By Liz@Ms_Deathwish
Xia Brookside and Millie McKenzie def. Charlie Morgan and Killer Kelly
The first match this week showcases some of the NXTUK Women’s division ahead of the Women’s Championship match in the next episode. I have seen three of these women before but Charlie Morgan is new to me. I’m always up for seeing new talent and it is great to see the women’s division mixing things up a bit with an impressively deep roster.
Xia Brookside and Charlie Morgan kick off the action with Morgan showing some seriously unique and interesting offense. Competent technical skill from both women shows that the ladies can certainly hold their own in the mat-based grappling stakes. Millie McKenzie tags in off the back of a Hurricanrana from Brookside to a receptive response from the crowd. Chants of “Bruiser-mate” attest to her friendship with the champ Pete Dunne, and involvement with the British Strong Style stable.
Morgan tags in Killer Kelly leading to a wonderful sequence between her and McKenzie. Both women have an aggressive smash-mouth style, making for an exciting pairing in the ring. Killer Kelly takes control in the first instance, planting McKenzie on her face with a modified Surfboard hold and stomp. “Suplex” Millie soon lives up to her moniker though, nailing an explosive German suplex that leads to both women tagging in their partners.
Xia hits another picture perfect Hurricanrana before climbing the turnbuckle for an aerial assault. Killer Kelly tries to knock Brookside off her perch, forcing the referee to get involved. With his eyes off the ball for a moment, Millie McKenzie flattens Charlie Morgan with a spear allowing Brookside to pin her to the mat for the victory.
A great showing from these women, yet again proving just how fantastic the NXT women’s divisions are both sides of the Atlantic. All of these women have the world at their feet and I wish them every success. It is such an exciting time to be a fan of women’s wrestling!
Eddie Dennis def. Ashton Smith
These two men have been circling each other for a number of weeks and it was only a matter of time before they met in a match. There is something seriously unsettling about Eddie Dennis and his demeanour. I’ve been hugely impressed with Ashton Smith in all the matches he’s had in NXTUK so far so this promises to be a fun match.
Mind games are the first order of business as Eddie Dennis enters through the ropes. He attempts to intimidate his opponent with that aforementioned unsettling demeanour but Smith seems unphased. As the bell rings both men go at it, wasting no time in trying to gain an advantage. Ashton Smith is perhaps the more athletic of the two men but he fails to knock Eddie off his feet in his initial attack. When he does take him off his feet, Dennis rolls out of the ring, prompting Smith to show us that athletic prowess as he leaps between the ropes. He is caught out of the air by Eddie, before being slammed onto the apron in a ferocious display of strength.
With an injured mid-section, Smith is rolled back into the ring only for Dennis to continue to dominate. He slows down the pace of the match, allowing his slow-paced and methodical style to grind down Smith with a series of grappling holds, focusing mainly on an effective Cravat hold. Smith manages to finally escape the clutches of the Welshman, putting some distance between the two of them. This works in his favour as he picks up some real momentum with a high octane series of attacks. A sky-high Leg Lariat from the top rope lets him pick up a nearfall but Dennis kicks out.
This proves to be the turning point in the match as Eddie claws back control. Holding Smith aloft above his towering frame, he tosses him into the turnbuckle, hitting his signature Severn Bridge buckle-bomb. The disorientated Smith is then knocked sideways by the Neck Stop Driver, letting Dennis pick up the win.
When I first saw the backstage segments with these two I wondered if perhaps they were setting up a storyline eventually teaming them up together. This match was great, both men impressed me a lot. Ashton Smith is explosively athletic and Eddie Dennis has this disturbing brutality to him. I would totally be down with the two of them teaming up but they also worked great as opponents.
Joseph Conners def. Saxton Huxley
Following their loss in tag-team competition last week, Joseph Conners expressed his displeasure by turning on his partner and giving him a beat-down. Now it looks like they have been given the opportunity to settle their differences in the ring.
There is no love lost between these two, which becomes apparent as soon as the match begins. Both attack each other with pent up fury in an exhibition of powerful strikes. The crowd are behind Huxley, jubilant with the trademark creative chants we’ve come to hear so often from the NXTUK universe. Huxley is empowered by the supportive chants, seeming to gain the upper hand at first before being levelled by a brutal clothesline from Conners.
Conners capitalises on this, controlling Huxley with his grappling game and adding insult to injury using some nasty stomps. Joseph Conners seems eminently comfortable in the heel role and he plays it to perfection here. Huxley bravely battles on, landing some decent offense of his own in the face of Conners hostility and aggression. A misplaced kick from Huxley ends his flurry of offense, giving Conners the chance to take back control. With some trash-talking and his finisher Don’t Look Down, Conner emerges victorious.
To me it seemed like this match was mostly a reason to cement Conners as a legitimate heel. They achieved that perfectly here in my opinion. He comes across as a nasty piece of work, looking to hurt whoever gets in his way. This was the story of a team where one man was frustrated with his partner and it caused him to snap, and Conners and Huxley told that story brilliantly.
Before the next match they show VTs of both Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley. Both women are the finalists of the women’s championship tournament that will come to a close next week. On the next episode they will fight for the privilege of being able to call themselves the first ever NXT UK Women’s Champion. The build up for this match has been intense and I can’t think of two better women to carry the final match.
UK Championship Match: Pete Dunne (c) def. Jordan Devlin
Jordan Devlin has been working his way through a rather large chunk of the roster in his mission to prove that he is the best NXT UK has to offer. Last week after his latest victory, he called out the current champion which led to this match being booked.
I’m always excited to see Pete Dunne compete and this is no exception. Will the Irish Ace finally dethrone the king of NXTUK?
Dunne comes out to a rapturous crowd, unsurprising as this match takes place in his hometown of Birmingham. The two face off, nose to nose, in the centre of the ring. There is a real “big fight” feel about this match from the outset. The bell rings and Pete Dunne wastes no time in targeting the digits of Devlin with his signature viciousness.
This match was so action packed, a play-by-play account would be impossible. Jordan Devlin showed amazing athleticism with a number of perfectly executed Spanish Fly manouveurs, including one off the steps on the outside of the ring, and another from the top rope earning him a very close nearfall. Pete Dunne remains the master of joint manipulation, folding up Devlin in a variety of new and exciting ways before taking it one step further, twisting and ripping at his fingers.
Devlin counters an attempted Bitter End with a Poison-rana out of nowhere. This leads to a missed Springboard Moonsault, with Devlin taken out by a blow to the face as he comes down to the mat. Dunne finally nails the Bitter End but he STILL can’t put Devlin away.
The emotional battle between these two is almost painful to watch. The momentum swings from one man to the other with countless pin attempts, driving the crowd into insanity as they leap to their feet.
Eventually after a momentous war for supremacy, Dunne snaps Devlin’s fingers forcing him to tap out, meaning the champion retains.
This match was really, really good. My words cannot do justice to how good it was. On social media Pete Dunne even stated it was possibly his favourite title defence since he won the belt over a year ago. Jordan Devlin blew my mind. This was the best performance of his I’ve seen and it totally secured his place as a top contender in future. I can’t actually get my head around how good Pete Dunne actually is. His mat-based wrestling is second to none. It’s innovative, exciting and looks genuinely painful. He also has this amazing ability to really bring out the best in his opponents. He makes them look outstanding. The only thing I can take from this match is what exactly are they going to have to do to take the belt from him?
Seriously though, if you only watch one match this week, make it this one. NXTUK knocks it out of the park yet again.
