The show opened with a highlight video for Dragunov vs. Brown tonight.
NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura defeated Xia Brookside to retain the title (07:58)
Satomura controlled Brookside early on. Brookside got the upper hand, but got overwhelmed again in short order. Satomura applied an arm bar around the five minute mark, but Brookside made the ropes, then went on the attack once more. Satomura missed an enzuigiri and Brookside scored a near-fall after a codebreaker, then threw a tantrum when she couldn’t score a three-count.
Satomura hit the Death Valley Driver, then finished Brookside off with Scorpion Rising for the successful title defense.
**********
Charlie Dempsey and Rohan Raja were at an apartment, Raja suggested they go to the roof. As they looked over the city, Raja said that Teoman sent his gratitude and asked Dempsey what was important to him. He said legacy and heritage were important, and he knew it was the same for Raja. Raja had been on the phone with Teoman and welcomed Dempsey to “the familia.” They shook hands.
Meiko Satomura was greeted backstage by Emilia McKenzie and was asked about her future plans. Satomura said she would be going home to Japan for a few weeks. Blair Davenport then walked up and asked Emilia McKenzie what she was going to do without her only friend there to protect her? McKenzie said she would be just fine and Davenport challenged her to a match, which Emilia accepted. Davenport also told Satomura to bring her back a present from Japan.
**********
Saxon Huxley beat Kenny Williams (08:14)
This was a rematch from a few weeks ago, where Williams cheated to win.
Williams threw his jacket at Huxley at the bell, but Huxley caught it and started dismantling Williams. He hit a running crossbody into the ropes, then followed Williams to ringside and leveled him with a clothesline. Back in the ring, Huxley kept up the attacks and ragdolled Williams around.
Williams ducked a corner attack and Huxley tumbled to the outside. Williams attacked him there, then kept the pressure on in the ring. Williams hit a sit-down splash onto Huxley’s back for a near-fall, then worked over Huxley’s knees and upper legs.
Huxley came back and deadlifted Williams into a gorilla press. Huxley missed and elbow from the middle rope, allowing Williams to hit a running DDT. Suddenly, Subculture’s music played and Williams, like an idiot, ignored his opponent and got on the ropes, looking towards the entrance.
Huxley hit a hip attack into the corner, then hit a fireman’s carry into a powerbomb for the win.
**********
Sha Samuels had a board with odds for various challengers to the NXT UK Cup. Sam Gradwell was at the bottom with 4000 to 1 odds. He walked in and took offense, then challenged Samuels for next week and bet 10 pounds on himself, at the same odds.
A graphic announced Blair Davenport vs. Emilia McKenzie for next week, plus Pretty Deadly vs. Moustache Mountain for the NXT UK tag team titles. They then aired a very good hype video with great promos by both teams.
**********
NXT UK championship: Ilja Dragunov defeated Rampage Brown by referee stoppage to retain the title (08:50)
They locked up, Brown backed Dragunov into the corner, but the champion evaded a big punch and shortly thereafter, a back elbow, then hit a chop of his own.
Brown finally hit a punch off a break in the corner, but Dragunov immediately punished him with strikes, then trapped Brown in a side headlock, not even breaking the hold off a backdrop driver. Dragunov locked the hold on twice more off whips, but eventually had to release after another high-angle suplex.
They ended at ringside, and Brown repeatedly rammed Dragunov into the corner posts. Brown repeatedly slammed Dragunov, then started working over the champion’s lower back.
Dragunov briefly fought back with kicks off his back, but Brown kept attacking relentlessly. Dragunov escaped a Doctor Bomb attempt, then managed a back body drop off a powerbomb attempt. Dragunov managed to hit an enzuigiri out of desperation that put down Brown hard.
A replay showed Dragunov’s toe hitting Brown in the temple or jaw. The doctor checked him out and the referee called a stop to the contest.
Final thoughts —
The main event was great while it lasted, but it looked like a legitimate Referee/doctor stoppage and a very anticlimactic finish. I hope this leads to a rematch down the line.
The other two matches were fine, but not very memorable. Other than the first seven minutes of the main event, the highlights of the show were the Charlie Dempsey/Rohan Raja segment and the Pretty Deadly and Moustache Mountain promos.
Next week —
NXT UK Tag Team Championship: Pretty Deadly (c) vs. Moustache Mountain
Ilja Dragunov’s next NXT United Kingdom Championship defense is now official.
Dragunov will put his NXT United Kingdom Championship on the line against Rampage Brown on the NXT UK episode that airs two weeks from now (Thursday, December 2). The title defense will be Dragunov’s second since becoming NXT United Kingdom Champion.
At NXT TakeOver 36 this August, Dragunov won the NXT United Kingdom title by defeating WALTER in an instant classic match. Dragunov’s first title defense took place on NXT UK last month, with him retaining against A-Kid.
A-Kid got that title shot by defeating Joe Coffey and Brown in a triple threat match.
Dragunov cut a promo on NXT UK two weeks ago thanking A-Kid for their match. Dragunov said he needs next-level competitors and is looking forward to his next title defense. Brown, who had defeated Flash Morgan Webster earlier in the night, then interrupted Dragunov.
Brown told Dragunov that they have some unfinished business, and he’d love to be the next man to face Dragunov for the NXT UK title. Dragunov accepted the challenge and offered Brown a handshake. Brown went to shake Dragunov’s hand but then dropped him with a lariat. Brown said he doesn’t need Dragunov’s respect — all he needs is the NXT UK title.
An interview with Dragunov aired on today’s NXT UK episode. Dragunov said Brown is a monster and most people should be afraid of him, but Dragunov isn’t most people. Dragunov said legends and myths weren’t written about giants, they were written about the courageous heroes who made them fall.
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
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.
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
The big hosses clashed right away, with Samuels getting the better of things. He eventually went for the Butcher’s Hook, but Coffey broke the hold. Coffey hit a few shoulder blocks and a bulldog off the second turnbuckle for a near fall, followed by a slam for another one.
After some more back and forth, Coffey stunned Samuels with an enzuigiri, then followed up with a diving European uppercut for the pinfall victory.
– Rampage Brown warmed up backstage.
– Emilia McKenzie was happy about Meiko Satomura winning the NXT UK Women’s Championship and said she was proud to call Satomura a friend. The lights flickered as Isla Dawn slowly crept into the frame. McKenzie said she didn’t know where Dawn crept under from, but they had unfinished business. Dawn laughed. Still better than Alexa Bliss being creepy.
– At the NXT UK Performance Center, someone named “Mila” (I believe Mila Smidt from France, who had a tryout in Germany back in 2018) was interviewed about her first week of training here. The lights turned out and Aoife Valkyrie stormed into the ring. Valkyrie started running the ropes and doing flips. Mila watched and Jinny walked up.
Jinny called Mila pathetic for watching someone else train, especially someone who watched others from a distance and didn’t know who was watching her. Mila said she’d like to face Valkyrie and thought she could beat her, “just like Meiko did.” Jinny told her to look at the floor and not her and didn’t care for what Mila thought.
– Video from after last week’s show aired. Subculture celebrated their victory backstage until Pretty Deadly walked up. The two teams had words and it looks like we’ll get an NXT UK Tag Team title match between them soon.
Stevie Turner defeated Laura Di Matteo (4:13)
This was Laura Di Matteo’s first match on NXT UK. The Italy native made her debut in 2015 as a product of the PROGRESS wrestling school and spent a good portion of her career in the UK, wrestling for PROGRESS and Pro Wrestling: EVE, as well as some other groups.
Di Matteo also appeared in Germany for wXw and the German Wrestling Federation, where she is the current Women’s Champion. Di Matteo has wrestled across Europe in France, Italy, Spain, Austria and other countries.
Turner locked in a cravat early but Di Matteo countered. Turner came back and choked Di Matteo on the ropes, then kicked her repeatedly. Turner locked in a straightjacket choke. Di Matteo fought back but was quickly stopped again. Turner then hit a cool looking rope-assisted flatliner for the win.
– Mark Coffey and Wolfgang talked about them each winning a singles match lately. Joe Coffey was warming up for his match later tonight.
– Nathan Frazer was working out at the UK PC when Kenny Williams interrupted and called him out.
– A video aired featuring an NXT UK branded briefcase on a table. A woman in a robe approached, unlocked it, and took some papers labeled “NXT UK confidential” out of it. She looked through them, then signed what appears to have been a contract. The signature line read “Blair Davenport.” It is unknown who this new signee is, but WWE filed a trademark for the name last month.
– A video aired focusing on next week’s NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship match between Tyler Bate and Jack Starz. Bate said Starz’s work ethic is unparalleled and he’s well-respected. Bate said that’s why he chose Starz as his first challenger.
Starz talked about Bate being one of the best in the world and how he was backstage in 2017 when Bate won the WWE United Kingdom Championship. They showed pictures of Starz in the ring celebrating with Bate. Starz said he initially felt unworthy and was still scratching and clawing to get a spot when Bate won the title.
Starz talked about coming up through the “summer camp circuit” (an annual six-week summer tour through various English summer camps with daily shows by All Star Wrestling, the UK’s oldest remaining promotion run by Brian Dixon) like many British wrestling legends had. Starz said he was proud of it.
Starz claimed that he had more tryouts than anyone else in WWE history and was told time and time again that he was not what they were looking for, but he refused to give up. Starz said his hard work would pay off when he faces Bate.
Teoman defeated Oliver Carter by submission (7:03)
A promo by Carter aired during his entrance. Carter talked about his partner Ashton Smith not being here because of family issues.
Teoman and Carter traded holds early, then avoided each other. Teoman slapped Carter, but he came back and ran wild for a bit. Carter threw Teoman into the steps outside, but Teoman played possum and evaded a kick. Teoman then took over once back in the ring.
Teoman went for the crossface but transitioned into a Fujiwara armbar that Carter broke on the ropes. Carter evaded a handspring back elbow and hit a quebrada instead. Carter got a near fall off a superkick, then followed with a scissors kick for another one. Teoman came back and hit a tornado DDT off the turnbuckles for a near fall, then immediately transitioned into the crossbar on the kickout for the submission victory.
Teoman locked in the crossface once more after the match until Rohan Raja ran to the ring and faced off with Teoman, who asked him in German if Raja wanted to punch him. Teoman backed away and almost left the ring, but then turned around and pointed to his eye. Raja then attacked Carter, pounded on him, and gave him a Codebreaker. Teoman and Raja then left together.
– Ilja Dragunov warmed up for the main event.
– A-Kid talked about losing his Heritage Cup Championship to Tyler Bate but said that defeat is part of every champion. He said Jordan Devlin became cruel after losing his Cruiserweight Championship and he would teach Devlin to respect defeat when they face off next week.
Ilja Dragunov defeated Rampage Brown and Joe Coffey in a triple threat match (16:16)
This was a tremendous hoss fight, so I’ll just list some of the highlights. Coffey paired off with both opponents early on, then got taken out briefly as Brown powerslammed Dragunov. Coffey hit an overhead belly-to-belly on Brown before Dragunov got back into the mix. Brown threw Dragunov into a German suplex by Coffey. Coffey had Brown in a Boston Crab when Dragunov returned from ringside and started punching Coffey, who held on. He then hit a running kick to break the hold.
Brown hit a double back suplex on both men. Dragunov hit a bridging Gotch-lift German suplex on Coffey. Brown hit a fireman’s carry drop on Coffey, then Dragunov followed with a senton. Brown gave Dragunov a spinebuster onto Coffey. Dragunov nailed Brown with the Konstantin Special.
Dragunov hit a Coast-to-Coast top rope dropkick on Brown, then Coffey nailed him with a Glasgow Sendoff that smashed Dragunov into Brown for good measure. Coffey hit a double-jump crossbody off the top to both opponents on the outside.
Coffey got a near fall on Dragunov after a missile dropkick from the top. Coffey nailed Dragunov with All the Best for the Bells, but Brown speared Coffey through the ropes and they fought on the outside. Dragunov had some sort of injury to his midsection and collapsed, but he willed himself to beat on Brown and hit two German suplexes on him. Brown then double German suplexed Dragunov and Coffey. Coffey dropped Brown with an electric chair.
Dragunov hit Torpedo Moscow on Coffey as he was in the middle of hitting All the Best for the Bells on Brown. Brown then hit the Doctor Bomb on Coffey, but Dragunov broke up the pin. Dragunov then hit a springboard Torpedo Moscow off the second turnbuckle on Brown to gain the hard-earned victory.
Dragunov celebrated his victory before NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER entered the ring. He nodded at Dragunov approvingly, asking him in German if he had his eyes on the title. WALTER then slapped him down hard, applied a choke, yanked Dragunov off his feet, and proceeded to choke him out, just as he had done in their legendary bout last year.
WALTER urged a semi-conscious Dragunov to look at the belt before posing over the fallen Russian with his foot on Dragunov’s chest.
Final Thoughts —
Another strong show. Mark Coffey vs. Sha Samuels was a fun brawl. Stevie Turner also looked good in her outing with Laura Di Matteo, who I hope we will see more of in the future. Teoman turning Rohan Raja to his side is intriguing as he slowly builds his NXT UK version of his previous EZEL stable. Those two against Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith will also be good.
They also really built up Jack Starz as a challenger for Tyler Bate’s Heritage Cup next week. The NXT UK video packages are so effective and great — it’s a shame they are seen by so few people.
The main event was a tremendous “mean guy match” between three hosses. As strong style as it gets in WWE with some super hard-hitting action. It is now certain that we will get a WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov rematch, hopefully in front of fans, who will scream, gasp, and cry bloody tears of joy once this epic encounter goes down one more time.
Next Week —
NXT UK Heritage Cup Champion Tyler Bate defends against Jack Starz
A-Kid vs. Jordan Devlin
NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura will address the NXT UK Universe
A triple threat match will headline next week’s NXT UK episode.
WWE has announced that Joe Coffey vs. Rampage Brown vs. Ilja Dragunov will take place on NXT UK next Thursday. It’s being billed as a match between three people who are trying to prove that they’re the toughest wrestler on the brand.
On NXT UK two weeks ago, Coffey defeated Brown to even their record against each other in NXT UK at 1-1. Coffey and Brown then shook hands and Brown signaled that he wanted a third match against Coffey. But Dragunov then came out to the stage and stared them both down.
This week’s NXT UK featured a segment with Coffey, Brown, and Dragunov sitting down and talking ahead of their triple threat match next week. Coffey and Brown wanted to know why Dragunov got involved in their business. Dragunov said Coffey and Brown think NXT UK is their playground, but there are other people there — especially him.
Coffey, Brown, and Dragunov also discussed having similar upbringings in Glasgow, Leeds, and Russia.
On commentary, it was said that Coffey, Brown, and Dragunov all have title aspirations. All three wrestlers have previously unsuccessfully challenged for WALTER’s NXT United Kingdom Championship.
Teoman vs. Oliver Carter is also set for next Thursday’s NXT UK.
NXT UK joins in on WWE’s WrestleMania week festivities with a special event airing today.
NXT UK: Prelude will be headlined by WALTER defending his NXT United Kingdom Championship against Rampage Brown. The match is airing just one day after WALTER’s successful title defense against Tommaso Ciampa at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one.
WALTER’s reign with the NXT United Kingdom Championship recently reached the two-year mark. Brown is undefeated since arriving in NXT UK last November.
The next challenger for A-Kid’s Heritage Cup Championship will be decided by a number one contender’s match on NXT UK: Prelude. Tyler Bate and Noam Dar will face off in a Heritage Cup rules match. Trent Seven will be in Bate’s corner, while Sha Samuels will be in Dar’s corner.
A tag team match rounds out the NXT UK: Prelude card, with NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray teaming with Isla Dawn against Meiko Satomura & Emilia McKenzie. Emilia McKenzie is Millie McKenzie’s new WWE in-ring name. She returned to NXT UK last week and confronted KLR. As KLR and Dawn were beating McKenzie down, Satomura then came out to make the save.
NXT UK: Prelude will begin at 3 p.m. EST/8 p.m. BST this afternoon and will stream on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network everywhere else.
**********
The show opened with a video package running down all the matches on tonight’s NXT UK: Prelude special. The show comes to us from BT Sports Studios in London, Nigel McGuinness and Andy Shepherd are on commentary
Tyler Bate (w/ Trent Seven) beat Noam Dar (w/ Sha Samuels) two falls to one to earn a Heritage Cup Championship shot (15:40)
Quick thoughts: This was a great match between two of the best on the brand. Dar worked over Bate’s leg and had him limping in the later rounds. Bate scored the first fall early in round one with a roll-up, Dar tied him in Round 5, forcing Bate to tap from a leg lock. Bate scored the win in Round 6 after Tyler Driver ’97.
The Heritage Cup is a new trophy first introduced in September and won by A-Kid in late November. Heritage Cup matches are being contested under British Rules:
matches consist of six three-minute rounds with 20-second breaks between each round
matches are 2-out-of-3 falls
falls can be won by pinfall, submission, or count out
once a fall occurs, the round ends
the match ends once a wrestler has won two falls
in the event of a disqualification or knockout, the match instantly ends without the need for two falls
if all six rounds are completed, whoever is ahead on falls wins the match
Bate challenged A-Kid for the Cup once before and narrowly lost. He’s debuted a slightly tweaked, more relaxed and spiritual persona recently. Dar has been hosting his “Supernova Sessions” talk segment on NXT UK in recent months where he stirred things up both with A-Kid and Tyler Bate, among others, and hasn’t been in action since November. Seven and Samuels being in their respective protégé’s corners has been set up on the show as well.A-Kid appeared on screen and wished both men luck. He said he’d be watching closely.
Round 1:
They did an extended backslide spot early, where they pushed each other into opposite corners. Bate showed some crisp British style counters and got the first fall with a roll-up at only 1:15 of round one. Bate leads 1-0.
Round 2:
Bate locked in some body scissors but Dar managed to turn the hold into a pinning attempt. Bate got Dar in a cravat and they traded counters. Samuels tried to coach Dar and had some success as Dar repeatedly hit Bate in the head. They locked knuckles and shuffled for position, Bate had Dar down for a pin but he bridged out of it as the round ended.
Round 3:
Dar hit a leg kick to the thigh, then floored Bate with another kick and attacked the wrist. He proceeded to work over Bate’s legs and ankles, looking to ground The Big Strong Boi. Dar with a right hook had Bate down for a cover. Dar snapmared Bate into the rope, legs first, then hit a big slam off a back suplex lift. ate made it to the second turnbuckle and hit a flying European uppercut, then got Dar up for the Airplane Spin and actually continued to spin into the other direction as the time ran out. This was cool as he had Dar up there for a good 25 seconds.
Round 4:
Bate picked up where he left off and picked up Dar for another Airplane Spin, then hit his bounce-back lariat for a two-count. Dar came back with a body block for a near-fall of his own. Dar went for a half crab but Bate avoided the move and hit a right that sent Dar staggering. Dar kicked Bate’s leg out, which actually had Bate do a backflip from the impact. Both men were down as the round concluded.
Round 5:
Bate’s leg was hurt as he limped out of the corner. Dar caught ate of another bounce-back lariat attempt, locked in a leglock and Bate tapped at 0:40 of the round. Dar ties Bate 1-1 as we head to the final round.
Round 6:
Bate hit a deadlift German suplex for a two-count. Dar caught him with a roll-up for another two, Bate then hit a rolling kapa kick. Bate went to the top, Samuels wanted to throw him off but Seven grabbed him. Bate threw Dar on both men, then followed up with a dive on both. Dar looked to hit the Nova Roller but bate caught him with a punch and hit Tyler Driver ’97 for the pinfall victory at 1:34 of the round to win the match 2-1.
Bate and Seven celebrated after the match.
– Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster were training at the UK Performance Center with Dani Luna; they talked about losing and needing to come back stronger
– a video looked at Ilja Dragunov’s transformation after his loss to WALTER last year; Dragunov snapped in a number of matches
– Piper Niven and Jack Starz were training at the UK Performance Center. Niven screamed at Starz and asked if he was ready and he screamed back that he was
– Jordan Devlin cut a short promo
Meiko Satomura & Emilia McKenzie beat UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray & Isla Dawn (9:00)
Quick thoughts: This was a fun, fast paced tag team match that established McKenzie as a star. She looked good, throwing some signature suplexes and her spear on KLR, implying she might be able to beat her. She pinned Isla Dawn after a small package off a Fisherman’s buster attempt. After the match, Aoife Valkyrie walked out, seemingly challenging Satomura.
McKenzie made a surprise return to NXT UK last week (she had a few matches very early on in NXT UK’s run) while Satomura, who was hired as a player-coach lost a match to Kay Lee Ray for her NXT UK Women’s championship a few weeks back. Dawn debuted a more aggressive side lately and all four women ended up in a bawl last week.
McKenzie and Dawn started the match. Dawn overwhelmed Emilia with strikes early but got rolled up quickly. Both women tagged out and he got another meeting of “The Best in the World” and the “Forever Champion”. KLR got Meiko into the corner and kicked away at her. Dawn and KLR quickly tagged back and forth to work Satomura over.
Meiko came back with forearms against both women, then worked over Dawn’s arm and hit a handstand into a kne drop for a two count. McKenzie tagged back in and hit a running drop kick to Dawn’s head. KLR came back in and got Emilia up for the Gory bomb but got rolled up. Dawn received a German suplex for interfering before Emilia speared KLR for a two-count.
Dawn attacked Meiko at ringside, taking her out of the match for a little while, as Dawn and KLR worked over McKenzie. Dawn hit a backdrop driver for a two-count before getting the better off a strike exchange. McKenzie hit a cutter as both women crawled to their respective corners and made the tags. Satomura hit a head kick to a downed KLR, then leveled KLR with a Pele kick, followed by a Saito suplex for a near-fall as Dawn entered to make the save.
KLR hit the Gory Bomb on Satomura for what looked to be the win as McKenzie narrowly made the save. She German suplexed Dawn again for good measure. Satomura meanwhile locked KLR in a face lock but the champion made the ropes. KLR hit a face-first suplex slam, then tagged Dawn who hit a knee drop for yet another two-count.
At ringside, KLR looked to kick Emilia into the steps but she moved and hot a German suplex on the floor. She tagged in but got hit with a head kick by Dawn. Isla went for a fisherman’s buster but Emilia countered the move into a small package for the pin and the win. Satomura also prevented KLR from making the save.
McKenzie and Satomura celebrated when Aoife Valkyrie walked out and stared down Satomura. She removed a black feather and laid it down on the floor as her music played.
– A-Kid talked about looking forward to face Tyler Bate once again. He wants to build his legacy and proof that he is the best pure mat wrestler in NXT UK.
– Amir Jordan stormed into the building, looking for Kenny Williams who attacked him in their tag team match last week. he encountered Sid Scala who told him Kenny wasn’t here but promised they could settle their differences next week. Williams was encountered in the building and said it was him doing all the work in his team with Jordan. He said it was up to Amir to keep up with him.
– Gallus will be the guests of Noam Dar on next week’s Super Nova Sessions.
– Next week, Nathan Frazer (the former Ben Carter) faces Saxon Huxley and Amir Jordan clashes with Kenny Williams.
NXT UK Champion WALTER pinned Rampage Brown to retain (13:43)
Quick thoughts: This was the blueprint of a strong-style hoss fight and it was glorious as meat pounded on meat, 280-plus pound bodies were being hoisted through the air and meaty palms smashed into tender chests. They hit each other with all their big moves as Brown kicked out of lariats, power bombs and escaped numerous sleeper holds. WALTER kicked out o the Doctor Bomb and a huge top-rope power slam. Eventually, WALTER won after a German suplex, power bomb and Big Splash off the top.
WALTER has been the NXT UK champion for 734 days (more than two years) and has defeated all challengers, including Tommaso Ciampa just last night (even though this match here was certainly taped a few weeks ago). Brown has also been undefeated since arriving in NXT UK, being a veteran of the British scene dating back 20 years. WALTER and Brown battled three times before in PROGRESS, with Brown currently having a 2:1 edge (although WALTER won their mot recent match in 2018). Brown stepped up to challenge WALTER recently and the big Austrian in a sit-down interview that aired last week said he would never respect Brown, as to Brown wrestling is his job whereas to WALTER it is his life.
WALTER grabbed Brown in a waistlock right away and they battled for position. Brown evaded a chop in the corner and hit one of his own. In a battle of shoulder tackles, WALTER actually got thrown to the mat, but steamrolled Brown out of the corner. Brown hit a beautiful dropkick that sent WALTER to ringside. Brown ran him over on the outside, then went for a suplex but got rammed into the barricades and slammed onto the apron for his troubles.
WALTER bent Brown backwards over the ropes and hit him with some blows. WALTER was working towards a double wrist-lock but Brown powered out. WALTER hit a snapmare, kicked Brown’s back and locked in a Boston crab, which Brown actually escaped by picking WALTER’s ankle. brown actually hit a suplex on WALTER after the champion first failed to hit one of his own.
They inevitably traded chops before escalating into a striking exchange and WALTER hit a lateral press for a two-count. WALTER attempted a number of submissions, then reverted back to beating the piss out of Brown, who actually came back and hit a power slam on WALTER.
WALTER locked in the sleeper hold, then transitioned into a power bomb but Brown over-rotated out of it and threw WALTER down, then followed up with a flying shoulder block off the turnbuckles. Brown tried getting WALTER up for the Doctor Bomb but WALTER powered out. He hit a Shotgun dropkick, followed by the power bomb but Brown kicked out at two.
WALTER went up top for the Big Splash, but Brown stopped him and hit a huge top-rope power slam for another near-fall. Brown looked hit another tackle, got stopped with the sleeper but hit a Saito suplex followed by the Doctor Bomb. WALTER rolled away immediately and Brown was to spent to cover him immediately. Brown pummeled WALTER with clobbering forearms and went for another Doctor Bomb but WALTER back dropped out of it.
He chopped Brown across the throat, then followed with a lariat, then hit a second one but only for another two-count. WALTEr locked in another sleeper, a German suplex and power bomb but Brown kicked out once more. Finally, WALTER went up top and hit the Big Splash, the move that won him the title in his match with Pete Dunne almost two years ago to finally score a pin and successfully defend his championship.
The show went off the air as WALTER posed with the title belt and Nigel McGuinness asked who would be able to end the historic reign of the Ring General?
A special edition of NXT UK will be part of WWE’s WrestleMania week programming.
On today’s NXT UK episode, it was announced that NXT UK: Prelude will air at 3 p.m. EST/8 p.m. BST on Thursday, April 8. It was said that the event will showcase the wrestlers of NXT UK in matches that promise to be some of the most talked about in NXT UK history.
NXT UK: Prelude will be headlined by WALTER defending his NXT United Kingdom Championship against Rampage Brown. Tyler Bate vs. Noam Dar in a Heritage Cup rules match has also been announced for the show. The winner of Bate vs. Dar will become the number one contender to A-Kid’s Heritage Cup Championship.
Heritage Cup matches feature a British Rounds rules format.
WALTER made an appearance on today’s NXT UK episode and told NXT UK general manager Johnny Saint to find a worthy challenger for him. WALTER was then confronted by Brown. Brown said WALTER is a dominant champion, but he’s never faced Rampage Brown. WALTER and Brown started to get into it and Brown shoved WALTER down. Brown declared that he’s going to end WALTER’s NXT United Kingdom Championship reign.
WALTER has been NXT United Kingdom Champion since April 2019. Brown is undefeated since making his NXT UK debut in November of last year.
WALTER appeared on NXT last night, returning stateside for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. WALTER laid out Tommaso Ciampa on the show. WWE looks to be building toward a match between WALTER and Ciampa, but when it will be taking place hasn’t been announced.
A video with Saint announcing Bate vs. Dar for NXT UK: Prelude also aired on this week’s’ NXT UK episode. Saint said Dar has been pestering him for a Heritage Cup Championship match against A-Kid. Saint said Dar will have to earn the title shot.
A-Kid became NXT UK’s first-ever Heritage Cup Champion by winning last year’s Heritage Cup tournament. He defeated Trent Seven in the tournament finals. Since then, A-Kid has retained the title in matches against Bate and Sha Samuels.
NXT UK: Prelude will air on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network everywhere else.
Ilja Dragunov is looking to start all over on is path to the championship
Levi Muir & Jack Starz beat Saxon Huxley in a handicap match; after the match, Huxley attacked them and was in turn attacked by Dave Mastiff
Piper Niven will face Jinny in a #1 contender’s match in three weeks
A-Kid called out WALTER and challenged him for the NXT UK championship; the match as later confirmed for 2021
Kenny Williams is seemingly still hurt and will support Amir Jordan as a single
Trent Seven seemingly will take a break from the ring
Rampage Brown beat Josh Morrell
Gallus beat The Hunt, when Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster interfered; also interfering were Eddie Dennis and Joe Coffey; after the match, both Pretty Deadly and Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter got involved
Report —
Non-title match: NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray pinned Isla Dawn (04:18)
Isla comes off a victory over Xia Brookside, who was distracted by Nina Samuels last week. This also was KLR’s first match since her brutal title defense in a falls count anywhere match against Piper Niven a few weeks back.
KLR dominated the early portion of the match, but Dawn took over with a knee strike into the ropes and a running meteora. Dawn scored a close near fall off the Saito suplex she beat Brookside with last week.
KLR came back with a Tornado DDT, then locked in a Koji clutch, which Dawn only narrowly escaped. KLR then hit a super kick and the Gory Bomb for the victory.
After the match, KLR cut a quick promo and said she’d be champion for a long, long time.
**********
A video highlighted NXT UK’s newest signee, Ben Carter.
William Regal, Nigel McGuinness, Ashton Smith, Gallus and Sid Scala all sang his praises. Clips aired of Carter, courtesy of SCWPro in Iowa.
Carter, 22 from Jersey in the UK, started out two years ago and went to the U.S. to train under Seth Rollins at his Black & Brave wrestling school.
He has had matches on AEW Dark, Impact, GCW and Beyond, and will make his debut on NXT UK soon.
**********
A tremendous video of Ilja Dragunov aired.
It was shot in black and white and saw Dragunov sit on a chair in an empty ring, talking about his match with WALTER. He called it probably the match of the year 2020 in WWE and that it was a lion fighting a tiger. He said he promised to redefine violence with this match and he did. But he lost.
He said now, he had to start all over again. The only thing shot in color in this video were his red contact lenses, which he then removed in a close up shot. This was just amazing from an emotional and cinematographic point of view.
**********
Handicap match: Levi Muir & Jack Starz beat Saxon Huxley (05:21)
Huxley attacked both men at the NXT UK Performance Center last week and left them laying.
Starz started out with Huxley, but got manhandled and looked worried. Muir was in next, who seemed to have the strength advantage, but got pounced out of mid-air off a leapfrog attempt. Starz hit a dropkick-assisted body press for a two count.
Huxley hit an impressive gorilla press slam on Starz, then smashed into both opponents on a run around ringside. Starz kicked out of a pin after a gutwrench powerbomb.
Muir briefly was on offense and the team even took Huxley off his feet with a double dropkick.
Starz hit a sunset flip on Huxley who held on to the top rope, but Muir slapped his hands away from the apron, allowing Starz to score the deciding pin for his team.
Huxley attacked both men after the match, but Dave Mastiff ran out to make the save and clotheslined Huxley over the top.
**********
Piper Niven stormed into Sid Scala’s office and demanded that he watch a video on her phone.
It looked like from a CCTV camera at the Performance Center. Niven was seen lifting some weights, then took a quick break, while someone wheeled a chest into the room. Niven looked into it and it contained a steel chair with a piece of paper attached to it.
She gave it to Scala and it looked like a signed contract. Niven demanded a match with Jinny (the chair seemingly was the one Jinny attacked Niven with to cost her the match against Kay Lee Ray a few weeks ago).
It was confirmed Niven and Jinny will meet in a #1 contender’s match in three weeks.
**********
Dave Mastiff was shown walking backstage when he met Rampage Brown. Brown asked him about his interaction with Huxley and Mastiff told him he doesn’t like bullies. This looked like a friendly encounter between friends.
**********
A-Kid in-ring segment —
A-Kid was in the ring with the NXT UK Heritage Cup trophy and talked about how he was the first-ever Heritage Cup champion, won the tournament and eventually even beat his mentor, Tyler Bate.
He said his next step was very clear, and he challenged WALTER for the NXT UK championship.
WALTER walked out and told A-Kid that the next time he stepped into his ring, he must wipe his dirty feet on the ring apron.
He said it was great watching A-Kid in the tournament and he can clearly see he is very proud to be a professional wrestler. But how dare he claim to represent the heritage of this great sport. He said A-Kid was nothing special and like everyone else, his fairy tale will end once he steps into the ring with WALTER.
He said one thing will never change, and that is that WALTER is the NXT UK champion.
**********
Kenny Williams was in the NXT UK Performance Center. He said his health update wasn’t too good.
Amir Jordan walked in all happy and asked him if he was good to go so they could go for the tag team titles eventually. Williams told him he’d support him in his singles career instead.
**********
Trent Seven did a sit-down interview, talking about the Heritage Cup. He said he thought he did enough, but he didn’t.
He was caught up in what the Heritage Cup meant and was looking backwards at all the great men that came before him, when he should have been looking forward.
He said he needed to become better and it sounded like he will be taking a break from active competition, as he stated that he will be gone for a while, but not forever.
Rampage Brown pinned Josh Morrell (03:12)
Brown hit a huge back body drop on Brown, then kicked him out of the ring. Brown kept dismantling Morrell, but the youngster briefly came back with a dropkick and a corkscrew plancha.
Seconds later, Brown hit a devastating clothesline, followed by a dead lift powerbomb and the Doctor Bomb for the victory.
**********
Sid Scala had a breaking news announcement and said if all parties agree, WALTER would defend his NXT UK championship against A-Kid in the new year.
**********
NXT UK Tag Team Championship: Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) defeated The Hunt (Wild Boar & Primate) w/Eddie Dennis to retain the titles (07:59)
The Hunt attacked Wolfgang right away and took turns beating him down. He eventually managed to pick up Boar and drive him into his corner, allowing Coffey to tag in.
Dennis briefly distracted Coffey, allowing his guys to take back over. The Hunt were firmly in control as Eddie Dennis played his part at ringside to ensure his team stayed on top of their opponents.
Coffey finally made the hot tag to Wolfgang, who ran wild on both opponents. Dennis freely interfered behind the referee’s back, until Joe Coffey ran out and drove him into the ring steps.
As Joe Coffey argued with the ref, The Hunt went to the top in order to deliver their double flying headbutts. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster then ran out and pushed The Hunt off the turnbuckles, allowing Gallus to hit their powerslam/head kick finisher on Wild Boar for the successful title defense.
As Gallus celebrated, Pretty Deadly walked out, looking to challenge the champions.
As the teams had words back and forth, Asthon Smith & Oliver Carter came out, attacked Pretty Deadly and threw them into the ring, where Gallus promptly beat them up and threw them to the outside again.
The tag team division in NXT UK certainly looks stacked going into 2021.
The Hunt, joined by Eddie Dennis, defeated Kenny Williams & Amir Jordan.
Rampage Brown made his debut by destroying Jack Starz.
Xia Brookside defeated Nina Samuels. Samuels feigned a knee injury in the match, which backfired as Brookside rolled her up. Samuels then attacked Brookside after the match.
Trent Seven defeated Dave Mastiff 2-1 to advance to the finals of the Heritage Cup tournament. Seven will face A-Kid in the finals.
Full Rundown —
The Hunt (Wild Boar & Primate) w/ Eddie Dennis defeated Kenny Williams & Amir Jordan after Primate pinned Jordan following top rope double headbutts (8:45)
This was The Hunt’s first match since aligning with Eddie Dennis. Dennis came out with them for this match. Wild Boar and Primate started out aggressively, but the smaller babyfaces used their speed and teamwork to gain the upper hand early in the match.
The turning point came when Boar catapulted Williams over the top rope, where he seemingly hurt his knee. They worked over Williams for a while until he finally got the hot tag. Jordan ran wild for a bit, but he eventually fell prey to The Hunt’s double headbutts off the top.
– A very good video aired on the upcoming Trent Seven vs. Dave Mastiff Heritage Cup semifinal match. Seven talked about how he contacted Mastiff years ago to help him become a better wrestler. WWE aired clips of the two of them having matches in PROGRESS. Mastiff said he’ll knock Seven out. Seven said he needed to win this match and called it the most important match of his career.
Rampage Brown pinned Jack Starz after a Doctor Bomb (2:22)
Brown is a veteran of the British scene and has been wrestling for over 15 years. He briefly was signed to WWE in the FCW days in 2011 and also appeared during a UK taping of an ECW on Syfy match back in 2008. He started out in All Star Wrestling and has wrestled for PROGRESS, RevPro, Preston City Wrestling, Defiant, World of Sport, and a ton of other promotions. In a fun trivia fact, he technically still holds the RevPro Tag Team titles with The Great O-Khan (which they last defended in mid-February), meaning that a WWE signed wrestler co-holds a title with an NJPW signed wrestler.
Brown looked like a monster here and manhandled Starz, who continued his role of putting over the debuting monster — Starz also was on the losing end of WALTER and Ilja Dragunov’s first NXT UK matches. Brown hit a Rick Steiner-like powerslam where he caught Starz in mid-air. He pinned Starz with a Doctor Bomb in just over two minutes.
– Sid Scala was in the NXT UK Performance Center about to make an announcement when Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter took the cameraman away. They walked over to where Pretty Deadly were talking. Smith, mockingly playing sports reporter, tried asking them about Eddie Dennis. Pretty Deadly were not amused and said they only care about tag team gold. The two teams got into it and Scala broke it up, telling them they would have a chance to resolve things.
– A video recapped the complete history of Kay Lee Ray’s feud with Piper Niven in NXT UK. The two will face off in a falls count anywhere match for the NXT UK Women’s Championship next week.
– Rampage Brown was asked about his debut backstage. He said he was just getting started and told the rest of the boys to keep up.
Xia Brookside pinned Nina Samuels with a small package (5:50)
Brookside, who has two singles and one tag team victory over Samuels in NXT UK, was in control for most of the match. Near the end of the match, Samuels got on the top turnbuckle, then cartwheeled over the top rope as Brookside ran into the corner. Samuels looked to have hurt her knee. The referee checked on her and repeatedly told Brookside to step back. As Samuels was back on her feet, Brookside immediately went in for a small package to get the win, obviously not believing Samuels was hurt.
As Samuels was being helped to the back after the match, she suddenly attacked Brookside, showing her injury had been a ruse after all. Samuels gave Brookside the Knee-na-goroshi on the outside.
– Sam Gradwell was asked about his loss in the six-man tag to Gallus last week. He elaborately talked about how he couldn’t account for every three seconds in the match and how it had been a melee. Gradwell said that Joe Coffey may have pinned him, but in a singles match between them, things would be different. Alexander Wolfe, who overheard the conversation, then walked up and told Gradwell to get his act together and called him a disgrace to the sport. Gradwell seemingly blew Wolfe off and left.
A quick reminder about the Heritage Cup rules:
All matches consist of six three-minute rounds with 20-second breaks between each round.
All matches are two-out-of-three falls.
Falls can be won by pinfall, submission, or countout.
Once a fall occurs, the round ends.
The match ends once a wrestler has won two falls.
In the event of a disqualification or knockout, the match instantly ends without the need for two falls.
If all six rounds are completed, whoever is ahead on falls wins the match.
Heritage Cup semifinal match: Trent Seven defeated Dave Mastiff 2:1 (10:55)
The winner of this match faces A-Kid in the finals. Mastiff was the only one to win a match by knockout in the tournament and was looking to repeat that here.
Round One —
They traded headlocks and felt each other out mostly. In the final seconds of the round, they collided in mid-air as both men went for a body press at the same time.
Round Two —
Mastiff dominated the first half of the round, but he missed a vertical splash and Seven rolled him up with a crucifix pin at 1:22 of the round. Seven took the lead 1-0.
Round Three —
Mastiff repeatedly hit splashes and sentons on Seven to knock the wind out of him. Seven hit a DDT, but it looked like his ribs were hurt. Mastiff hit a huge superplex at the 2:00 mark. Mastiff hit Seven with a hard forearm that looked to have him at the brink of a knockout. Mastiff inadvertently distracted the referee, keeping him from properly checking on Seven. Seven told the ref he was good to continue.
Round Four —
Mastiff hit a power bomb and the rolling cannonball in the corner, getting the pin at 0:42 of the round and tying the match at 1-1.
Round Five —
There was a rare production error, as they actually had “Round 6” on the screen here.
Seven was still in the corner as Mastiff went for another cannonball, but Seven rolled out of the way and escaped to ringside. Mastiff went to suplex him back inside while on the ropes, but Seven blocked it. They battled on the top rope and Seven went for a sunset flip powerbomb but couldn’t get Mastiff off the ropes. Seven chopped Mastiff’s thigh, then picked him up for the Burning Hammer and scored the pinfall victory at 1:31 of the round. Seven won the match 2-1.
Seven looked at the Heritage Cup trophy after the match and said his name would be the first to be engraved on it. A-Kid walked out and they shook hands, declaring that the best man may win.
Next week —
Kay Lee Ray defends the NXT UK Women’s Championship against Piper Niven in a falls count anywhere match.
The semifinals of NXT UK’s Heritage Cup tournament will conclude next week.
During today’s NXT UK episode, WWE announced that the Heritage Cup tournament semifinal match between Trent Seven and Dave Mastiff will air on NXT UK next Thursday. The winner will advance to face A-Kid in the finals.
A-Kid clinched his spot in the finals by defeating Noam Dar in the main event of this week’s NXT UK episode. A-Kid defeated Flash Morgan Webster in the first round of the tournament and Dar in the semifinals.
Seven defeated Kenny Williams in the first round of the tournament. Mastiff’s first round win was against Joseph Conners.
The Heritage Cup will be defended as a championship following the tournament. Here are the rules for Heritage Cup matches:
There will be six rounds for Heritage Cup matches. Each round will be three minutes.
There will be 20-second breaks between each round.
All matches are two-out-of-three falls.
Falls can be won by pinfall, submission, or countout.
Once a fall occurs, the round ends.
Once someone has won two falls, they are declared the winner and they advance in the tournament.
If there’s a disqualification or knockout, the match ends without the need for two falls.
If a match goes the full six rounds, whoever is ahead on falls wins.
Recent NXT UK signee Rampage Brown is also set to debut on NXT UK next Thursday. His opponent hasn’t been announced. The 37-year-old Brown is a former PROGRESS Wrestling World Champion and Atlas Champion.
– The semifinals of NXT UK’s Heritage Cup tournament will kick off next week.
WWE has announced that Noam Dar vs. A-Kid in the semifinals of the Heritage Cup tournament will air on next Thursday’s episode of NXT UK. The winner will advance to face either Dave Mastiff or Trent Seven in the finals.
Dar advanced to the semifinals by defeating Alexander Wolfe in the first round of the tournament. A-Kid defeated Flash Morgan Webster in the first round.
Heritage Cup matches have the following rules:
There will be six rounds for Heritage Cup matches. Each round will be three minutes.
There will be 20-second breaks between each round.
All matches are two-out-of-three falls.
Falls can be won by pinfall, submission, or countout.
Once a fall occurs, the round ends.
Once someone has won two falls, they are declared the winner and they advance in the tournament.
If there’s a disqualification or knockout, the match ends without the need for two falls.
If a match goes the full six rounds, whoever is ahead on falls wins.
The Heritage Cup will be defended as a championship under the same rules following the tournament.
– It was also announced on today’s episode of NXT UK that Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) will face Sam Gradwell & Pretty Deadly (Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley) in a six-man tag match on NXT UK next Thursday. This is Joe Coffey’s first match since being suspended by WWE this June.
– A video that aired on this week’s NXT UK announced that Rampage Brown is coming to NXT UK. Brown is a former PROGRESS Wrestling World Champion and Atlas Champion. When he’ll be making his NXT UK debut wasn’t revealed.
