Not a great lot.
There wasn’t much even worth calling out. Travis Banks vs. Joe Coffey from NXT UK 18 is alright. Eddie Dennis’ performance in the Bomber Dave Mastiff feud is pretty good. The build to their first TakeOver is now in full swing, and that should presumably be good. But the journey to get there is still kind of a bore. I like Rhea Ripley but her two Women’s Title matches in the last two weeks didn’t deliver. Two Joe Coffey main events in two weeks wasn’t ideal either.
We are at 20 episodes of place-setting and it’s real hit-or-miss. There’s a weird vibe to this show, in that it works a lot better when viewed as a developmental project but a lot of the guys also kind of feel fully formed, like they will now settle into these WWE formula matches forever until the end of time. I use the word “basic” to describe a lot of matches because that’s what they are – technically they work, but nobody really gets over within the confinements of the match either. So as a show with guys with potential it’s solid, as anything else it’s still kind of bad.
NXT UK 17 (12/19/18)
Jordan Devlin vs. Wild Boar was a match I personally liked, in that they used 5 minutes well with shticks that are working for me. I liked how both of them would just hammer on each other when they got an offensive opening. The big whirlwind kick 2.9 kickout didn’t quite work with the crowd but good for Boar.
Fabian Aichner faced THE ENGLISH LION Eddie Ryan, who came out in a large lion mask. It was a pretty straightforward enhancement match for Aichner, but I dug the idea of rising heel vs. the local veteran out to try his hand at NXT.
Moustache Mountain vs. Saxon Huxley/Tyson T-Bone was very very basic TV wrestling that mostly worked. Not sure what was with the Huxley/T-Bone dissension.
Not sure what the idea was with Rhea Ripley vs. Isla Dawn for the NXT UK Women’s Title. Isla started with a long headlock and they had the crowd behind Rhea, then Rhea started working headlocks and the crowd was behind nobody. I think i heard the ref say “work the headlock, wrench it” to Isla and then she did that for a while. Yuck.
NXT UK 18 (12/19/18)
Toni Storm vs. Charlie Morgan was basic basic basic, though Toni Storm remains over. Toni as a fleeting presence on NXT UK TV has been odd – it’s nice to see her back more with TakeOver coming up.
Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster vs. Zack Gibson & James Drake was another very basic basic basic match brought up by crowd being all over Gibson and Mark Andrews being a crazy person who does spectacular stuff. Drake took an ugly reverse rana from Webster towards the end. I’d be into Andrews vs. Gibson. Maybe.
The “N-X-T” and “U-K WRESTLING” chants during Killer Kelly vs. Nina Samuels felt… disingenuous.
The Coffey Brothers and Wolfgang have the weirdest god damn theme. Joe Coffey‘s big ass lime green trunks don’t help the presentation – I don’t think I’m about to watch a badass wrestle, I think I’m watching a weirdo.
Regardless, big Joe vs. Travis Banks was a fine match, real decent, real solid, and probably the best of the four episodes covered here. They managed to keep it high energy even with a Coffey offensive stretch in the middle. * Stefan Voice * The finish had it all – strikes, chops, and uppercut of a tope.
Vic Joseph might’ve been screaming but it all just felt OK.
NXT UK 19 (12/26/18)
NXT TakeOver: Blackpool is a thing now, with a card that is shaping up to be Toni Storm vs. Rhea Ripley, Pete Dunne vs. Joe Coffey, Eddie Dennis vs. Bomber Dave Mastiff, Moustache Mountain vs. Zack Gibson & James Drake for the UK Tag Team Titles, and I imagine something else.
Jordan Devlin beat Kenny Williams and Devlin again looked good in this scenario. Good promo afterwards too, real confident guy this Devlin guy is.
Bomber Dave Mastiff attacking Eddie Dennis during his match with Dan Moloney, resulting in a DQ, then Moloney confronting Mastiff and getting laid out by Mastiff is not a bad angle.
NXT UK experimented with an on-location promo, with Zack Gibson providing a “Guide to Liverpool” which was basically him cutting a promo next to James Drake about Liverpool needing him more than he needs Liverpool. It was OK but Gibson is better playing off live crowd heat.
Love that WWE puts so little effort into so many things, but is so convinced of Saxon Huxley‘s potential for tag team greatness that they will repackage him three different times in an attempt to make something stick. He and Tyson T-Bone beat Tucker & Jack Starz in what is now likely the official send-off for Tucker, who never quite broke out of the prison created by the fact that his name was just… Tucker.
Joe Coffey vs. Ligero was very NXT UK in that some stuff happened but not really. It might’ve all been worth it for the Ligero springboard into the Coffey spinning lariat though. Maybe. Probably not.
NXT UK 20 (12/6/18)
WILD BOAR HAS GOT A FRIEND! And his name is “PRIMATE” Jay Melrose! F this Zack Gibson stuff, give me Wild Boar and Primate on-location. They wrestled Gibson and James Drake in a very basic match brought up a notch by Boar and Primate being interesting.
You know what, James Drake trotting around as Gibson works the mic might be a good bit.
Eddie Dennis just bodyslamming poor Josh Morrell as he posed on the stage en route to certain defeat at the hands of Bomber Dave Mastiff was a cool little deal. Dennis comes off as such a creep and is making a simple story work well. Morrell actually lost to Lio Rush on 205 Live last month.
I liked how Joseph Conners said “scratched” in his promo.
Marcel Barthel gives the creepiest Nazi perfection vibes and that is something that should very carefully be utilized. He faced Mark Andrews in a fun little match that did a good job of going “Hey, you – this guy is good at wrestling.” Fabian Aichner cost Andrews the match because character development, I guess.
Still no idea what a Kiwi Buzzsaw is supposed to be.
Rhea Ripley vs. Deonna Purrazzo was an OK match that lacked anything beyond the basics. Deonna had a nice showcase here and there but it didn’t really click opposite the work-in-progress Ripley, who provided a control segment and eventual sell job best described as adequate. I’m pretty sure these two will do good stuff in the future, but though it wasn’t bad it just didn’t hit.
