WWE has confirmed the next challenger to Ilja Dragunov’s NXT United Kingdom Championship.
Dragunov will defend his title against Nathan Frazer on next Thursday’s episode of NXT UK. The match was made official on this week’s NXT UK after Dragunov accepted a challenge that had been issued to him by Frazer last Thursday.
Frazer is coming off a win two weeks ago against Teoman of Die Familie. Prior to that, Frazer lost to WALTER in the main event of the January 13 edition of NXT UK.
This will be Dragunov’s fourth title defense since defeating WALTER for the NXT UK Championship at TakeOver 36 last August. He’s successfully defended the title against A-Kid, Rampage Brown, and Jordan Devlin thus far.
Here’s the full list of what’s been announced for next Thursday’s NXT UK:
NXT United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov defends against Nathan Frazer
Mark Coffey vs. Sha Samuels (Gallus and Noam Dar banned from ringside)
Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley) vs. Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz
On the NXT UK episode that airs in two weeks, Dar will defend his Heritage Cup Championship against Joe Coffey.
Amale outwrestled Brookside early on, leading to her complaining. Brookside eventually came back with a vicious attack and hit a running knee attack to the back of Amale’s head as she hung in the ropes.
Brookside locked in an armbar and further wore Amale down, until “The French Hope” came back with a samoan drop, running knee, clothesline and running senton. Amale smashed her head into the turnbuckles with a drop toehold, followed by a running kick in the corner and the Hopebreaker for the pin and the win.
– Gallus, Sha Samuels and Noam Dar were in Sid Scala’s office. Scala announced that in two weeks, Dar would defend the Heritage Cup against Joe Coffey. Mark Coffey and Samuels argued and Scala proposed they settle their issues in the ring.
– Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff had their latest lesson called “Bomber Initiative.” For some reason, Starz cut holes into Pretty Deadly’s shirts and they complained, presumably leading to a match between the two teams next week.
Rohan Raja defeated Danny Jones (5:00)
Jones dominated early before Raja briefly stopped him with a forearm. After some more offense, Raja retreated to ringside to consult his teammates. He eventually attacked Jones on the outside and took over from there.
Raja methodically wore him down until the Welshman came back with an enzuigiri and backdrop driver. He followed with another suplex for a near fall.
Raja eventually hit a backstabber, followed by Seek and Destroy and a pin to gain the victory.
After the match, Die Familie stomped on Jones. Charlie Dempsey briefly hesitated, but eventually joined in.
– Symbiosis were in a promo video where they said they were supposed to win. Eddie Dennis whispered to them that an arrow can only be shot into the heart of their enemies when the string gets pulled back first. He told them to keep calm and focused.
– A truck driver drove through darkness and ate a burger, which distracted him from the road. He saw something and braked hard. He got out of the truck and found some hair or fur on the ground. Some creature ran through the woods nearby. Then the scene cut to black.
– Samuels and Mark Coffey continued to argue backstage.
– Die Familie walked by a visibly angry A-Kid. He grabbed Dempsey, prompting Teoman and Raja to get involved. Dempsey calmed them down and asked A-Kid what he wanted to say. A-Kid said he thought Dempsey was better than that. Dempsey shrugged and said, “Maybe.” A-Kid then walked off, obviously still not pleased with the answer he got.
NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura celebration
Andy Shepherd was in the ring and welcomed NXT UK Women’s champion Meiko Satomura. They looked at a video package, showing her highlights. He presented her with flowers. Just as she started thanking everybody, the lights went out and Isla Dawn appeared behind the barricades.
She got into the ring and talked about how she thanked Satomura to give her something to desire. She said the one final trophy she lacked was the one Satomura was holding. The champion told her to just ask for a match if that’s what she wanted.
Isla said she did not ask, she takes. She then kicked Satomura in the face and stole her flowers. She slunk to the back and started eating the flowers. Ok, then. She is still scarier than Alexa Bliss and her doll.
– Sam Gradwell was backstage, looking at his bald head. He was furious and talked about his little son asking who did that to his hair. He said he just sees “that little cockroach” (Kenny Williams) when he looks into the mirror and Williams would not forget what he was going to do to him.
– NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov answered Nathan Frazier’s championship challenge from last week. He accepted and told Frazer he was good but not ready to become champion. He said he himself had to win a battle royal and then did not win the title because he wasn’t ready and his journey to the title was long and hard. He said Frazier would lose, but it would be the first step on his journey. The match between the two men takes place next week.
NXT UK Tag Team Champions Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) defeated Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter (13:03) to retain
Bate and Carter had some back-and forth exchanges early. Seven was in next and got worked over by Carter but quickly regained control once Smith was tagged in. The champs scored the first two count on Smith as Bate hit a somersault senton.
The challengers tried some double-team action, but Carter ended up in an airplane spin by Bate. He quickly came back from the attack and hit a top rope hurricanrana on Bate.
Bate turned things around but Seven was off the apron as Carter had taken him out seconds earlier. Bate still hit a running shooting star press for a near fall and finally tagged in Seven.
Seven held his own against both men, hitting the Seven Star Lariat and the Emerald Frosion on Smith but Carter made the save. Bate was in next and was almost pinned after a huge spinning sitout power bomb. He also kicked out of an assisted moonsault by Carter.
Smith hit a top rope leg lariat, followed by a Doomsday Cutter by Carter for what looked like the win, only for Seven to make the save at the last second. Some chaotic seconds later, Bate and Smith were in the ring.
They exchanged strikes until Bate hit Smith with a straight left that possibly knocked him out. Bate went for the pin but Smith got his foot on the rope. As the ref was already counting, Seven ran up to Smith on the outside and pushed his foot off behind the referee’s (and Bate’s) back giving the champs the win.
Final Thoughts:
This was a fun show with some interesting developments. Amale keeps looking good and there obviously is some storyline/match coming up between A-Kid and Dempsey. There will also be a Satomura vs. Dawn title match happening down the road.
The tag team main event was great and the seeds for a Moustache Mountain split ever so carefully get planted with Seven doing everything to hold on to championship gold, even if it means doing the wrong thing.
Next week:
NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov vs. Nathan Frazier in a title match
Mark Coffey vs. Sha Samuels
Pretty Deadly vs. Dave Mastiff and Jack Starz
In two weeks:
NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar vs. Joe Coffey in a title match
As per usual, this week’s show was taped from BT Sports Studios in London, England.
Sam Gradwell defeated Kenny Williams
After Gradwell made his entrance, Williams came out on crutches and announced he would be unable to compete. Sid Scala then appeared on the big screen and said the medical team had no record of his injury and the match would take place.
Gradwell attacked Williams on the outside before the bell. Williams was still only in his street clothes as he apparently assumed his ruse would get him out of the match. A grabbing of the mohawk and a rake of the eyes would then get Williams back into it after the early flurry from Gradwell.
Williams wasn’t on offense for long after Gradwell battled back with a series of clotheslines. Williams then attempted to get back into things by whiplashing Gradwell off the ropes. He then attempted a sunset flip pin, but Gradwell hooked his legs and pinned him for the win.
After the match, Williams grabbed a crutch and attacked Gradwell from behind. With his opponent down, Williams went to the outside and grabbed a pair of scissors from a toolbox under the ring. He then got back in the ring and snipped off Gradwell’s mohawk.
– Gallus was shown in the back watching footage from last week’s show when they took over an episode of Supernova Sessions. Wolfgang didn’t seem to be in a good mood, however, likely due to Devlin attacking him in the back last week. He told the Coffey boys to watch what he does tonight.
– Xia Brookside was interviewed in the back. She was very excited until she was asked if she’s a positive role model like Amale. The mention of Amale really upset Brookside who stormed off and said that her daddy would hear about this.
– Clips of Dave Mastiff showing Jack Starz what he needs to do in order to earn his respect and a vest were shown. Mastiff ran through three challenges Starz must meet in order to earn a cut. Challenge #1 was he had to be in peak physical condition. Clips were then shown of Mastiff running him through a series of exercises. Challenge #2 was labeled “Bomber Appetite.” He then forced Jack to eat a lot. Challenge #3 was labeled “Bomber Guts.” We then cut to a clip of Mastiff encouraging Jack to streak across a field, but Jack ran away before doing it.
– We cut to a clip of Sam Gradwell looking for Kenny Williams in the back. He kicked in some doors but never found him.
Emilia McKenzie defeated Angel Hayze
They exchanged pinning combinations early before Hayze locked McKenzie in a headlock and refused to let go. McKenzie eventually broke the hold and went on a sustained period of offense.
Hayze fought back and landed a series of clotheslines. She looked to go for a fisherman’s suplex but McKenzie countered. McKenzie then hit a neckbreaker and followed with a suplex. Hayze fought back with a superkick that got a two count. She then went for a cazadora but McKenzie countered and slammed her face first into the mat and got the pin.
– Andy Shepherd interviewed Nathan Frazer in the back. Frazer said he wants to face Ilja Dragunov for the NXT UK Championship.
– Die Familie was shown in either a high rise apartment or hotel room. Teoman talked about having lost last week in the main event and promised that nobody will stop them moving forward.
Stevie Turner defeated Myla Grace
Tuner hit the first big move with a Lou Thesz press, followed by punches from the full mount position. She then got a two count after a big knee lift shortly after.
Grace made a comeback after fighting out of a chinlock. She hit a feint kick and a tornado DDT, but Turner put things away shortly after. Turner hit a big pump kick, followed by a side slam and got the pin.
– Sid Scala announced that he will present NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura with a special gift next week to thank her for all she’s done for the brand.
– A video previewing the Tag Team title match between Moustache Mountain against Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter was shown. Trent Seven and Tyler Bate said being champions gives them more motivation than they’ve ever had. Smith and Carter said that while the champions have beaten them before, they haven’t beaten them when they are this close to achieving their dream. It was announced that this match will take place next week.
– It was also announced that Xia Brookside will face Amale next week.
Jordan Devlin defeated Wolfgang
They noted on commentary that Devlin is likely still feeling the impact of his recent empty arena match with Dragunov. Wolfgang then started to work the arm early in the match.
Devlin tried to fight back, but Wolfgang hit a series of shoulderblocks and knocked his opponent to the outside. It was all Wolfgang early. He got a two count from a vertical suplex and went back to working the arm.
Devlin only got back into things after ramming his opponent into the steel post after the match had spilled to the floor. He sold his arm for a bit before going on his first sustained period of offense. Devlin had Wolfgang locked in an armbar for a bit. Shortly after, Wolfgang picked up Devlin in a gorilla press but couldn’t hold him up due to his injured arm.
Devlin then continued to work on Wolfgang’s arm after it was the focus of Wolfgang’s attacks earlier.
Wolfgang eventually fought back by slingshotting Devlin over the top rope and to the floor. He went for a double axe handle but could only use his one good arm for the move. Wolfgang then got a two count off a senton shortly after.
Devlin dodged a charge in the corner and hit a headbutt to get back into it. He then got a two count after a springboard cutter. Wolfgang then hit a big spear, but the pain from his injured arm prevented him from making a timely cover. He went to the top rope but was caught by Devlin who hit him with a spanish fly. He followed that up with a 450 splash to get the pin.
Devlin celebrated his victory as the show came to a close.
Final Thoughts:
This was a fun show. The main event was a very solid match. The other matches were all pretty quick but McKenzie and Turner both came off well. The opening angle with Gradwell and Williams was also pretty good. The cutting off of the mohawk I would imagine will lead to some type of stipulation match down the line. The Mastiff and Starz comedy stuff could turn out to be funny, but also might not. Overall, this was a good show.
A segment involving Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura is set for next week’s NXT UK.
WWE has announced that a celebration for Satomura will take place on NXT UK next Thursday. It was said that Satomura will be presented with a thank you gift in the ring by NXT UK management for everything she’s done for the brand both in the United Kingdom and in Japan.
Satomura won the NXT UK Women’s Championship from Kay Lee Ray last June. In her most recent title defense, Satomura retained against Blair Davenport by referee stoppage when Davenport suffered an ankle injury. After the show aired, Davenport posted a tweet thanking everyone for the love they showed her. Davenport wrote that she’ll be back before you know it.
That match was Satomura’s second title defense against Davenport. She also defeated Davenport to retain the title on an episode of NXT UK last month.
An NXT UK Tag Team title match with Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) defending against Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith will headline next Thursday’s episode. Xia Brookside vs. Amale is also set for the show.
Earlier this month, Dragunov returned to PROGRESS to confront Cara Noir at Chapter 128. The confrontation took place after Cara Noir retained the PROGRESS World Championship against Dean Allmark.
Cara Noir has been PROGRESS World Champion since January 2020. He’s set to defend the title against Shane “Swerve” Strickland at Chapter 129 this Sunday.
PROGRESS has also announced that Warren Banks will be getting a PROGRESS World title shot at the 10th Anniversary Show, which indicates that Cara Noir would be wrestling twice if he’s still champion.
Dragunov has held the NXT United Kingdom Championship since winning the title from WALTER at TakeOver 36 last August.
Dragunov vs. Cara Noir isn’t currently announced as being a title match.
At the end of December, it was revealed that PROGRESS Wrestling had been sold to Lee McAteer and Martyn Best. McAteer and Best are associate directors of English Football League Two soccer team Tranmere Rovers.
PROGRESS shows are uploaded to Peacock/WWE Network and Demand PROGRESS.
WWE has revealed when Moustache Mountain will be making their first defense of the NXT UK Tag Team titles.
Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) will put their titles on the line against Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith on the NXT UK episode that premieres in two weeks (Thursday, February 24). Carter & Smith won a four-team tournament to become the number one contenders to Bate & Seven’s titles.
Carter & Smith defeated Symbiosis (Primate & T-Bone) in the first round of the number one contender’s tournament and Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz in the finals.
In December, Moustache Mountain captured the NXT UK Tag Team titles for the first time by defeating Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley).
Bate & Seven vs. Carter & Smith is a matchup of babyface teams.
For next week’s NXT UK episode, WWE has announced two matches. They are: Jordan Devlin vs. Wolfgang and Kenny Williams vs. Sam Gradwell.
As always, this week’s show was taped at BT Sports Studios in London, England.
Amale defeated Nina Samuels (5:18)
They showed the “Nina Samuels Show” segment from last week that set up this match.
The two went back and forth early before Samuels evaded a running kick to the corner by rolling to ringside. She beat up Amale on the outside and continued the onslaught in the ring. She hit a twisting slingshot splash for a near fall and locked in a chin lock.
Amale came back with clotheslines and a senton. She eventually hit the running knee into the corner, followed by the Hopebreaker for the pin.
— There was more “etiquette training” with A-Kid and Saxon Huxley. A-Kid tried to teach him to say “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.” Huxley screamed the lyrics and mixed them up instead. As A-Kid left the room, he calmly and correctly recited them and called A-Kid a “very nice man.” When A-Kid returned, he screamed again.
— Noam Dar and Sha Samuels entered their dressing room. Someone snuck up behind them, stole the Heritage Cup trophy and locked them inside the room as they screamed.
— A recap aired of last week’s match between Blair Davenport and Meiko Satomura where Davenport hurt her ankle. There was no medical update.
— A clip aired from last week’s tag team tournament finals with Oliver Carter and Ashton Smith confronting Moustache Mountain backstage after their win. The teams were friendly, but Moustache Mountain told them that they would be on top for the foreseeable future. That match will take place in two weeks.
Supernova Sessions Gallus Boys on Top with Jordan Devlin
Gallus hijacked Noam Dar’s show and rebranded it “Gallus Boys on Top.” Mark Coffey was the host with Joe Coffey and Wolfgang on the couch. They called out Jordan Devlin.
Devlin was annoyed, but Coffey promised to conduct the interview as a professional. They asked Devlin what was next after losing to Ilja Dragunov. Dar and Samuels then walked up to the set and were upset.
They argued back and forth with Dar claiming that Joe Coffey would never be a champion as long as he was around. Dar grabbed the Heritage Cup, but Joe Coffey held onto it and told Dar to enjoy it while he had it.
— Jack Starz was backstage, looking like he ate one of Dave Mastiff’s jackets. Mastiff asked what he was doing. Starz said that last week, Mastiff didn’t tag him in in the tag team tournament finals. He said he wanted to be like Mastiff and earn his respect. Mastiff said he’d think about it.
— Kenny Williams cut a promo on Sam Gradwell, likening himself to a thunderstorm.
A-Kid defeated Saxon Huxley (7:03)
A-Kid used his technique to control Huxley, but Huxley used his power to thwart him. Huxley hit a Thesz press and repeatedly slammed A-Kid into the mat.
Huxley kept manhandling the smaller man until A-Kid managed to lock in an Octopus hold. A-Kid tried to go for the omoplata, but Huxley turned it into a backbreaker. A-Kid followed up with some high flying and tried more submissions, but Huxley was still too strong.
A-Kid hit a flying superkick, but Huxley grabbed his wrist. A-Kid followed with an enzuigiri, but Huxley still would not let go. A-Kid then hit a springboard moonsault into a DDT for the pin and the win. Huxley was upset after the loss, but still shook A-Kid’s hand.
— Gallus walked backstage, being goofy. Wolfgang departed from the group and promptly was attacked by Devlin with a chair. Devlin reclaimed his sunglasses which Wolfgang had stolen some time back.
— A-Kid was interviewed about his match with Huxley and said he thought that Huxley had found himself. Die Familie (Teoman and Rohan Raja) walked up and glared at A-Kid. Charlie Dempsey briefly stopped to stare at A-Kid, who acknowledged him. Dempsey acknowledged him back.
Nathan Frazer defeated Teoman (w/ Die Familie) (13:15)
Frazer dominated early, frustrating Teoman. Teoman eventually caught Frazer off a springboard attempt and dropped him throat first across the top rope.
Teoman was firmly in control, grinding Frazer down with a headlock. Frazer eventually managed to escape and threw Teoman to ringside. Teoman trapped him with the ring apron as he slid to the outside, but Frazer came back with a moonsault off the barricades. Teoman used the ring apron once more to blindside Frazer and stomp him in the head and neck.
Teoman locked in a surfboard submission, but Frazer turned it into a pinning combination. Frazer briefly made a comeback, but sold his neck and could not keep his attack up. He finally hit a superkick and both men were down.
Frazer hit a sling blade after which Teoman retreated to ringside. Frazer hit a huge crossbody on all members of Die Familie, then followed up with a splash off the top for a near fall.
Frazer went for a quebrada, but Teoman dropkicked him in mid-air and then scored a number of near-falls. Teoman stomped Frazer’s neck, but he managed to hit an enzuigiri and went to the top rope. Both Raja and Dempsey tried to distract him, allowing Teoman to sneak up on him from behind. Frazer still managed to elbow Teoman off him and then hit a Phoenix Splash to pin the head of Die Familie.
Final Thoughts:
This was a good show. The women’s opener was decent, A-Kid vs. Huxley was a good small/big man fight, and the main event was a very good match between two excellent workers. I am also looking forward to A-Kid vs. Dempsey which was teased earlier. Gallus hijacking Dar’s show also was entertaining.
Next week:
Jordan Devlin vs. Wolfgang
Kenny Williams vs. Sam Gradwell
In two weeks:
NXT UK Tag Team Champions Moustache Mountain vs. Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter title match
Candy Floss has departed NXT UK following the expiration of her WWE contract.
In a statement posted on Twitter today, the 22-year-old Candy Floss (real name Amy Samrdzija) announced that her WWE contract expired in December of last year. Candy Floss thanked WWE for supporting her as she was diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety during the pandemic following the death of her mother in May 2019.
After making several appearances on NXT UK as an unsigned talent, it was officially announced in January 2020 that Candy Floss had signed with WWE. She hasn’t wrestled since 2019 but wrote in her statement today that she’s feeling much better following her battle with mental health issues. Candy Floss wrote that she hopes to return to the ring sometime soon and thanked everyone for supporting her.
Candy Floss’ full statement is available below:
In May 2019 I lost my mum to cancer then in January 2020 I signed with NXT UK.
Unfortunately, my dream career with WWE got put on hold when, during the pandemic, I was diagnosed with severe PTSD and anxiety because of the trauma I experienced witnessing my favorite person, my mum, fight for her life. I decided I needed to put my mental health first and WWE couldn’t have been more supportive. In December 2021 my contract with WWE expired. It is very sad for me as I wish my journey with WWE didn’t have to end like this as I’ve worked so hard to get signed. I just want to say thank you to WWE for dealing with me so well as I know it’s not an easy situation, I’m very grateful for it all.
From fighting in the ring nearly every day, I found myself being in the biggest fight with my mental health. On a positive note, I am doing so much better! My dream isn’t over, life just decided to be very unfair (not so sweet ) towards me. Hopefully I will be back in the ring again sometime soon and hurt my 90 year old back again.
NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov made his first PROGRESS Wrestling appearance in nearly two years at today’s Chapter 128 event in Manchester, England.
Following Cara Noir’s successful defense of the PROGRESS World title, the lights dimmed. Dragunov then appeared in the ring to confront Noir, who claimed the PROGRESS title back in January 2020 in a five-way match also involving Dragunov.
No announcements were made as to a future match, but the angle would indicate that Dragunov is next in line to challenge Noir for PROGRESS’s top title.
Dragunov had not appeared for the company since February 2020.
Dragunov has held the NXT UK Championship since TakeOver 36 in August of 2021. He defeated Gunther, then known as WALTER, to win the title on that show and has since made successful defenses against A-Kid, Jordan Devlin, and Rampage Brown.
Video of the angle between Dragunov and Noir can be seen below.
Blair Davenport sent out a tweet thanking everyone for the love they sent her after her injury aired. Davenport wrote that she’ll be back before you know it.
Thank you for all your love 🥰 I’ll be back before you know it 🖤
The main event of this week’s NXT UK was cut short due to an injury suffered by Blair Davenport.
Davenport challenged for Meiko Satomura’s NXT UK Women’s Championship in a Japanese Street Fight on Thursday’s NXT UK episode. The match ended in a referee stoppage when Davenport suffered an ankle injury while going for a double stomp.
With Satomura on the apron, Davenport jumped off the top rope and connected with the double stomp. But when Davenport hit the floor, her ankle landed badly and she screamed out in pain. Davenport grabbed her ankle and the referee put up the “X” sign. The match was stopped and Davenport was stretchered out.
Davenport (Bea Priestley) made her NXT UK debut last July after signing with WWE. Stardom and AEW are among the promotions that she’s previously wrestled for.
This was the second time that Davenport had challenged Satomura for the NXT UK Women’s title. Satomura retained against Davenport on an episode of NXT UK that aired last month. After that match, Davenport attacked Satomura and said that she’d see her again soon.
The show opened with a video promoting tonight’s Meiko Satomura vs. Blair Davenport main event, along with the finals of the NXT UK Tag Team title number one contender’s tournament. Tyler Bate and Trent Seven, the current Tag Team Champions, were walking backstage.
NXT UK Tag Team title number one contender’s tournament finals: Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith defeated Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz (12:32)
Moustache Mountain were on commentary for the match.
Starz took Carter down to start, but Carter came back and held his own. Smith and Mastiff were then in — and Mastiff wasted no time, running Smith over and hitting a sit-down splash.
Both men tagged out, then Carter hit an assisted slingshot shoulder block on Starz. Carter crashed and burned off a missed quebrada and got squished by a senton. Just seconds later, Carter had recovered enough that he and Smith hit a double back body drop on Mastiff.
Smith and Carter quickly tagged in and out, isolating Starz and taking turns working him over. Starz finally made the hot tag and Mastiff ran wild on both men, eventually settling in on Smith. Smith briefly hit Mastiff with a shoulder block and Starz wanted the tag, but Mastiff refused. Mastiff insisted that he had things under control and waved Starz off.
Mastiff went for Into the Void, but Smith moved out of the corner. Carter then hit running double knees to the back of Mastiff, followed by a lariat from Smith. Carter then hit an assisted moonsault to score the pin. Smith prevented Starz from being able to break it up.
Carter & Smith will be the first team to challenge Moustache Mountain for the NXT UK Tag Team titles.
– Davenport was shown backstage, twirling a Singapore cane.
– A-Kid was asked about next week’s match against Saxon Huxley. A-Kid said he respected him and they did some etiquette training. A-Kid tried teaching Huxley about table manners, chess, mathematics, and classical music. Things didn’t go well. A-Kid said they’d be back next week.
– Nathan Frazer was walking to his car and was asked about his day at the Performance Center. The car wouldn’t start and he was attacked by Die Familie. Charlie Dempsey and Rohan Raja held Frazer up while Teoman punched him. Raja talked into the camera and said this is what happens when you disrespect their family. We also got a cameo appearance by the camerawoman here, who was wXw’s head of video production, Katja Pilz.
Isla Dawn defeated Myla Grace (3:00)
This was over rather quick. Grace hit some promising offense but quickly was defeated by the swinging side slam.
– Satomura was shown preparing backstage.
– Nina Samuels hijacked an interview with Amale, then proceeded to talk down to her. Amale responded by shoving the microphone into Samuels and challenging her to a match.
– Sam Gradwell was asked about Kenny Williams recently costing him a tag match against Pretty Deadly. Gradwell said he might have gotten a taste of his own medicine, but that Williams was not ready for him.
– Gallus interrupted Noam Dar and Sha Samuels. Joe Coffey wanted to bet that he takes the Heritage Cup from Dar, but Samuels turned him down. Coffey then wanted on the Supernova Sessions, but Dar said they already had Jordan Devlin booked as a guest for the talk show’s season two premiere. Dar walked off, saying he has places to be and people to see.
– A graphic announced that Nathan Frazer would face Teoman next week.
– Japanese Street Fight for the NXT UK Women’s championship: Meiko Satomura defeated Blair Davenport by referee stoppage to retain her title (9:15)
There were no disqualifications or countouts in this match, but pinfalls could only happen in the ring. The match ended with what appeared to be a legitimate injury to Davenport.
Satomura kicked Davenport’s Singapore cane out of her hands at the start of the match, then kicked her in the head, sending Davenport to ringside. Davenport got some steel chairs and a chain from under the ring, but Satomura thwarted the attacks.
Satomura hit Davenport with a chain, then got a near fall off a pinning combination. Davenport came back and kicked a chair the champ was wielding into her face. At ringside, Satomura threw Davenport into the ring steps but got beaten up with the cane in return.
Davenport used a steel structure, used to hold the turnbuckles in place, to bend Satomura’s fingers, but she would not quit. Davenport used a cane for assistance during an STF, then used it on Satomura some more.
Satomura rolled on the apron while Davenport got on the top rope. Satomura tried throwing her off, but Davenport kicked her and Satomura’s upper body was on the apron. Davenport then hit a double foot stomp, but after making an impact and hitting the floor, it looked like Davenport’s left ankle gave out and she immediately rolled around the floor, screaming in pain.
The referee checked on Davenport and immediately threw up the “X” sign and stopped the match. Satomura was awarded the win due to referee stoppage as Davenport was put on a stretcher outside the ring.
Final Thoughts —
The main event, which was gearing up to be a great street fight, was cut short by what appears to have been a legitimate ankle injury to Blair Davenport. Hopefully Davenport makes a quick and full recovery.
The number one contender’s tag team match was a lot of fun and seems to indicate trouble between Starz and Mastiff down the road. Moustache Mountain vs. Carter & Smith should also be great. The Isla Dawn match was a quick squash and mostly filler.
Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith are first in line for a shot at Moustache Mountain’s NXT UK Tag Team titles.
Carter & Smith became the number one contenders to Tyler Bate & Trent Seven’s titles by defeating Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz on today’s NXT UK episode. WWE hasn’t announced when Carter & Smith will be getting their title shot.
Starz wanted to be tagged in near the end of the number one contender’s match, but Mastiff insisted on staying in. That led to Mastiff missing a cannonball into the corner. After some double-team offense by Carter and Smith, Carter pinned Mastiff with an assisted moonsault. Smith kept Starz from breaking up the pin.
Bate & Seven were on commentary for the number one contender’s match. They said they were ready to face the best version of Carter & Smith and would give them the best version of Moustache Mountain.
Carter & Smith vs. Mastiff & Starz was the finals of a four-team number one contender’s tournament. Carter & Smith defeated Symbiosis (Primate & T-Bone) in the first round, while Mastiff & Starz defeated Die Familie (Teoman & Rohan Raja).
Moustache Mountain won the NXT UK Tag Team titles from Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley) this past December. It’s Bate & Seven’s first reign as NXT UK Tag Team Champions.
A Women’s Championship match will headline next week’s episode of NXT UK.
Meiko Satomura will put her title on the line against Blair Davenport in a Japanese street fight. The announcement was made during this week’s episode.
Satomura defeated Davenport in a title match on the episode that aired three weeks ago, but Davenport attacked Satomura after the match. In the hype video announcing the match, Satomura said that last time she defeated Davenport, but this time she will destroy her.
Satomura has held the NXT UK Women’s Championship since last June, when she defeated Kay Lee Ray for the title.
Also set for next week’s episode is the final of the NXT UK Tag Team Championship number one contenders tournament. Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter will face Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff in the tournament finals.
The winners of that contest will become the new top challengers to Moustache Mountain’s Tyler Bate and Trent Seven, who have held the NXT UK Tag titles since December.
Die Familie (Teoman, Rohan Raja & Charlie Dempsey) defeated Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) (11:19)
Teoman and Joe Coffey started with Coffey getting the better of things. Subsequently, all three members of Gallus worked Teoman over before he tagged out to Raja, who didn’t fare much better. Eventually, Dempsey distracted Mark Coffey, allowing Die Familie to take over.
Teoman hit a missile dropkick to the back of Mark’s head to score the first near fall of the bout. Mark Coffey got further worked over by the opposing team before finally making the hot tag to Wolfgang, who ran wild for a bit.
His momentum was eventually stopped by Rohan Raja He still managed to tag in Joe Coffey, who immediately attacked.
Things ended up with Wolfgang and Charlie Dempsey in the ring, while the rest of Die Familie took out Gallus. Dempsey locked in a modified STF, and Wolfgang tapped out.
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Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter and Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz cut promos on each other before their NXT UK Tag Team Championship #1 contenders tournament final next week.
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Jinny defeated Amale (06:31)
Jinny attacked, but Amale took her down with a headlock takeover. Jinny came back and worked over Amale’s arm, but the French Hope quickly was back on offense. They went back and forth, with Amale scoring a two count off a sunset flip.
Jinny locked in an octopus hold but Amale escaped. She rammed Jinny’s head into the bottom turnbuckle, then followed up with a running kick in the corner. She hit a Northern Lights suplex for a two count and went for the Hopebreaker, but Jinny escaped by grabbing Amale’s hair.
Jinny took Amale down in the corner, went for a pin and put her legs on the ropes for leverage to secure the win.
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A graphic announced a Japanese Street Fight for the NXT UK Women’s championship between Meiko Satomura and Blair Davenport. A video then recapped their previous encounter with Davenport attacking Satomura post-match. They cut promos on each other and Satomura said last time was competition, but this time it would be a fight. Last time she beat her but this time, she would destroy her.
Nathan Frazer was asked about losing to WALTER a few weeks ago when Die Familie entered the room, asking what he was doing in “their locker room”. Frazer told Dempsey that Teoman just kept him around so he would not be a loser. Teoman got in his face and called him a dog in German, then told him to leave. Die Familie celebrated with drinks.
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Empty arena match for the NXT UK Championship Ilja Dragunov (c) defeated Jordan Devlin to retain the title (21:45)
Devlin headbutted Dragunov during introductions, sending the Russian to the mat hard. After the bell rang, Dragunov immediately came back with two high-angle German suplexes.
Devlin retaliated, then trapped Dragunov’s arms in the ropes and grabbed a chair from the outside. Dragunov managed to kick the chair from his hands, but Devlin rained down blows. Devlin then grabbed a screwdriver from the outside. Ilja managed to kick that away as well and freed himself.
He sent Devlin to the outside with a clothesline and went over the top with him. They fought at ringside with Dragunov mostly in control. Devlin eventually came back and rammed Dragunov into the steel steps hard. He slid one segment into the ring before Dragunov suddenly flew into frame and tackled Devlin through the ringside barricade.
The champ threw Devlin into some chairs, then threw a bunch of them into the ring. He also laid out a few on the arena floor, then suplexed Devlin into them for a near-fall. Ilja threw Devlin into a table set up with computer equipment. He went for a Gotch lift, but Devlin raked his eyes. Dragunov went for Torpedo Moscow, but Devlin evaded him and Dragunov crashed through the table. Devlin covered for another two count.
Devlin rolled an equipment case into Dragunov, crushing him between the crate and another box. Devlin ended up on top of the box, stuck his thumb into Dragunov’s eye and hit a moonsault off the box.
Devlin got a table from under the ring, but Dragunov attacked him as he was about to set it up and slid it into the ring himself. Devlin hit him with a chair, then propped the table up in the corner. Devlin went for Devlin Side through the table, but Dragunov countered the move. He hit a Gotch lift into a suplex onto a chair for another close two count.
Dragunov went to the top rope but Devlin smashed a chair into his knee, then hit a twisting Samoan drop for a 2.9.
Dragunov countered another Devlin Side into a fireman’s carry. Devlin hit elbows to the head and even raked the eyes, but Dragunov still gave him a Death Valley Bomb into the table in the corner.
Ilja went for Torpedo Moscow, but broke down due to pain in his eye. Devlin mocked him, then hit a headbutt and brainbuster for another super-close near-fall. Devlin rolled to ringside and grabbed a bunch of cable ties. He tied Ilja’s hands behind his back. He rained down blows, then smashed him with a chair. He placed Ilja’s head on the steel steps, then went to hit him with a chair but Ilja moved out of the way.
Ilja hit a pump kick, then hit Torpedo Moscow, with his hands tied behind his back, springboarding off the steel steps in the process to score the pin and defend his championship.
Final Thoughts:
The main event was a crazy, brutal brawl and a fantastic match between the two. Devlin did everything in his power and every devious thing he could come up with and Dragunov took it and still prevailed.
The tag and the women’s matches felt more like another chapter in the respective stories and may lead to more matches down the line.
Next week —
Japanese Street Fight for the NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura (c) vs. Blair Davenport
NXT UK Tag Team Championship #1 contenders finals: Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter vs. Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz
As always, this week’s show was taped at BT Sports Studios in London, England.
Pretty Deadly defeated Sam Gradwell and Saxon Huxley (9:22)
Before the match, they aired a funny video of Gradwell searching for tag team partners throughout the week. This included tweeting Steve Austin, Elon Musk and asking Nathan Frazer, A-Kid, and a person working at a fast food drive-in.
He also encountered Kenny Williams backstage, but chewed him out, grabbed him by the ear and told him to remember where a cockroach’s place on the food chain was. In the end, Huxley was his surprise partner.
Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley) worked over Gradwell until he grabbed Stoker by the ear and slapped him before tagging in Huxley. Huxley hit a big running elbow and a crossbody into the ropes on Stoker before Howley tagged in.
Later, Pretty Deadly used some tag team magic to regain control and then slingshot suplexed Huxley on the top rope. Gradwell took back over, but suddenly Williams appeared and balanced on the ringside barriers which distracted Huxley.
Williams attacked Huxley behind the referee’s back and stomped him. With Huxley incapacitated, Pretty Deadly hit Spilled Milk on Gradwell for the pinfall victory.
— Jinny cut a promo on Amale, pointing out that their lives were similar (children of immigrants, successful out of WWE, college degrees), but unlike Amale, she doesn’t exploit her past. She said the fans pity Amale every time she comes out and if Amale steps into the ring with the “queen of NXT UK,” she would lose every time.
— A video package detailed the ongoing feud between Gallus and Die Familie with both factions cutting promos on each other. Metehan said they would be successful in their war. They collide in a trios match next week.
— Blair Davenport walked through an estate and said she came from a long line of Davenports and ever since she was a child, she was taught that Davenports only care about Davenports. People could hate her all they wanted as long as they feared her. She said she was fire and fury, the rightful heir to the NXT UK Women’s championship, and enemies of the heir should beware.
Isla Dawn defeated Emilia McKenzie (5:30)
They showed a clip before the match of Isla Dawn stealing McKenzie’s watch and putting it in her box of trinkets last summer. Earlier this week, McKenzie demanded it back backstage.
McKenzie took Dawn to the mat with a waistlock takedown and then worked her over with submissions on the mat. Dawn eventually came back with a backdrop driver.
McKenzie thwarted a superplex attempt and hit her own top rope sunset flip off the top for a near fall. She followed with a belly to back suplex and spear for another near fall. A shotgun dropkick sent Dawn to the outside and McKenzie followed with a dive through the ropes.
McKenzie missed a crossbody off the top. Dawn then hit a fireman’s carry into a side slam for the win. McKenzie’s nose was busted open from something in the match.
After the match, Dawn prayed to her box and returned McKenzie’s watch so Emilia is probably cursed now. This is still creepier than Alexa Bliss and her doll.
— Amale cut a promo, saying Jinny misunderstood her. Her story was about representation and unlike Jinny, she hasn’t forgotten where she came from. For someone who graduated college, Jinny didn’t sound very smart. She said she was Amale, she was hope, and that hope never dies.
— There was a tremendous video package supercut of previous Ilja Dragunov vs. Jordan Devlin promos. There was some new material where Devlin mused about a level playing field and then came up with an empty arena match for next week because he wanted Dragunov with “nobody in his corner.” Dragunov accepted. This should be a great match, but in the COVID era, empty arena matches are not the most desirable.
NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar (w/ Sha Samuels) vs. A-Kid went to a draw (19:00)
Last week, “bookie” Samuels had put money on Dar winning the match in round four.
Round 1:
They started with a test of strength and some mat wrestling. A-Kid attempted some submission holds and Dar got a brief two count in. He tried striking A-Kid just as the round ended.
Round 2:
A-Kid locked on a cravat, but Dar eventually escaped. A-Kid turned a chinlock into a pinning combination and scored a close near fall. Dar set A-Kid up on the top rope and went for a running knee strike, but missed and tumbled to ringside just as the round was ending. A-Kid gave him the double bird salute.
Round 3:
Dar went for a draping DDT, but the referee stopped him from hitting it, so he kicked A-Kid flush in the face. Dar hit more kicks and set up for the Nova Roller, but A-Kid caught him with a kick. Dar hit a kick of his own, then hit the Nova Roller to take the first fall in 1:36 of the round.
Round 4:
A-Kid quickly rolled into a flying armbar, transitioning to the omoplata. Dar got a rollup and held the tights, but A-Kid still kicked out. Dar tried another pin with his feet on the ropes but the referee caught him. A-Kid rolled him up, but only got a two count.
A-Kid hit a dive after Dar rolled to ringside, but missed and crashed. Samuels then rolled Dar back into the ring and A-Kid narrowly made it back in a nine. Dar scored another near fall. A-Kid went for a springboard move and Samuels tried attacking him as he was on the top rope. He hit a backflip into a DDT off the top and managed to score a fall at 2:35 of the round, tying this up at one fall apiece.
Samuels was livid that he had lost money on the match after the round ended.
Round 5:
A-Kid hit a superplex off the top early in the round for another two count. Dar got the ankle lock and both transitioned into various submission holds on each other with pinning attempts interspersed. A-Kid hit a running knee seconds before the round ended, but had no time to finish a pinfall attempt.
Round 6:
They traded strikes and then traded pinning combinations. Samuels held onto Dar’s legs on an O’Connor roll attempt, so A-Kid took him out with a dive. Dar reached the ropes on a kneebar by A-Kid. Dar scored another close two count off a spinning back elbow. A-Kid hit a flying superkick, but Dar kicked out of the cover that followed. A-Kid locked in the omoplata with ten seconds left, but Dar was saved by the bell, ending this match in a 1-1 draw.
Dar and Samuels celebrated as A-Kid looked distraught.
Final Thoughts:
This was a fun show with a great main event. A-Kid and Dar are among the best workers in WWE right now, but are flying under the radar of most.
The tag match was the first step back for Pretty Deadly on their way of redemption to reclaim the tag titles. The women’s match was mostly just there and was more of a backdrop for Dawn’s mysterious box of stolen/cursed items.
Next week:
NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov vs. Jordan Devlin in an empty arena title match
