The winner of NXT UK’s Heritage Cup number one contender’s tournament will be decided next week.
WWE has announced that Noam Dar and Wolfgang will face off in the finals of the contender’s tournament on next Thursday’s episode of NXT UK. The winner will get a future shot at Tyler Bate’s Heritage Cup Championship.
Dar defeated Mark Andrews and Kenny Williams in the first two rounds of the tournament, while Wolfgang defeated Sam Gradwell and Teoman.
On today’s NXT UK, a video package aired where Dar and Wolfgang spoke about next week’s match. Wolfgang said he wants to inspire the new generation in the same way that people like William Regal, Fit Finlay, and Johnny Saint inspired him. Wolfgang said the difference between him and Dar is that he cares about the heritage of British wrestling and the wrestlers who laid the groundwork for them.
Wolfgang said winning the tournament isn’t just about getting Gallus back on top, it’s about him showcasing what he can do.
Dar gave respect to the legends, but he said being humble doesn’t work as well as being aware. Dar said he’s only 28 and is only getting better. Dar said his game plan is to use his ninja sharpness, not get hurt, and come home with a pocket full of cash.
Bate is the second-ever Heritage Cup Champion. He won the title from A-Kid this May.
Jinny vs. Emilia McKenzie and Andrews vs. Gradwell are also set for next Thursday’s NXT UK.
Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) defeated Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter (09:57)
Carter and Bate started out. Carter surprisingly got the better of an early exchange, before Bate schooled him on the finer aspects of the British style. Both men utilized quick tags, which eventually led to Trent Seven getting worked over for a bit. Seven eventually tagged out, but Smith and Carter also held Bate at bay with some innovative double team action.
Bate came back with an airplane spin on Carter, culminating with a splash by Seven onto his dazed opponent. Carter evaded both the snap DDT and the Seven Star Lariat, but fell victim to a one-handed power bomb shortly after. He also got out of the way of a springboard lariat by Bate, who almost nailed Seven. In return, Bate escaped a Doomsday back elbow and almost scored a victory over Smith with a victory roll.
As Smith and Bate were down, Symbiosis walked down the aisle. Smith countered a Tyler Driver 97 with a back body drop to the outside, were Bate landed right at Symbiosis’ feet. They were about to attack, when Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff made the save. A huge brawl ensued, with a lot of referees trying to break up the melee.
Seven hit a snapdragon suplex on Carter on the outside, while Bate hit an impressive German suplex off the middle rope on Smith who was on the apron.
Moustache Mountain then hit a springboard lariat/snapdragon combo on Smith for the pinfall victory.
*****
Jinny and Joseph Conners were asked about their future. They insulted the interview lady and walked off, but encountered Meiko Satomura working out with Emilia McKenzie. Jinny told Emilia that she was pathetic and McKenzie told her she didn’t care about her opinion in return. Jinny said she’d make her care. So looks like they’ll have a match down the line.
Jack Starz and Dave mastiff walked in and were asked about why they got into it with Symbiosis. As Mastiff was answering, Nina Samuels rushed in with her own microphone and welcomed us to the Nina Samuels Show.
Mastiff asked what channel that was on, but played along and said Symbiosis stuck their noses were they didn’t belong, which Samuels took to segue into talking about how Amale did the same to her. Mastiff said they didn’t care about Amale. Samuels then talked about how Blair Davenport had attacked her. Mastiff and Starz walked off and Samuels concluded her show.
*****
Dani Luna defeated Xia Brookside (05:36)
Luna showed off her power early, while Brookside used some of her speed to counter and evade. Luna eventually hit an extended vertical suplex, then worked over her arm. Xia countered a second suplex into a small package for a two count.
Brookside came back with a series of dropkicks and some double knees to Luna’s head. Luna came back with a power slam, then deadlifted Brookside into a fall away slam. then hit a sit-down powerbomb off a fireman’s carry for the pin and the win.
After the match, Luna extended her hand to her and Brookside angrily slapped it.
*****
A video aired, recapping Blair Davenport’s attacks on fellow wrestlers and even Sid Scala in recent weeks. Scala then was interviewed about the situation, but Stevie Turner stormed in and demanded that Davenport be reinstated, so she could take care of her. Scala said he’d discuss the request with Johnny Saint.
Sam Gradwell was asked about his problems with Subculture. He said he was there since the beginning, just as Andrews, and he was sick of Subculture getting more attention. He said he was a better singer than Andrews and probably even a better skateboarder. An angry Mark Andrews then ran in and whacked him with a skateboard and a brawl broke out, with officials separating both men. Looks like another match soon.
*****
Charlie Dempsey defeated Josh Morrell (06:14)
Dempsey (Bailey Matthews, the son of William Regal) had his first featured match here (he appeared once before on NXT UK in February, losing to Tyler Bate).
Dempsey immediately showed off his submission wrestling and grappling background, attacking Morrell from all angles. They traded roll-ups before Dempsey hit a beautiful bridging pin off a backslide. He transitioned from a Fujiwara armbar into a kneebar. He then used a bridge as an offensive maneuver to drive Morrell into the turnbuckles.
He hit a textbook bridging German suplex, nose on the mat and all, for a near fall. He then applied another submission, where he hooked Morrel’s leg and neck, then locked his arms behind Morrell’s back for the submission victory.
Ilja Dragunov and A-Kid sit-down segment
They sat alone in a darkened room, with the championship on a table between them. A-Kid congratulated Ilja and said no one thought WALTER could be beaten. He said they were not just enemies and that he was the only one who could understand Ilja, to which the champion raised an eyebrow.
A-Kid elaborated that when he created the NXT UK Heritage Cup, every time he defended it, he felt the pressure, he felt the need to create a legacy, and the only way he could do that, was taking the title off Ilja. Ilja said A-Kid always seems very motivated but he just beat the most dominant champion of the modern era, who destroyed him once. He said A-Kid can’t compare himself to him.
Ilja said it was very, very easy and it wouldn’t matter which trick A-Kid pulled, he didn’t win the title with technical ability. The title needs pain, struggle, the will. You needed to be more than a human to hold this. In two weeks, Ilja said he really was sorry, but we would need to put A-Kid into his place because he was “the czar” and “you are just a kid.”
Ilja then got up, stared A-Kid down and they shook hands. This was tremendous.
*****
A very good video aired on Noam Dar and Wolfgang’s match in the finals of the Heritage Cup number one contender tournament aired. Wolfgang said he wanted to be an inspiration to young talent, such as William Regal, Fit Finlay or Johnny Saint had been to him. Dar said he was a wolf in sheep’s clothes, would eat Wolfgang alive and Tyler Bate was next on the menu.
*****
Joe Coffey (w/ Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) defeated Jordan Devlin (11:40)
They traded offense back and forth early. Devlin took over and got cocky, doing the cross-armed pose into the face of Gallus at ringside, then ran into a clothesline by Coffey. He also ate a tackle and got clotheslined over the top. He got up to find Gallus in his way before Joe hit him and rolled him back into the ring.
Joe looked for the double-jump crossbody, but Devlin pulled his legs out and hit a rope-assisted backstabber. Devlin took over with strikes and submissions, grinding down Coffey. He hit the uranage/standing moonsault combo, then once again did the cross-armed pose. Coffey rose behind him like a great white shark, then hit a forearm into the corner and a release German suplex.
Coffey hit the double-jump reverse crossbody off the top for a near fall, Coffey went for All the Best for the Bells, but Devlin countered it into a Spanish Fly for a close near fall. Mark Coffey then got on the apron, wearing Devlin’s sunglasses. Devlin was distracted, but still turned around and went for Devlinside on Coffey, who was by the ropes. Wolfgang held onto Joe’s arm from the outside though, so Devlin fell down off the attempt.
Coffey then hit the Glasgow Sendoff, followed by All the Best for the Bells for the pinfall victory.
Final Thoughts —
If you only got time to watch one thing from this show, watch the Ilja Dragunov and A-Kid sit-down segment. They do such a great job building up to their big matches with stuff that they don’t do on any other show on WWE television. It is effective storytelling without stupid gimmicks and makes you care about the match so much more than somebody just going through a table in a contract signing.
The tag team opener was fun and showed off Oliver Carter very well, who may be one of the most underrated guys in a major promotion right now.
The main event also was really good and Devlin is such a great and crisp worker.
The women’s match was short and mainly just there, but nothing wrong with it.
Next week —
Heritage Cup number one contender tournament finals: Noam Dar vs. Wolfgang
A-Kid will be the first challenger for Ilja Dragunov’s NXT United Kingdom Championship.
A-Kid became the number one contender to Dragunov’s title by defeating Nathan Frazer and Rampage Brown in a triple threat match on this week’s NXT UK. WWE hasn’t announced when A-Kid will be getting his title shot.
Brown was sent out of the ring when A-Kid gave him a superkick near the end of the number one contender’s match. A-Kid then hit a German suplex and a superkick on Frazer to get the win.
Dragunov defeated WALTER at NXT TakeOver 36 last month, ending WALTER’s 870-day reign as NXT United Kingdom Champion.
Dragunov appeared via video on last week’s NXT UK episode. Dragunov said he was looking forward to coming back to the United Kingdom, and the most interesting question he had on his mind was who would be trying to take the NXT United Kingdom Championship from him. A-Kid, Frazer, and Brown then came out to the ring to set up their number one contender’s match.
A-Kid is a former NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion. He unsuccessfully challenged WALTER for the NXT United Kingdom Championship earlier this year.
NXT UK Heritage Cup number one contender tournament semifinals: Wolfgang (w/ Gallus) defeated Teoman (w/ Rohan Raja) 2-1 in Round 4
Round 1
Wolfgang beat him down Teoman. He briefly got distracted and almost got locked in the crossface. Wolfgang then scored the first pin after a spinning suplex in 2:03. Wolfgang 1-0
Round 2
Teoman was aggressive as the round started, but Wolfgang tackled him down. They ended up at ringside twice, but the second time Teoman pulled the apron over Wolfgang’s head and beat on him. Teoman hit a top rope dropkick in the final quarter minute for a near-fall, then locked in the crossface but Wolfgang countered it into a pin just as the round concluded.
Round 3
Wolfgang was in control until Raja distracted Wolfgang and Teoman dropkicked his leg. He worked over Wolfgang’s arm and leg, then scored a pin after a diving uppercut at 1:12 of the round. Teoman 1-1
Round 4
Teoman scored a near-fall with a rollup in the first minute. Wolfgang came back with a running splash into the corner and an axe handle off the top. Mark Coffey finally punched out Raja at ringside. Wolfgang evaded a handspring back elbow and heat a spear to score the somewhat upset victory at 2:15 of the round. Wolfgang wins 2-1
*****
Blair Davenport cut another promo on Sid Scala, saying bad things were going to continue to happen unless she is reinstated
Subculture were preparing to finish a graffiti of their logo backstage. Sam Gradwell walked by and greeted them. They found he had defaced their logo, so this will lead to a match down the line.
A cameraman walked up to Jordan Devlin’s private dressing room. Gallus were in there, celebrating and drinking coffee. Devlin walked up and was furious, so Gallus kicked him out. He said he was going to tell on them to Johnny Saint.
*****
Jinny (w/ Joseph Conners) defeated Isla Dawn
Dawn smiled at Jinny and got forearmed for that. She quickly took over and dominated the Fashionista for a bit. Jinny took back over and slammed Dawn’s knee into the mat. Dawn came back with knees in the corner, then went for a backdrop driver on the apron but Jinny countered. She still got her legs pulled out and beaten up at ringside, then Dawn even punched Joseph Conners at ringside. She scored a near-fall off some double knees to the face.
Isla got on the top rope, but Conners berated her and she was distracted, allowing Jinny to knock her off the top and hit an X-Factor off the turnbuckle for the pinfall victory.
*****
Subculture’s Dani Luna was working out at the Performance Center and Mark Andrews said she was the strongest woman on the roster. Xia Brookside walked up and mentioned how Meiko Satomura told the women to step up and they should face each other. Luna agreed and Xia said she had the strength, but did she also have the speed?
A video aired of Charlie Dempsey (William Regal’s son), looking through a Japanese wrestling instruction book. He again reiterated he would bring holds and damage joints and even though he was using stuff from older wrestlers, it would be new to a lot of people. He debuts next week.
Trent Seven, Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter were in a heated discussion. They talked about whether the Bookend or the Rock Bottom was superior. Seven said the Rock Bottom was, and said it was like comparing them to Moustache Mountain. They took offense to that and Seven suggested a match. Smith asked if he didn’t want to check with Tyler first, but Trent blew him off and said Tyler would be fine with it, but he’d call him up. The match will take place next week.
*****
NXT UK Championship number one contender triple threat match: A-Kid beat Rampage Brown and Nathan Frazer
A-Kid and Frazer ganged up on Brown, but he quickly beat both of them down. They tried again with more success as A-Kid locked on an arm bar and Frazer dropkicked Brown. A-Kid and Frazer then got into it and did some quick spots, with Frazer finally hitting a dropkick that sent A-Kid to ringside.
Brown got back in and sent Frazer flying with a huge back body drop. A-Kid was in with Brown next and wore the bigger man down with kicks and strikes. Brown came out on top, but was wobbly on the leg that had been worked over by both opponents. Brown threw A-Kid into Frazer, then planted Frazer with a uranage for a close near fall.
A-Kid came back in and hit kicks on both Frazer and Brown, then locked in a triangle on Brown. Brown picked him up and powerbombed him onto Frazer. Frazer then countered a Doctor Bomb by Brown into a reverse DDT. Frazer went up top, but got stopped by A-Kid who hit a top rope German. Frazer flipped through and landed on his legs.
A-Kid and Frazer did some more crazy spots. Frazer eventually hit a double DDT/Reverse DDT on both opponents. Brown then stopped Frazer and hit a double back suplex on both men. A-Kid then went crazy, including hitting a German on Frazer as Frazer was springboarding off the ropes and A-Kid dove through them. He then transitioned from a submission attempt on Frazer to one on Brown, but got a powerbomb for his troubles.
A few crazy moments later, Frazer hit a moonsault powerslam on A-Kid. Brown got involved and A-Kid locked in a sleeper. Brown turned it into a vertical suplex, but he ate a superkick by Frazer before he could execute the move. Brown hit the Doctor Bomb on Frazer, but A-Kid locked in a sleeper as he went for the pin. Brown went to throw A-Kid over the top, but A-Kid evaded another attack and sent Brown to the outside with a flying superkick.
A-Kid then hit a suplex and another flying superkick on Frazer for the pinfall victory. A-Kid is the new number one contender to Ilja Dragunov’s championship. This was incredible!
Final Thoughts —
Wolfgang beating Teoman so easily was a surprise, especially as Teoman was still unbeaten in NXT UK.
The Jinna/Isla Dawn match was fine, but nothing special.
The three-way main event was fantastic, both A-Kid and Nathan Frazer are tremendous and it’s a shame they are not being seen by a wider audience. Brown is great powerhouse worker. One of the better main event matches in the brand’s history. A-Kid vs. Dragunov should be an incredible match and I cannot wait to see it.
Next week —
Moustache Mountain vs. Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith
NXT UK Heritage Cup No. 1 Contenders Tournament semifinals: Noam Dar defeated Kenny Williams 2-1 in round 5 (14:46)
Round 1
They took each other down early in the round. Williams grabbed Dar’s hair as Dar tried to escape from a headlock. Williams attacked Dar’s arm as he head him in a wristlock after the bell.
Round 2
Williams hit a few elbows at the start of the round. He worked over Dar’s arm until Dar managed to kick his knee. Williams sold his knee, but it was a ruse as he rolled up Dar for a pin at 1:23 of the round. Williams 1-0
Round 3
Williams kept beating Dar down. Dar took back over and further attacked Williams’ knee. Williams got a small package for a two count, but got caught in a knee bar and was saved by the bell as the round ended.
Round 4
Dar rolled up Williams with his legs on the ropes, but the referee caught him. Williams speared Dar in the knee, then removed the turnbuckle. as the referee reprimanded him, Dar grabbed a water bottle and tossed it to Williams, then alerted the referee. He used the distraction to lock in the knee bar for the submission. Dar 1-1
Round 5
Dar scored a near fall off a back elbow. Williams got a near fall off a clothesline. Williams looked to finish him off, but Dar rolled to ringside. Williams followed him, but as he went to return to the ring, Sha Samuels popped out from under the ring and grabbed his leg.
Dar used that opportunity to hit the Nova Roller on Williams as he was trapped, getting the pin and the win at 2:27 of the round. Dar wins 2-1
*********
Gallus were warming up backstage when Jordan Devlin walked by and got under Joe Coffey’s skin
*********
Ilja Dragunov addresses the NXT UK locker room —
Sid Scala was in the ring and introduced Ilja Dragunov, who appeared on the video wall.
Ilja said he was happy for the very first time in a long time. He said he made the impossible possible and was absolutely unbesiegbar (invincible). He was looking forward to coming back to the UK and his most interesting question was who would be the person trying to take his championship away from him.
At that point Nathan Frazer walked out and said he wanted to take the initiative and asked “why not me?”. Rampage Brown then came out, talked about what he had done to Joe Coffey and how Ilja was a violent man. A-Kid finally appeared and said he should be getting the first title match.
Scala then made a three-way between them with the winner getting the shot.
Brown bumped into Frazer on his way out, who pulled him back in. They brawled and Brown was the last man standing.
**********
Jinny and Joseph Conners walked to their dressing room. Isla Dawn was in there, doing scary witch stuff. She had drawn a pentagram with lipstick on a mirror. Still scarier than Alexa Bliss and her doll.
**********
Moustache Mountain were backstage. Bate said it was exciting to have a new champion and he was keeping an eye on the number one contender situation and the Heritage Cup. Seven interrupted him and talked about the Tag Team title situation. Bate looked taken slightly aback, but quickly got on board.
**********
Emilia McKenzie defeated Stevie Turner (05:19)
Turner backed her into the corner, then shoved her, but McKenzie shoved her back and aggressively worked over her arm.
Turner came back with stomps in the corner, then kicked her head as she was in the ropes. McKenzie came back with clotheslines and a spear for another two count. Turner hit a side effect for another two.
McKenzie hit a rope-assisted German suplex, followed by running knees for the pinfall victory.
**********
Wolfgang and Teoman talked about their Heritage Cup tournament match next week. Wolfgang joked about the eye and suggested they leave their family members backstage for the match. Teoman said he learned on the streets you had to take out the biggest guy in the neighborhood to earn respect.
**********
A vignette on a new talent called Charlie Dempsey aired. Dempsey is Bailey Matthews, the son of William Regal.
It was in black-and-white and he was watching old British wrestling footage. He said that an inspiration of his once said the body was like a ladder and you had to work it up and down.
He said he was training in the British style and was going to show us things we never saw before. He is coming soon.
Dempsey wrestled Tyler Bate on NXT UK back in February.
**********
They showed what happened after the previous match; Blair Davenport ran in and destroyed Stevie Turner. She addressed Sid Scala and told him to reinstate her or bad things were going to happen.
**********
NXT UK Tag Team Championship: Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley) defeated Gallus (Joe & Mark Coffey) to retain the titles (14:23)
Howley and Mark Coffey started, with Coffey getting the better of their exchange. Both tagged out and Joe Coffey worked over Sam Stoker for a bit. Pretty Deadly eventually outsmarted Mark Coffey and wore him down. Joe Coffey had Stoker under control, when Pretty Deadly used some questionable tactics to gain the upper hand and hit a GTS/codebreaker combo.
Thy had Joe under control for a few minutes. Eventually, he made the hot tag to Mark, who ran wild for a bit. Some tags later, it was near falls galore, after which all four ended up at ringside where they took each other out.
Joe Coffey then hit a shotgun dropkick off the top on Howley for a close near fall. He followed with the Glasgow Sendoff into the corner, then hit All the Best for the Bells, but Stoker made the save from the pin. Joe crashed into the ring post and Mark almost got the win with a crucifix.
Pretty Deadly then hit Spilled Milk on Mark Coffey for the successful title defense.
Final Thoughts —
The Noam Dar/Kenny Williams match was fun.
Emilia McKenzie looked dominant against Stevie Turner and the Blair Davenport storyline adds intrigue down the line.
The three way to determine Ilja Dragnov’s first challenger should be tons of fun and hard-hitting. Each of the three would be great against him.
The tag match was really good and Pretty Deadly might be the best tag team signed with a major promotion nobody ever heard about.
Next week:
NXT UK Championship number one contender three-way: Nathan Frazer vs. Rampage Brown vs. A-Kid
NXT UK Heritage Cup number one contender tournament semifinals: Teoman vs. Wolfgang
Bailey Matthews, the son of William Regal, has gotten his new WWE in-ring name.
Matthews is now going by the name “Charlie Dempsey” in NXT UK. The announcement was made via a video that aired on today’s NXT UK episode. The video ended with the announcement that Charlie Dempsey is coming soon.
Matthews said in the video:
An inspiration of mine used to say, ‘The body is just like a ladder, having to move up and down it with every move you do.’ Hearing that, something clicked in my head. I’ve actually gone out of my way to seek out the British competitors of the past and train with them, to learn this style that I’ve come to adopt. I’m not going to do any flips out of the ring, treat this like an acrobat contest. I’m going to take my opponent down and grind them down to a paste. And I’m going to show you something that you’ve never seen before.
It was announced this January that Matthews had signed with WWE and joined NXT UK. He’s had one match for NXT UK, making his debut in a loss to Tyler Bate in February.
WWE hasn’t acknowledged Matthews’ relation to Regal.
The video announcing Matthews’ name change is available to watch below:
WWE has revealed how the first challenger for Ilja Dragunov’s NXT United Kingdom Championship will be decided.
Rampage Brown, A-Kid, and Nathan Frazer will face off in a triple threat match on next Thursday’s episode of NXT UK. The winner will become the number one contender to Dragunov’s title.
In an instant classic match, Dragunov defeated WALTER to win the United Kingdom Championship at NXT TakeOver 36 last month. WALTER’s reign with the title lasted for 870 days before being ended by Dragunov.
Dragunov appeared via video on today’s NXT UK episode. Dragunov said he was looking forward to coming back to the United Kingdom, and the most interesting question he had on his mind was who would be trying to take his title from him. Frazer, Brown, and A-Kid then made their way out to the ring, with each of them wanting a shot at Dragunov’s title.
After the triple threat number one contender’s match was proposed, Dragunov said it sounded like a great idea to him. WWE hasn’t announced when the winner will be getting their title shot.
Brown stood tall over A-Kid and Frazer after their segment on today’s NXT UK broke down into a brawl. The brawl started when Brown went to leave the ring and shoved Frazer on his way out.
Next Thursday’s NXT UK will also feature Wolfgang and Teoman facing off in the semifinals of the Heritage Cup number one contender’s tournament. The winner will advance to face Noam Dar in the finals.
The semifinals of NXT UK’s Heritage Cup contender’s tournament will begin next week.
The semifinals of the tournament will kick off with Noam Dar facing Kenny Williams on NXT UK next Thursday. The winner will advance to face either Wolfgang or Teoman in the finals.
Dar defeated Mark Andrews in the first round of the tournament, while Williams defeated Oliver Carter.
The winner of the tournament will get a shot at Tyler Bate’s Heritage Cup Championship. This May, Bate defeated A-Kid to win the Heritage Cup trophy. Bate is the second-ever Heritage Cup Champion.
Heritage Cup matches have a British Rounds format.
A Tag Team title match will also take place on next Thursday’s episode of NXT UK. Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley) will put their titles on the line against Gallus’ Joe Coffey & Mark Coffey.
Pretty Deadly won the NXT UK Tag Team titles from Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) this February. They’ve since made title defenses against Amir Jordan & Williams, Nathan Frazer & Jack Starz, Subculture (Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster), and Moustache Mountain (Bate & Trent Seven).
NXT UK Heritage Cup number one contender’s tournament first round: Wolfgang defeated Sam Gradwell 2-1 in round 5 (11:45)
Round 1 —
Wolfgang overpowered Gradwell early. They brawled at ringside and Gradwell hit a flying forearm from the apron. Wolfgang was about to punch Gradwell in the mouth as the round ended.
Round 2 —
Gradwell had Wolfgang trapped in an armbar on the mat about halfway into the round, but Wolfgang powered out. Wolfgang hit an axe handle off the top and a running kick to retaliate. Gradwell slapped him, then escaped to ringside to catch his breath for the last few seconds of the round.
Round 3 —
Wolfgang started out wild, but Gradwell stopped a spear with his knee brace, then hit a flatliner for the first fall at 0:24 of the round. Gradwell 1-0
Round 4 —
Wolfgang’s left shoulder was hurt and he favored the arm, which Gradwell immediately focused on. Wolfgang fought back and eventually hit a front slam off a suplex to score a pin at 1:39 of the round. Wolfgang 1-1
Round 5 —
Gradwell hit a hard forearm for a near fall in the first minute. He evaded two spears by Wolfgang, but fell victim to the third one at 1:17 of the round. Wolfgang wins 2-1
**********
A video recapped Blair Davenport’s attack on Nina Samuels and Sid Scala last week.
Scala, still visibly upset, then announced that NXT management had suspended Davenport.
**********
Kenny Williams and Noam Dar talked about their match next week. Both are despicable heels and Dar said he was an elephant who would stomp the cockroach Kenny Williams out.
Pretty Deadly defending their NXT UK Tag Team Championships against Gallus (Joe & Mark Coffey) was announced for next week.
**********
Gallus then celebrated Wolfgang’s win and loudly sang backstage, which drew the ire of the Irish Ace. Jordan Devlin came out of his locker room and said he was getting a massage. He then told Joe Coffey after he took care of his neck, he would take care of Coffey’s ego. Coffey got in Devlin’s face, who flinched and held his neck in pain.
**********
Oliver Carter, Ashton Smith & Saxon Huxley defeated Symbiosis (Eddie Dennis, Primate & T-Bone) (09:01)
Smith and Carter had new music and a new entrance screen.
Huxley and Primate started and Huxley threw Primate to ringside quickly. T-Bone was in next and attacked Huxley, but got wiped out with a Thesz Press. Smith was in next and ate a big overhead suplex. T-Bone and Primate worked him over and Eddie Dennis joined in.
Smith outsmarted Dennis and tagged Carter, who immediately hit a beautiful springboard moonsault on Primate. Primate punched him to ringside and Dennis took over. All three members of Symbiosis worked over Carter, who eventually managed to hot tag Huxley.
Huxley ran wild and wiped out Eddie Dennis with an elbow drop, then followed up with a clothesline off the top. Smith was in and they hit a double suplex on Dennis. Smith was in trouble quickly, as Primate attacked him from the outside. Smith almost fell victim to a flying headbutt by Primate, but Carter made the save.
Smith then impressively hoisted Primate on his shoulders with ease, and Carter hit a Doomsday Cutter for the pin.
**********
Stevie Tyler was asked about her match with Meiko Satomura. She said that she got a title match in only her fourth match and now had the blueprint to beating her.
Emilia McKenzie then walked up and said it was interesting that Tyler badmouthed Satomura when she had been beaten by her and that McKenzie would beat her too. After she left, Tyler pouted and called McKenzie two-dimensional.
**********
Pretty Deadly cut an entertaining promo, talking about how they would beat Gallus next week, just as they had six months ago.
**********
Replay from NXT TakeOver 36: NXT UK Championship: Ilja Dragunov defeated WALTER to win the championship
This was an incredible match, which Dave rated at *****¼ stars. The original report of the match can be found here.
Ilja Dragunov, Rhea Ripley, Cesaro, Drew McIntyre, Finn Balor, Toni Storm and Sheamus provided commentary and added insights for the match.
Final Thoughts:
The Wolfgang/Gradwell match was a fine hoss fight.
The six-man was fun and showcased Carter and Smith as a really good team.
The replay of the WALTER and Ilja match was outstanding of course. I’d have preferred to have just Ilja’s insights and maybe get some reactions from his peers in a separate segment. This was the best match in WWE this year by a country mile.
Next week:
NXT UK Heritage Cup number one contender’s tournament semifinals: Noam Dar vs. Kenny Williams
NXT UK Tag Team Championship: Pretty Deadly vs. Gallus
WWE will relive WALTER and Ilja Dragunov’s instant classic from NXT TakeOver 36 next week.
Next Thursday’s NXT UK episode will feature WWE reliving WALTER and Dragunov’s NXT United Kingdom Championship match from TakeOver 36. WWE is advertising that there will be special added insight from NXT and WWE wrestlers and legends.
Dragunov defeated WALTER to win the NXT United Kingdom Championship at TakeOver 36, ending WALTER’s 870-day title reign. It was a rematch of one of WWE’s best matches of 2020, where WALTER defeated Dragunov to retain the title last October.
Before heading back to the United Kingdom, Dragunov appeared on this Tuesday’s NXT episode and cut an in-ring promo. Dragunov said he showed the will, passion, soul, and struggle it takes to be NXT UK Champion. Dragunov asked who is willing to go through all of that to take the title from him. “The Ring General has fallen,” Dragunov said. “Long live the Czar.”
Two matches have also been announced for next Thursday’s NXT UK. Sam Gradwell and Wolfgang will face off in the first round of the Heritage Cup number one contender’s tournament. Symbiosis (Eddie Dennis, Primate & T-Bone) will take on Saxon Huxley, Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith in a six-man tag match.
The winner of Gradwell vs. Wolfgang will advance to face Teoman in the contender’s tournament semifinals. Noam Dar vs. Kenny Williams is the other semifinal match. The winner of the tournament will get a shot at Tyler Bate’s Heritage Cup Championship.
The first round of NXT UK’s Heritage Cup number one contender’s tournament will continue next week.
WWE has announced that Nathan Frazer and Teoman will face off in the first round of the Heritage Cup contender’s tournament on NXT UK next Thursday. The winner will face either Wolfgang or Sam Gradwell in the semifinals.
Frazer (Ben Carter) signed with WWE last year and made his NXT UK debut this January. Teoman (formerly known as Lucky Kid) debuted for NXT UK in March. In a video package that aired on today’s NXT UK episode, Frazer promised that he’ll be the first person to defeat Teoman in NXT UK.
Noam Dar and Kenny Williams have already advanced in the contender’s tournament and will be facing each other in the semifinals. Williams defeated Oliver Carter on today’s NXT UK. Two weeks ago, the tournament kicked off with Dar defeating Mark Andrews.
The winner of the tournament will challenge Tyler Bate for the Heritage Cup Championship. Bate won the title from A-Kid this May.
Heritage Cup matches have a British Rounds format with a maximum of six rounds. Matches are won when a wrestler has scored two falls. They can also end via knockout or disqualification without the need for two falls. If a match goes the full six rounds, whoever is ahead on falls wins.
Blair Davenport vs. Nina Samuels has also been announced for next Thursday’s NXT UK episode. It will be the third match that Davenport (Bea Priestley) has had in NXT UK.
The show opened with highlights of the amazing WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov match from NXT TakeOver 36 where Dragunov won the NXT UK championship.
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No DQ Joseph Conners locked in a shark cage match: Aoife Valkyrie defeated Jinny (14:28)
Jinny attacked Valkyrie during her entrance and rammed her into the apron. Jinny went to ram her into the cage but she countered, attacked Conners and locked him in the cage. Valkyrie beat Jinny up at ringside and the bell hadn’t even rung at this point. It finally did as Valkyrie rolled Jinny into the ring.
Valkyrie dominated early, but Jinny came back and attacked Valkyrie with a chair on the outside. Valkyrie evaded a shot and rammed Jinny into the barricades hard. They brawled outside the ringside area and Valkyrie and ended up in a tech area. Valkyrie started attacking Jinny with a laptop computer and a trash can. She rammed Jinny into the steps and set up a table on the outside, but Jinny managed to evade it and got the upper hand once more.
They ended up back in the ring, as Jinny rained down blows on Valkyrie. Valkyrie was on the apron as Jinny tried to put her through the table. They ended up outside and Jinny wanted to suplex Valkyrie through the table, but received a suplex of her own for her troubles. Valkyrie went for her legdrop finish from the apron but Jinny moved and Valkyrie crashed through the table. Back in the ring, Jinny hit her rolling Liger kick, for a near fall.
Jinny looked to Pillmanize Valkyrie’s ankle in a chair, but Valkyrie got out, hit an enzuigiri and got to the top. They fought on the top and Valkyrie hit a sunset bomb from the top but landed on the leg she banged up on the landing. The doctors checked her out but let her continue. Valkyrie hit a spin kick onto a chair Jinny had brought into the ring, but it only scored her a two count.
Valkyrie then smashed Jinny with the chair, picked her up and gave her a sort of pumphandle slam onto the chair for the pinfall victory.
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Emilia McKenzie was asked about training with Meiko Satomura when Amale walked up and told Satomura she wanted a rematch, since she came this close to beating her. Emilia got into her face and she told her this was a grown women’s conversation and to go play somewhere else. Emilia wouldn’t move and Amale told her she would go through her to get to the champion. Satomura smiled at this.
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Ilja Dragunov cut an amazing sit-down promo, interspersed with clips from the match with WALTER.
This is his promo verbatim: “I’m a champion. I’m your NXT UK champion. And I wish I could describe how it feels to be it. I can’t describe the countless, sleepless nights full of fear. I can’t describe how it is when your belief and your self-doubt are fighting inside your head, and this day by day. And I can’t especially describe the limitless amount of pain flowing through your body, transforming into nothing else but sheer pride and honor. My will, my fists, my only weapons, it’s everything I have to give and it’s everything I need to take down every single person who’s trying to take that away from me. Long live the czar.”
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First round Heritage Cup number one contender tournament: Kenny Williams defeated Oliver Carter 2-1 in Round 4 (10:14)
Round 1 —
Carter dominated the round and had Williams in a hammerlock as the round ended.
Round 2 —
Williams started out aggressive and scored the first fall off a roll up at 2:02 of the round. Williams 1-0
Round 3 —
Carter ran wild and scored a fall off a lariat at 1:34 of the round. Carter 1-1
Round 4 —
Both men traded near-falls early and Williams attacked Carter’s knee. Carter scored a close near-fall with a small package. Williams retreated to ringside and grabbed his steel drinking bottle. He removed the top turnbuckle, distracting the referee and hit Carter with the bottle to score the final pinfall at 1:42 of the round. Williams wins 2-1
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Nina Samuels came into Sid Scala’s office and asked him for a match. He said someone else needed a match and signed Samuels vs. Blair Davenport. Samuels smiled but obviously wasn’t thrilled. She left the room and screamed on the other side of the door.
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Isla Dawn was back in the woods with her little wooden Wiccan box and put the strands of Dani Luna’s hair next to Emilia McKenzie’s watch, then put the box back under some wood. Okay. Still creepier than Alexa Bliss and her doll.
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A video aired for Teoman vs. Nathan Frazer in a Heritage Cup #1 contender tournament match next week. Both talked about why they thought they would win.
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Knockout or submission only match: Rampage Brown defeated Joe Coffey by knockout (19:46)
They had an MMA style opening with the referee telling them to shake hands i they wanted and they touched fists.
They traded hard shots early and beat each other up. They ended up at ringside and Coffey hit a dropkick that sent Rampage flying. He hit a Glasgow Sendoff over the ringside barrier as they brawled beyond the ringside area. Brown then back body dropped Coffey back over the barricade and dove onto Coffey over the barricades.
Back in the ring, they went at each other more. They traded submission attempts, before Coffey finally locked in a Boston Crab but Brown escaped. Coffey removed the turnbuckle protector, which was a large, vertical pad over all three turnbuckles for this match and sent Rampage into the steel. Coffey hit an electric chair on Brown. Brown then threw Coffey out of the ring and pulled his hand into the ring post.
Back in the ring, Brown hit a Saito suplex but Coffey evaded a second one and hit an overhead belly-to-belly instead. They traded blows and Brown stopped Coffey with a huge powerslam. Coffey came back with a moonsault block from the top. Brown went for a backdrop driver off the top, that had Coffey land right on his head, but the referee deemed him ready to continue.
Both were exhausted but convinced each other they would finish the fight. They traded blows and Coffey took him down with a hard right, but Rampage wasn’t out yet. Coffey hit the Glasgow Sendoff into the corner, followed by All the Best for the Bells, but Brown still was conscious. Brown came back with a hard clothesline and the Doctor Bomb, but Coffey signaled he could continue. Brown then Brown then hit more strikes, another Doctor Bomb and followed with some hammer fists until Coffey was out and the referee stopped the match.
Coffey bumped Brown’s fist after the match.
Final Thoughts —
The Jinny/Valkyrie match was a fun street fight with lots of brawling and redeemed Valkyrie.
Carter vs. Williams was okay and established Williams as more of a dastardly heel. Not sure if I ever see him rise above the midcard here, though.
Brown vs. Coffey was a great hoss fight between two of the meanest guys on the brand. The rules made it unique and there was a nice payoff if you have followed their feud throughout the past few months. This could easily have been on an NXT UK TakeOver and probably would have been, if there were any of those being done.
The Ilja Dragunov promo also was tremendous and I hope they play it on NXT next week.
Next Week —
NXT UK Heritage Cup number one contender tournament: Teoman vs. Nathan Frazer
Ilja Dragunov ended WALTER’s NXT United Kingdom championship reign tonight at NXT TakeOver 36.
In a brutal, hard-hitting match, Dragunov continually took everything WALTER gave him and gave it back. The finish had Dragunov locking in a sleeper, with WALTER getting back to his feet. Dragunov didn’t let go and got WALTER fell back to the floor, evemtially causing him to tap.
WALTER had held the title for 830 days, defeating Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver: New York back on April 5, 2019. WALTER is the longest reigning champion in the belt’s history, eclipsing Dunne’s 685 day reign.
Dragunov and WALTER previously had a match for the NXT UK title back on the October 29 edition of NXT UK, a match that WALTER won. Both WALTER and Dragunov made appearances on the main NXT brand after their title match was announced for TakeOver 36. Dragunov lost a match against Dunne on the August 10 edition of NXT, but did defeat Roderick Strong on the August 22 edition of the show.
A pair of rematches have been announced for the Thursday, August 26 edition of NXT UK.
Rampage Brown will face Joe Coffey in a match where the win can only come by submission or knockout. Brown and Coffey previously faced each other on the February 18 and June 3 episodes of NXT UK, splitting their series 1-1.
In a rematch from the July 29 NXT UK, Jinny will take on Aoifye Valkyrie in a no DQ match where Joseph Conners will be locked in a shark cage at ringside. Conners got involved in the last Jinny vs. Valkyrie bout, a match that Jinny won.
While those matches will air in two weeks, next week’s episode features a pair of title matches. Here are the lineups for the next two NXT UK shows:
NXT UK, Thursday, August 19 —
NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura (c) vs. Stevie Turner
NXT UK Tag Team Championship: (c) Pretty Deadly vs. Moustache Mountain
NXT UK, Thursday, August 26 —
No DQ match with Joseph Conners in a shark cage at ringside: Jinny vs. Aoifye Valkyrie
Knockout or submission match: Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey
Another title match has been added to next week’s episode of NXT UK.
Meiko Satomura will defend the NXT UK Women’s Championship against Stevie Turner on the Thursday, August 19 episode. The match was made official on today’s episode of the show.
In a promo package hyping the match on this week’s NXT UK episode, Satomura stated that Turner needed to be taught respect, while Turner said that she represents the future of the NXT UK brand.
Satomura has held the NXT UK Women’s title since defeating Kay Lee Ray on the show’s June 10 episode. Turner is a relative newcomer to NXT UK, debuting in an episode that aired in April of this year. She has picked up wins over Aleah James and Laura Di Matteo in her last two appearances on the show.
Next week’s show will also feature an NXT UK Tag Team Championship match, as Pretty Deadly (Lewis Holey and Sam Stoker) defend their titles against Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven).
NXT UK airs Thursdays at 3 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock in the United States and is also available on demand.
