Howdy everyone! It’s been a rough couple of weeks in Rox Land as I’ve been dealing with the worst bout of flu I’ve had in years. But, I’m on the mend and here to recap all the action from NXT UK. I’ll be recapping the last 2 weeks here and sharing my thoughts around this growing brand.
Some parts of NXT UK are brilliant and some of the talent emerging are incredible but there are some parts of this that really bug me. The NXT UK brand puts a massive spotlight on these guys and girls and to be honest, some of them are just not ready for it. That’s not to say they won’t be in the future, but some of this stuff isn’t always thrilling to watch.
Take Jinny for example, she’s coming on leaps and bounds with her in-ring ability, but she could really do to practice her entrance and promos. Ashton Smith, although he looks the part, is very green and his fluidity in the ring is questionable at best. I think having the WWE label attached to this is doing more harm than good, as when something is labelled with the WWE logo, you instantly expect perfection and this places unrealistic expectations on the talent.
Last week we saw Walter’s debut. There is a lot of hype surrounding this guy and if I’m really honest, I don’t get why. When he faced Jack Starz last week, other than leaving a pretty impressive hand print across his chest, I don’t think he’s as good as he’d made out to be.
Dave Mastiff versus Jay Melrose was an adequate match. Melrose gave Mastiff a good run for his money, despite giving up over 100lbs in weight. For a bigger guy, Mastiff can move and has some decent moves in his arsenal, such as a nice Cross Body off the ropes and a brutal looking rolling somersault into the corner, which he calls Into The Void. Mastiff won the match of course, but Melrose gave a good showing and I was impressed with their chemistry.
As NXT UK is an hour long, there isn’t a great deal of time for promos between matches and they use their time wisely to build stories for the coming weeks.
We see a recap of the NXT UK Tag Team title winners and learn Gibson and Drake will face Oney Lorchan and Danny Birch at some point in the future. We see a Xia Brookside vignette and learn that Ligero will face Mark Andrews next week.
The women of NXT UK are given a platform every week, which I like. Jinny faced Kasey Owens during this show and the match had some nice moments Jinny has super long legs and her Axe kicks look fierce. Owens had a slight miss-step with Cross Body and it didn’t quite get the height you would have expected. The match was very much about wearing each other down, which a lot of the NXT UK matches are about, and I find this style quite dull, but this is just me. Jinny has a nice Hurricanrana and I like her finisher, the Makeover. She’s picking up some momentum and I would imagine in the future, we’ll see her in the women’s championship picture.
The main event is Mustache Mountain versus Fabian Aichner & Marcell Barthell. This match has some great sequences, great chemistry and a natural fluidity. Mustache Mountain have almost outgrown this brand and due to the lack of depth in the Smackdown and Raw tag team division, I feel they’d make a nice addition to the flagship shows.
The match has a nice pace and the back and forth leads to some great looking spots. Tyler Bate executes a judo throw and then a rolling Senton off the middle rope. Trent Severn lands a DDT, a one legged Powerbomb and then a Snap Dragon Suplex, which looks incredible. Aichner and Barthell are establishing themselves as true heels and their intuition coupled with great chemistry make them look fierce but not indestructible. Aichner’s Enziguri to Tyler Bate must’ve left him with ringing in his ears. Mustache mountain pick up the win but, as with most NXT UK matches, both teams look strong. They work hard to put each other over and sell their opponents moves, it’s a credit to the collaborative effort of all talent.
The next installment of NXT UK gave us a further look at Walter, a good (good, not great) match between Ligero and Mark Andrews as well as a mediocre showing from the women’s division.
Mark Andrews versus Ligero, on paper, should be a great match. Mark Andrews is one of my favorite’s on NXT UK and I like Ligero’s high flying, fast paced style but something about this match fell a little short. There was a lot of running around, in and out the ring, a nice series of arm bars, reversals and flips. The inverted Hurrincanra looks great and I can’t be the only one who sometimes enjoys watching someone miss a Moonsault. Ligero’s Stunner is a thing of beauty along with Mark Andrews’ 182 Kick, Standing Moonsault and Shindog Millionaire, where he sets up for a Suplex and turns it into a Stunner. Ligero sets up for an abdominal stretch but picks Andrews up, twists him and Andrews lands flat on his face. Andrews misses a Shooting Star press, giving Ligero the opening for a C4L and the pin. This was a solid match, definitely the best of the night but I think the pace was a little slower than I was hoping for.
Backstage segments with Oney Lorchan as he talks about his upcoming tag team title match and then Pete Dunne’s thoughts around Walter.
Next up, Candy Floss versus Xia Brookside.
I find Floss’ gimmick nauseating but she’s actually not too bad in the ring, she keeps Brookside close the mat and she’s pretty smooth. Brookside flails her arms around a lot but she’s proficient in the joint manipulation style we’re getting to know. She delivers a Bulldog, a Head Scissors take down and a questionably named Brooksie Bomb for the win.
The saving grace of this match was Rhea Ripley tearing to the ring and knocking them both about before Toni Storm intervenes and gets laid out for her troubles. There’s a brutal headbutt in this segment, which must’ve left them both seeing stars.
Backstage segment: Jordan Devlin challenges Noam Dar.
Wild Boar versus Joseph Conners. The highlights of this match include Boar delivering an inverted Senton, Fallaway Slam and a Frogsplash and Joseph Conners’ DDT as he springs off the top rope. Boar’s Pop up Powerbomb gets a nice reaction and Conners’ Don’t Look Down Sunset Bomb secures him the victory. This match was jagged and sloppy. Boar can move but it all felt a bit frantic and they struggled to find a rhythm. Luckily some decent spots saved it.
Ashton Smith versus Joe Coffey.
Smith is tall and you would expect him to use this to his advantage. This is the first match whilst watching NXT UK where I’ve thought, this guy is a jobber and not a very good one at that. Coffey is doing all the work, looking fierce and dominant but even he can’t get a decent looking spot out of Smith, who can’t sell a move at all. It’s over pretty quickly after the execution of a Discus Larriott from Coffey who is visibly frustrated with Smith’s performance.
The main event sees Joe Coffey face off against Walter.
The match starts off with a fierce exchange of blows, chops, boots and Uppercuts. Coffey is doing all the work though as Walter takes strike after strike with little impact. For a big guy, Walter can move. He unleashes a picture-perfect German Suplex and his agility is undeniable as he lands his boot right upside Coffey’s chin. He stretches Coffey out across the turnbuckle, using his agility, size and massive feet to try and break him in half. I think I see a glimpse of the ‘Elegant Brutality’ Nigel McGuinness refers to. Coffey’s Pele Kick lands and he manages a two count before Walter responds with a deeply set Rear Naked Clutch and finally a brutal Power Bomb to pick up the win.
