NXT UK 17th April
Filmed in Brooklyn New York as part of Wrestlemania Axxess. You would think this might bring a pretty raucous crowd but it didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, they were into in but they weren’t as lively as I would have expected.
Tonight’s exhibition match main event: The grizzled Young Veterans v Kenny Williams & Amir Jordan in a none title match.
Joe and Mark Coffey v Raul Mendoza and Humberto Carillo
As always, the Coffey brothers as calculated and dominant. I’m almost to the point where I’m bored of their predictability. Thankfully being on US soil gives them new competition and I must say, I was impressed with Mendoza and Carillo. Carillo in particular is very impressive due to his height. He missed a Moonsault but gracefully rolled through it and was back on his feet. A flying Crossbody from Mendoza and tandem Suicide Dives from the newer team had us almost thinking they might pull off the upset here. Even more so when Mendoza landed a beautiful 450 off the top turnbuckle. Ultimately the power and strength of the Coffey Brothers prevailed and a brutal Lariat picked them up the victory.
Kassius Ohno’s interview was a masterclass in how to cut a decent promo.
Recap of Walter v Pete Dunne at NXT Takeover: New York where many from the NXT UK roster share their thoughts around the match. We’ll hear from Pete Dunne later in the show.
Kona Reeves v Bomber Dave Mastiff
A match which frankly struggled to find any real momentum as two guys who just aren’t right for each other tried to find some form.
This is something about NXT UK that irritates me; there’s no depth to anything. They throw guys into these exhibition matches purely to give them some on-air ring time. I understand a lot of indie wrestling is throwing things together to see what sticks but doing this in front of a live audience and a camera, with the word watching, sometimes, just doesn’t work.
The match concludes, very underwhelmingly, with a release German Suplex, a Missile Dropkick and a decent enough Into the Void from Mastiff to secure him the win.
When he retreats backstage, the other chap from Gallus (the none Coffey brother) is waiting for him and the two mouth off and have a spat. This will likely result in yet another 2 week feud, which will be over before it starts.
Kacy Catanzaro v Rhea Ripley
A replay of a match which took place in the 2018 Mae Young Classic.
Catanzaro is a little firecracker, she swift and light on her feet but she is totally outmatched by Ripley. Ripley throws her around like a rag doll and the only real offence Catanzaro manages is an attempted Crucifix which she doesn’t have the power of Ripley to execute with any real conviction.
Just as I thought they were finding a rhythm and some nice pace, Ripley locks in a shoulder stretch which kills the momentum. A couple of Vertical Suplexes and a Riptide and Ripley secures the three count. I really really like Rhea Ripley and I strongly believe she has outgrown this brand. She unleashes a beautiful Inverted Cobra Leaf after the match (couldn’t have done that in the match) Asserting her dominance over the women’s division.
Backstage, Ripley and Piper Niven come face to face again. #TwoWeekFeud
Backstage Jinny refuses to comment about her loss to Toni Storm.
Confirmed for next week:
Kassius Ohno v Ligero
Moustache Mountain v Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster
Grizzled Young Veterans v Kenny Williams & Amir Jordan.
Gibson is solid on the mic. I’d quite like to see him and Ohno have a promo off in the near future.
The Veterans focus on keeping their opponents as close to the mat as possible, to prevent them from executing their aerial offence. They are gelling well as a team, despite not being in action for a while, they have great chemistry. Williams and Jordan are the same but as their style is different to the Veterans, it takes a few beats for the action to kick in. I loved the nod to the Hardy’s with a Poetry in Motion. Gibson is methodical, the reverse Chin Lock is sold with conviction but he’s selling an ear problem which keeps him on the outside. Jordan almost scores a victory after his Swanton Bomb but Gibson pulls Drake out of the pinning situation and they are purposefully counted out. The winners: Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan
Backstage interview with Pete Dunne as he reflects on his thoughts around his match with Walter, where he lost the NXT UK Championship after holding it for 685 days. He says Walter took him to his limit, he’s up for another chase and demands a rematch.
