempsey started out and picked up where they left off in their last singles match. Both tagged out and Huxley slammed Raja to start things off but missed an elbow drop.
Dempsey and A-Kid met again with Dempsey gaining the upper hand. Raja and Dempsey worked over A-Kid in their corner and quickly tagged in and out to prevent A-Kid from tagging in Huxley.
A-Kid finally hit a dropkick on Dempsey in the corner, then evaded Raja to get Huxley back in the match. Huxley ran wild, then scored a near fall with a Thesz Press on Dempsey.
Dempsey got on a double wristlock before both tagged out again. A-Kid dropped Raja with a German suplex before double-teaming Raja with his new partner. As they looked to put Raja away, Teoman pulled A-Kid off the top rope, then shoved him into the stairs, allowing Raja to hit Seek and Destroy on Huxley for the pinfall victory.
**********
Amale was talking about tonight’s main event; Xia Brookside interrupted her and asked her for a rematch; Amale said she’d see what she could do. Xia was excited, then called her daddy and told him it was time.
**********
Wild Boar pinned T-Bone (04:38)
Boar came through the crowd and attacked all three members of Symbiosis before the match.
T-Bone briefly dominated, but Boar came back and ran wild. A distraction by Primate allowed T-Bone to take over at ringside. T-Bone attacked Boar’s previously injured knee, then got a near fall off a vertical suplex.
Boar eventually came back with a spear into the corner and a DDT for the win.
After the match, Boar chased Dennis backstage.
**********
Ilja Dragunov accepted Roderick’s Strong title challenge. He said they both knew that diamonds were made under pressure but he was a diamond that would not crack. They will meet in two weeks
Kenny Williams didn’t want to talk to the camera. He found his car tampered with and missing a tire. He said when he found out who had done this, they would pay.
**********
Jordan Devlin beat Danny Jones (4:45)
Devlin manhandled the larger Jones and beat him down with strikes and kicks. He took Jones down with a vicious knee off both men running at each other.
Devlin taunted Jones, who briefly got on offense and even scored two near falls.
Devlin hit a spinning cutter from the apron, then hit a brainbuster for the pin.
After the match, Devlin claimed he was way ahead of the roster.
**********
Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter talked about Smith’s upcoming match with Trent Seven. Smith vowed he would beat Seven and had scouted him well. Seven did some zen training with Tyler Bate and said he’d do whatever he needed to win. The match takes place next week.
Mark Coffey and Noam Dar talked about their Heritage Cup match next week. Dar beat the other two members of Gallus already and didn’t take Mark seriously. Mark vowed to win.
**********
NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura (c) defeated Isla Dawn to retain the title (08:04)
Dawn pushed Meiko’s face away and received forearms and leg kicks for an answer. She then quickly tied up and choked Satomura in the ropes. The champ came back with a number of kicks, leading to a near fall.
Dawn dominated an exchange at ringside, then scored a two count of her own. She followed with a chinlock but Meiko eventually escaped. Dawn kept the pressure up with more kicks and a double knee press.
Meiko came back with more strikes and a backdrop driver that almost won her the match. She followed with a frog splash, but Dawn got her knees up. Dawn followed with a fisherman’s suplex, but Meiko narrowly kicked out.
Dawn missed a top rope kick, then got hit with a Pele kick and dropped with a Death Valley Driver for another super close near fall. Isla got hit with a DDT, but evaded a handspring kneedrop.
Isla had Meiko on her shoulders, but the champion escaped and used a unique pinning combination to win the match.
After the match, Dawn stole the title belt and was being creepy with it.
Final Thoughts —
A fun show with nothing really standing out as spectacular.
The main event was good in the latter stages and the opener was good for brief periods when A-Kid and Dempsey were in with each other.
The Devlin match was a glorified squash and Wild Boar’s return match felt more like an angle to build up more matches with Symbiosis.
Next week —
NXT UK Heritage Cup: Noam Dar (c) vs. Mark Coffey
Trent Seven vs. Ashton Smith
Amale vs. Xia Brookside
In two weeks —
NXT UK Championship: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Roderick Strong
WWE has revealed when Roderick Strong is getting his shot at the NXT United Kingdom Championship.
Ilja Dragunov will defend his title against Strong on the NXT UK episode that airs in two weeks (Thursday, April 7). Strong challenged Dragunov to the title match after appearing on NXT UK last week.
Strong made his NXT UK debut by defeating Wolfgang in the main event of last week’s episode. After the match, Strong got on the microphone and called out Dragunov. Strong said he isn’t in NXT UK for a long time — he’s there for a good time. Strong said he’s there for the big-money fights, and he issued a challenge to Dragunov.
Dragunov accepted the challenge on this Thursday’s NXT UK episode. Dragunov said it will be his honor to collide with Strong in the ring, but Dragunov is a diamond that doesn’t crack under pressure.
Dragunov has been NXT UK Champion since winning the title from WALTER at NXT TakeOver 36 last August.
Strong is a member of Diamond Mine in NXT 2.0. On NXT next Tuesday, Strong will face Cameron Grimes and A-Kid in a last-chance Stand & Deliver qualifying match. The winner will become the final wrestler to qualify for the North American Championship ladder match at NXT Stand & Deliver on Saturday, April 2.
Here’s what’s been announced for the next two weeks of NXT UK episodes:
Thursday, March 31 —
Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar defends against Mark Coffey
Trent Seven vs. Ashton Smith
Amale vs. Xia Brookside
Thursday, April 7 —
NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov defends against Roderick Strong
An NXT 2.0 star looks to be the next challenger for Ilja Dragunov’s NXT United Kingdom Championship.
Roderick Strong made his NXT UK debut by defeating Wolfgang in the main event of this week’s episode of the show. After the match, Strong got on the microphone and issued a challenge to Dragunov.
“Listen, I’m not here for a long time — I’m here for a good time. And I’m here for the big-money fights,” Strong said. “This match isn’t the only reason I was here. Everybody knows who the big-money fight is. And Ilja Dragunov, I lay down the challenge and the ball is in your court.”
After the episode aired, WWE posted a video with Dragunov smiling as he watched Strong issue the challenge.
Dragunov has been NXT UK Champion since winning the title from WALTER at TakeOver 36 last August. He’s made successful title defenses against A-Kid, Rampage Brown, Jordan Devlin, and Nathan Frazer.
Strong is part of Diamond Mine in NXT 2.0. On next Tuesday’s NXT, Strong will face Solo Sikoa in a Stand & Deliver qualifying match. The winner will advance to the multi-man ladder match for Carmelo Hayes’ North American Championship at NXT Stand & Deliver during WrestleMania weekend.
A larger contingent of fans was back at BT Studios for this set of tapings.
Oliver Carter (w/ Ashton Smith) defeated Tyler Bate (w/ Trent Seven) (10:08)
The two teams agreed last week that they would meet in singles matches. If Smith and Carter win both, they’ll get another shot at Moustache Mountain’s NXT UK Tag Team titles.
Carter and Bate traded holds and counters early on, then transitioned into quick pinfall attempts. Carter took over with a number of kicks and got another two count before Bate dropkicked him out of the ring.
Back inside, Bate tried controlling Smith with a waistlock but ended up getting floored with a dropkick from the top before Carter went for more pins. Bate eventually caught him and hit an exploder, followed by a running Shooting Star Press for a two count of his own.
Bate took Carter up for an Airplane Spin, dropped him on his knees, and locked in an abdominal stretch and then an octopus hold, but Carter made the ropes. Carter escaped both a Tyler Driver ’97 and a German suplex attempt, then went on offense and hit a full nelson slam into a backbreaker for two.
They traded rolling koppu kicks. Bate hit the rope-assisted lariat and went for Tyler Driver ’97 once more, but Smith countered it into a hurricanrana for a close two count.
Bate was sitting on the top rope when Smith and Seven got into it at ringside and Seven shoved Smith into the steps. Bate managed to throw off Carter, who was looking to use the distraction. Bate then went for a flying European uppercut but was still distracted by the bickering at ringside, allowing Carter to turn the attack into a backslide for the somewhat upset of a win.
– A-Kid encountered a raving Saxon Huxley backstage as Huxley was in the middle of a photo shoot. A-Kid asked him to be his tag team partner against Die Familie — and Huxley eventually agreed.
– Wild Boar was in a video segment, swearing to bring revenge and everything he suffered through during the past year to Symbiosis.
Emilia McKenzie defeated Nina Samuels (8:45)
They went back and forth with wristlocks and grappling on the mat early on. McKenzie eventually hit a hurricanrana off the middle rope, but Samuels took back over.
Samuels locked in a kneeling abdominal stretch, but McKenzie eventually powered out and came back with a back suplex. Samuels dropkicked her into the ropes from behind, leading to a nearfall.
McKenzie hit a German suplex, which prompted Samuels to roll out of the ring. McKenzie followed up with a dive through the ropes, but — back in the ring — was promptly thrown off the top rope by the hair. Samuels then missed a top rope moonsault, allowing McKenzie to hit a spear to gain the pinfall victory.
– Mark Coffey came out of Sid Scala’s office, then revealed to his brother Joe that Mark would receive a Heritage Cup title match against Noam Dar.
– Kenny Williams found a note on his locker reading “You’ve made a lot of enemies” and “Tick Tock.” The note either came from Sam Gradwell, whose mohawk he cut off a few weeks ago, or someone found some old scribblings of Karrion Kross.
– Eddie Dennis and the rest of Symbiosis went into Scala’s office as they had been asked to. Scala revealed that Wild Boar requested a match with Dennis, who replied that he was pretty much a manager these days. Dennis suggested that Boar take on either T-Bone or Primate. Scala said he had to make a call.
Stevie Turner defeated Aleah James (4:10)
After Turner took her down with shoulderblocks, James quickly came back with a dropkick, a Matrix bridge, and more innovative offense. Turner retaliated with a kick to the face and a chinlock.
James made a comeback with running crossbodys before getting almost pinned after a jumping uranage. Suddenly, James came back with a bridging O’Connor Roll for the flash pin.
– Sha Samuels had the odds for the Dar vs. Mark Coffey Heritage Cup title match on a whiteboard. Dar complained about having to face Coffey. Someone called and bet on Mark winning, and Samuels excitedly told them he’d up the odds for that as he and Dar snickered.
– A video recapped the past and recent history between NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura and Isla Dawn. Dawn said the version of her that Satomura defeated in her very first match in NXT UK is gone and she has collected all the trinkets she needs over the past few months. Dawn said she’ll take Satomura’s title, while Satomura said she can not lose. The two will meet in a title match next week.
Roderick Strong defeated Wolfgang (9:50)
Strong got under Wolfgang’s skin before the match started, then kept evading the big Scot and repeatedly fled to ringside. Wolfgang eventually caught him in a headlock, then hit an overhead, judo-style suplex.
Wolfgang manhandled Strong around the ring, leading to Strong stumbling to ringside once more. Strong used some questionable tactics to regain the upper hand and hit a stomp over the ropes.
Strong kept grinding down Wolfgang, working over his back and neck. Wolfgang made it back to his feet, threw Strong into the corner, and hit another hip toss. He went up top and came down on Strong with a double axe handle. They went back and forth until Wolfgang hit another suplex but missed a spear into the corner. Strong then hit a running knee right to Wolfgang’s face to score the win. Strong was bleeding above the right eye by the end of the match.
Strong got on the mic after the match, saying that he’s not here for a long time but for a good time and he’s looking for the big fight. He called out NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov, stating the ball is in Dragunov’s court.
Final Thoughts —
The opener was really good. People know Bate is excellent, but they shouldn’t sleep on Carter, who is also a tremendous and entertaining wrestler.
McKenzie vs. Samuels was another good match, with Samuels looking better than she has in recent months. James vs. Turner was alright. James has charisma but seems a bit overexcited at times and isn’t as crisp as she could be yet.
The main event was fun, even though Strong didn’t look as much a killer as he probably should when calling out the champion. Strong vs. Dragunov should be very good. though.
Next Week:
NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura defends against Isla Dawn
– Noam Dar and Joe Coffey talked about their Heritage Cup Championship match tonight. Coffey said it will be his first match under Heritage Cup rules.
– Charlie Dempsey was asked about where Die Familie was. He said he didn’t need them for this match — it’s just A-Kid and him.
Charlie Dempsey defeated A-Kid by submission (12:30)
Both men were looking to grapple early. They traded armbars, wristlocks, and hammerlocks on the mat. A-Kid and Dempsey each displayed their prowess of mat wrestling with holds, counter-holds, and escapes.
At one point, Dempsey got into a bridging position on his head. Even when A-Kid stood on top of him, he couldn’t break Dempsey’s bridge. A European uppercut by Dempsey then sent A-Kid to ringside. They traded more uppercuts, then A-Kid went for a backslide and transitioned it into an octopus hold that had Dempsey grasping for the ropes.
A-Kid hit a stiff kick that rocked Dempsey. They ended up on the mat with A-Kid going for a number of leg submissions. Dempsey went for Cattle Mutilation and then transitioned into an armbar and a kneebar before A-Kid countered into an armbar of his own.
Dempsey hit a perfect dragon suplex for a close two count. A-Kid went for an omoplata, but Dempsey countered with an overhead Gotch lift. They rocked each other with simultaneous elbow strikes, then Dempsey sent A-Kid out of the ring with a double-handed palm strike. With the referee holding Dempsey back and having his back turned to A-Kid, Rohan Raja suddenly jumped the railing, sent A-Kid head-first into the post, and rolled him back in the ring. From his positioning with the ref, Dempsey may or may not have seen Raja’s attack.
Dempsey then basically twisted A-Kid into a pretzel, stretching both his leg and neck. Dempsey interlocked his hands for the submission victory. This was outstanding.
– Sid Scala was about to announce that a star from the United States will appear on NXT UK next week. Wolfgang interrupted and asked about a new challenge. Scala then revealed that Wolfgang will face Roderick Strong on next Thursday’s episode.
– WWE recapped the Meiko Satomura/Isla Dawn segment from a few weeks ago, and it was announced that Satomura will defend her NXT UK Women’s Championship against Dawn in two weeks.
– Aleah James was asked about the future of the title picture in the women’s division. She was interrupted by Stevie Turner and they had words.
Symbiosis (T-Bone & Primate w/ Eddie Dennis) defeated Josh Morrell & Danny Jones (6:07)
Primate threw Morrell around early, then ate a dropkick before tagging out. Jones came in and held his own with T-Bone. Morrell went for a springboard crossbody, but T-Bone caught him and it was all downhill from there.
T-Bone smashed Morrell into the corner upside down, then punished him with more punches. Morrell eventually made the hot tag and Jones ran wild briefly. Morrell then actually hit a twisting corkscrew senton onto T-Bone for a two count, but he quickly fell victim to a top rope headbutt by Primate. Primate pinned Morrell to get the win.
As Symbiosis celebrated in the ring, Wild Boar suddenly returned after being absent due to injury for more than a year. He swung a chair into Primate’s back, then hit T-Bone in the gut with it and flattened him with a lariat before focusing on Eddie Dennis, who quickly got struck down. Dennis begged off and Symbiosis pulled him to safety, but all three men looked shocked to see Primate’s former partner in The Hunt return.
– Nina Samuels looked to tape another episode of her “show” at the UK Performance Center and encountered Emilia McKenzie. After they had a few words, McKenzie insulted her and walked off.
– Moustache Mountain and Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith were in a heated discussion backstage. Carter & Smith wanted another shot at Moustache Mountain’s NXT UK Tag Team titles, but Tyler Bate and Trent Seven said that Smith and Carter first had to beat them in singles matches. The first takes place with Carter facing Bate next week.
NXT Heritage Cup Championship match: Noam Dar retained against Joe Coffey by 2 falls to 1 (15:44)
Round One —
They went back and forth early, with Coffey dominating. Coffey was going for a Boston Crab as the round ended.
Round Two —
Coffey dominated with power moves, a German suplex, and the Glasgow Sendoff. He got a pin at 2:25 of the round. Coffey 1-0
Round Three —
Coffey repeatedly took down Dar with waistlocks. He hit a double-jump crossbody for a two count but got distracted by Sha Samuels at ringside. Dar had the kneebar on but Coffey escaped. Dar then caught Coffey in a pinning combination to take the next fall at 1:48 of the round. Dar 1-1
Round Four —
Dar dominated early, working over Coffey’s knees. Coffey ended up on the apron and hit a slingshot shoulder block, followed by an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Coffey locked in the Boston Crab with 15 seconds to go, but Dar grabbed the ropes.
They brawled at ringside as the round ended and had to be separated by their cornermen. Dar landed a cheap shot as they were being pulled apart.
Round Five —
Dar started with a running dropkick into the corner, then followed with another running kick for a two count. He went for the Nova Roller, but Coffey stopped him in mid-air with a Glasgow Sendoff and scored a two count. Coffey hit a lariat for another near fall.
They traded strikes, then Coffey hit a discus lariat, but Samuels put Dar’s foot on the rope, prompting Mark Coffey to take Samuels out. Dar used the confusion to hit the Nova Roller and score the deciding pinfall at 2:53 of the round. Dar wins 2-1
Final Thoughts —
The opening match between A-Kid and Charlie Dempsey was just fantastic. They put on a mat-wrestling clinic like few can in WWE. Both have future superstar written all over them, if they are being used the right way. If this was A-Kid’s NXT UK farewell, he went out with a bang here. It will also be interesting if Die Familie getting involved in Dempsey’s issues will lead to an eventual split.
The tag match was decent and Morrell and Jones could easily be featured in a more prominent role as both are good. Wild Boar returning gives Symbiosis something to do and may also lead to Boar reuniting with his former friends in Subculture down the line.
The Heritage Cup main event was good — if a bit predictable. The right guy won for where they are going with the Cup at the moment.
Next Week —
Roderick Strong vs. Wolfgang
Tyler Bate vs. Oliver Carter
In Two Weeks —
NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura defends against Isla Dawn
A member of the NXT 2.0 roster is set to make their NXT UK debut next week.
During this week’s NXT UK episode, it was announced that Roderick Strong will be a special guest on NXT UK next Thursday. He’ll be facing Wolfgang on the show.
While Sid Scala was making the announcement, Wolfgang interrupted Scala and said he wants something that will help take him to the next level. Scala said NXT UK management has noticed the momentum Wolfgang has been on, and he announced that Wolfgang will be Strong’s opponent next week.
Strong is part of Diamond Mine in NXT 2.0. The faction is managed by Malcolm Bivens and also includes The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) and Ivy Nile.
It’s also been announced that — in an attempt for Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith to get another shot at Tyler Bate & Trent Seven’s NXT UK Tag Team titles — Carter and Smith will be facing Bate and Seven in singles matches. Carter vs. Bate will take place on next Thursday’s NXT UK.
Plus, WWE has revealed that Meiko Satomura will defend her NXT UK Women’s Championship against Isla Dawn on the NXT UK episode that airs in two weeks (Thursday, March 24).
Samuels dominated briefly, but Coffey took over quickly. Samuels eventually hit a Michinoku driver, then worked over Coffey’s arm.
Coffey came back with a flying kick for a near fall. They exchanged strikes until Coffey hit a full nelson slam, then followed up with the Crowning Glory for the pinfall victory.
**********
– A-Kid was working out with somebody at the NXT UK Performance Center. Charlie Dempsey came up and asked A-Kid to teach him the technique he just used. A-Kid declined, telling Dempsey that he’d use it to someone’s disadvantage. Dempsey told him that even though he hung out with Teoman and Rohit Raja, that’s not who he was. Teoman and Raja then attacked A-Kid from behind. Dempsey tried to stop them, but eventually joined in.
– Isla Dawn hung out in her secret hideout in the woods, fooling around with the flowers she stole from Meiko Satomura recently. She also sang a song about “standing tall,” then put one of the flowers into her box of trinkets. Still scarier than Alexa and her doll.
– Moustache Mountain and Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter argued about their recent match. Seven said he just did what was necessary to win (push Smith’s foot off the rope as Bate pinned him); Carter said that Moustache Mountain hadn’t won the belts on their first try either. They agreed to another match.
**********
Jack Starz & Dave Mastiff defeated Pretty Deadly (Lewis Howley & Sam Stoker) (10:34)
Starz came out with a Mastiff-style lather vest.
Mastiff and Howley started, with Mastiff dominating early. Howley attacked the Bomber’s leg and got him to his knees. Starz and Stoker were in next, with Starz and Mastiff quickly tagging in and out to wear down their opponent.
Howley managed to tag in, but didn’t fare any better. Pretty Deadly finally managed to sneak in a blind tag and took over. They hit a splash/leg drop combo for a near fall. They followed up with a double-team bulldog for another close two count.
Starz finally managed to tag in Mastiff, after he briefly managed to help his partner from the apron. He ran wild before being stopped by a DDT from Stoker. Stoker mockingly put on Starz’s jacket but got caught with a German suplex by Mastiff.
Starz furiously asked to be tagged in, then put on the vest and ran wild. He escaped a powerbomb attempt by Stoker, then hit a powerbomb of his own for the pin and the win.
**********
– Xia Brookside was upset about having lost another match and called her dad on the phone to complain and ask for his help.
– Some guy went through the woods and looked around. Some creature watched him from the trees. The final words of the segment were “For you, the hunt is over. For me, the hunt has just begun.” This might be the returning Wild Boar.
– Noam Dar and Joe Coffey talked about their Heritage Cup match next week.
**********
NXT UK Championship: Ilja Dragunov defeated Nathan Frazer to retain the title (14:42)
They jockeyed for position early, with Ilja taking Frazer down with a judo throw/suplex. Frazer then used his speed to take down the champion. Dragunov quickly retaliated and attacked Frazer on the ground.
Frazer went for a springboard move, but Ilja took him out with a kick to the head. Dragunov locked in a cobra clutch briefly, then foiled a number of speed-based attacks by Frazer.
He hit two German suplexes, but Frazer rolled through on a third. Dragunov still caught him in mid-air and hit a third, Gotch-style German suplex. Frazer came back with a superkick and hurricanrana for a near fall. He evaded the Konstantin Special, turning it into a quebrada/elbow drop combo.
Frazer hurt Dragunov’s arm, causing the champion trouble to use a number of his trademark moves. Frazer hit a top rope hurricanrana, followed by a Phoenix splash for a close near fall.
Ilja turned another hurricanrana attempt into a powerbomb, then followed up with a falling elbow strike for good measure, but couldn’t get the win. Frazer hit a German suplex, but Dragunov hit a lariat with his injured right arm.
Dragunov then finally hit Torpedo Moscow to score the pin and defend his title.
Ilja pulled Frazer to his feet and shook his hand, congratulating him on a battle well fought.
Final thoughts —
The main event was a fantastic match, one of the highlights of 2022 in NXT UK.
The tag team match was fun and a bit of an upset, with Starz, who in the past was more of a glorified jobber, gaining a pinfall victory over the previous Tag champions.
The Diamond Mine member took part in a set of television tapings held today at the BT Sports Studio in London. This is the first time he’s taken part in an NXT UK event.
Good to see @roderickstrong make an appearance for #NXTUK really enjoyed his match and I was sad about @Malcolmvelli not making the trip to London guessing his schedules clashed. Thanks Malcolm for bringing Roddy to London pic.twitter.com/6fRhASdVT6
Strong hasn’t wrestled since he took part in a dark match on the February 4 SmackDown tapings, losing to Tommaso Ciampa. His last match on NXT was three days earlier when he teamed with The Creed Brothers, losing to Imperium.
Social media posts from the tapings also indicate that Lizzy Evo and Tate Mayfairs made their NXT UK debuts at the taping as well. 23-year-old Evo is from the Liverpool area and worked a set of NXT UK tapings held in November. She also wrestled NXT UK’s Emilia McKenzie in a match for CATCH Pro Wrestling last month. Mayfairs is from London as well and has worked for promotions such as PROGRESS and RWP as of late.
