NXT UK has been very cool to watch as an experiment and kind of blah to watch as a wrestling fan. It’s WWE trying to build a new territory. The pros are it’s got the resources and the platform. The cons are the wrestling is generic and everybody seems so dumb that it’s hard to get over.
The major thing with this show is that if it is looked at as purely developmental, ala a Florida Championship Wrestling or even Arrival-era NXT, it is fine. It might even be exceeding expectations. The issue is a lot of guys feel fully baked, and I’m worried that in this atmosphere where they are wrestling all these generic formula matches on this show that is kind of real but kind of not real that they won’t actually develop. Maybe that’s a stupid worry but I keep thinking it, because everybody here feels Perfectly Fine at working a chinlock-focused WWE-style TV match, but there isn’t a lot character to the matches. And it’s what keeps the first 24 episodes of this show from being anything I could recommend.
The other major thing is that WWE has a trio of absolute superstars in British Strong Style. Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate and Trent Seven come across as God-like rock stars on these UK shows and that should be treated with care. It doesn’t hurt that they are all very good at wrestling. Dunne has excelled as a good guy and has had one of the best long title reigns I’ve ever seen with a wide variety of opponents in quality matches – he’s the Hulk Hogan of NXT UK 2018 but nobody feels buried yet.
Tyler Bate and Trent Seven meanwhile come across as guys who could go to the main roster today and if not immediately thrown into a dumb situation become a megastar babyface tag team. The British Bulldogs tribute they did on this show was cool, but there’s some truth to it too – in addition to being Big Strong Boys, they are Exciting British Babyfaces.
The women’s division isn’t clicking yet, but Toni Storm is right there with British Strong Style as a superstar. Toni, Jinny, Rhea Ripley, and maybe Dakota Kai or Deonna Purrazzo is a solid roster for a women’s division but we’re not there yet. I like the idea of Rhea as the first champion, and she’s delivered out of the ring though not really in it yet. And Isla Dawn seems completely pleasant but the White Witch deal isn’t working.
They use a relatively established roster of job guys, which I like. Those guys are used as the fodder between the build-up for singles matches between the bigger stars which usually main event TV.
There are a lot of tag teams. In addition to Moustache Mountain – Zack Gibson & James Drake, Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster, Tyson T-Bone & Saxon Huxley, Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams, and Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner have all come together. It gives guys something to do. There was even a Saxon Huxley and Joseph Conners team that lasted like two weeks and had a blowoff grudge match a week later.
Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness are a solid commentary pair – I’d like to see another British dude in the mix, but Vic plays it down the middle and is perfectly fine.
Overall it’s a show that needs a kick in the ass, but the overall world-building hasn’t been terrible.
Also, can there PLEASE just be one episode per week? MY GOD, MAN.
1. NXT UK Tag Team Title: Moustache Mountain vs. Zack Gibson & James Drake
The raucous TakeOver opener atmosphere helped, but as the crowd stated several times throughout his match, This Was Awesome – loads of crazy stuff within the structure of a great 20+ minute tag team wrestling match. You bet your ass Zack Gibson slowed this fucker down for a while, but there was also amazing stuff peppered in like Tyler Bate keeping a neck bridge going to chants of “BIG STRONG BOY,” or a double airplane spin, or a TOPE SUICIDA DOOMSDAY DEVICE. Sometimes a spot like that last one can come off as silly, but here it came across like some legitimate offensive maneuver. Extra credit to Trent Seven, who has really shined on the NXT UK TV as a guy who can sell his ass off and get a crowd into a match. He kept the middle portion with Gibson and Drake working over him interesting, and it didn’t hurt he’d throw a massive chop once in a while too.
Hot, hot finish with a lot of legitimate false finishes as these guys found themselves in a rare case in WWE where it really could go either way and either way is interesting. The powerslam/diving headbutt tribute to the Bulldogs combo was awesome, as was how hard everybody bought the near fall off of Drake’s 450. Eventually, the Moustache Men fell, and Gibson and Drake cemented their place in NXT UK history. The Moustache boys can work, people. ****1/4
The show kept rolling with FINN BALOR making a surprise appearance to replace the unlucky Travis Banks, who avoided being written out of the show once earlier in the day only to fall victim to it later in the night. This was a very cool thing and one of those feels-good makes-sense things they should do more often. If NXT UK came around five years ago, Balor would’ve been the ace. And here he is, taking on the guy calling himself that.
2. Finn Balor vs. Jordan Devlin
They had a very good match. Lots of cool shit and near falls, all basked in the afterglow of Finn Balor being there. Devlin looked very good in defeat, which is usually how you want this type of thing to go. He also had a very good “DUH – WHAT!?” reaction when Balor’s music hit too. ***1/4
Luke Menzies got a shoutout, which bodes well for him. I’m all for any rough and tumble fella in a singlet in a wrestling ring.
3. No DQ Match: Bomber Dave Mastiff vs. Eddie Dennis
There’s always one TakeOver match that’s in a tough spot as the match the fans least care about, and it usually cements that level of care by not delivering. This didn’t deliver. There were a few decent big spots but no believability in between them. Lots of lumbering around too, and they lost points right off the bat for Eddie’s gross green gear too. **1/2
JAZZY GABERT IS BACK! If you’re reading this you probably know WALTER showed up – Jazzy as the WALTER for the women is where my wrestling heart is at right now.
4. NXT UK Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley [c] vs. Toni Storm
A very good match between a very good wrestler and a wrestler still kind of figuring out. They got 15 minutes and Toni sold her ass off which willed the match into being good, while Rhea did admirably but just doesn’t feel complete yet, at least not complete enough to have a great 15 minute match. That she got close is pretty impressive though, and I still dig everything about her that isn’t these high level matches with Toni Storm. A fine match that will be more remembered for the big Toni moment. ***1/4
5. WWE U.K. Title: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Joe Coffey
This thing went 35 minutes and I am so conflicted about it. I think I really liked it. I also think it was a unique type of match, as it was basically built like a 20ish minute WWE main event match, and it wasn’t all that good. But then it kept going and going and going and it transcended the earlier work and became kind of amazing. It was a long match that was a testimonial for matches going long, which is not usually the case.
The Bitter End kickout about 20 minutes it got practically crickets, because it is so obviously what you do in this main event match with the long-time champ and a relatively untested guy who isn’t all that over. It felt cheap, and the crowd gave it the reaction it deserved.
But then they did some kind of swinging powerbomb from the top rope. And when Dunne did another Bitter End and Coffey rolled away from being covered, you could sense a changed crowd. A crowd that was enchanted by what was in front of them. This went from good Pete Dunne match with a solid moment to something that built and built into a hot 35-minute main event epic. There were a few “seriously!?” kickouts but there was also a whole lot of compelling action in front of a molten crowd. The bit where Coffey fell off the top rope felt less blown spot and more chaos that happens in a crazy match. To be completely honest I still can’t even sense if Joe Coffey is any good, but this Pete Dunne guy did it again and had a hell of a statement match to main event the first major show of the brand that he built. ****
And then – WALTER. Awesome tease by production with the relatively weak guest spots sitting front row and the copyright logo playing, but what a moment. The shot of WALTER standing opposite Dunne on either side of the ring was EPIC. WALTER exudes professional wrestler and I am excited to see him get started.
Very good show, with a good mix of quality wrestling (tag titles, main event), feel-good moments (Balor, Toni title win), and Big Things Happening (WALTER). The TV is a tough sell, but this was an excellent first real go for NXT UK. 9/10
