They started this show with a Winston Churchill speech.
“I see it [NXT UK] definitely turning into a global brand” – thank you, WWE, for coming to a place where this statement can be uttered on your program. You have truly done everything you are thinking you are setting out to do.
Would’ve loved a little more inter-promotional hatred, but this was a good show where the goal seemed to be to actually entertain people in a way that didn’t feel like pandering. Lots of good wrestling in front of a Free Trial TakeOver Atmosphere.
0. Mia Yim vs. Kay Lee Ray
Good solid match, not in a boring way but a respectable one. Ray’s plancha is becoming a big deal spot, Yim always does something crazy, and the cheap finish was real smooth. ***
1. Finn Balor vs. Ilja Dragunov
Ilja Dragunov at first glance looks a bit silly, what with the red contact lenses and the pale scarred body and slicked up hair, but as soon the bell rings it all makes sense and it compels me to buy in. This had plenty of fine WHOAAA moments and was a nice case study of Dragunov with a top guy, but these swimmer body dream matches with no actual feud are never as compelling as they appear on paper. Balor dropped an all-timer Coup de Grace though. ***
There have been plenty of moments that made me think Matt Riddle was ready to be a superstar, but none as much as that little shimmy he did as the crowd showered him with love.
“I’ll be blunt” – PETER.
2. Fatal 4-Way Match – NXT Cruiserweight Title: Angel Garza [c] vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Travis Banks vs. Jordan Devlin
The WWE Cruiserweight Title is now the NXT Cruiserweight Title and it was great to see these guys in various stages of WWE developmental purgatory just get a SPOT. All four are other-worldly talented – Banks and Swerve are still figuring some things out but that’s more about filling in the blanks and developing a WWE rapport… here none of that mattered. They got the go-ahead to go balls to the wall and it all came together. Angel Garza got a star treatment from the crowd he deserved, while in a match filled with some great stunts Devlin doing a Silly String into a tornado DDT was the most impressive. ****
3. #DIY vs. Moustache Mountain
All the good stuff, a pair of fan favorites competing with an intent to both win and remind everybody why they are fan favorites. Gargano vs. Bate early was so solid that I thought Ciampa vs. Seven had no chance, and then the increasingly chubby Seven ceded to Ciampa on a muscle pose and the match locked in. The double bop-and-bang into the Ode to the Bulldogs near fall had everybody, only to be somehow topped by Ciampa ending up on top of Seven after Bate dropped a Skytwister Press and Bate turned around satisfied, a tricky finish you’d expect but NOPE – Bate turns back around at the last millisecond for the save. Ciampa went the hardest he has since his return, and it was nice to see Gargano too – just in general. ****1/2
MERCEDES MARTINEZ
Tegan Nox attacking Dakota Kai = yes, great wrestling. Loved it. Save it for Portland. PUT THEM IN A CAGE.
4. NXT Title: Rhea Ripley [c] vs. Toni Storm
A match that went from start to finish, but never clicked in any tangible way – not as a story or a competition. *3/4
5. The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Imperium (WALTER, Alexander Wolfe, Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel)
Alexander Wolfe getting actually KO’d minutes into this made for an awkward first 5 minutes as everybody just kind of felt each other out, but it also gave the match a creepy feel of legitimacy, like yeah that was totally bound to happen when these two factions went at it.
Then WALTER got the tag and went at his opposition like he was the only guy who’d been watching NJPW vs. UWF tapes all this week. O’Reilly went back at WALTER like an overzealous psychopath, while WALTER vs. Strong was just unbelievable – that’s two 100% necessary NXT UK Title matches right there. Eventually, this just became The WALTER Show – built to a big tag, got the big tag, and he brought it to all members of The Undisputed Era whether it was one or all four at the same time. The crowd was all in on this man. I guess Aichner did some crazy stuff too. Needed a hair more beyond WALTER but great, great stuff. ****1/4
Happy Thoughts: NXT UK has built up a roster and NXT is filled to the brim, but this affirmation you could merge the two brands and get something special. The possibilities in that brawl with #DIY, Balor, and Moustache Mountain backstage, all while Dunne and Riddle and WALTER and Undisputed Era are hanging around… man. The big tags were must-see, while other matches didn’t fully deliver but also provided fine place-setting for the main courses. 8/10
