Hello and welcome to the brand new recap of NXT UK. I’m here to cover the first hour of this week’s two new episodes and boy are we in for a doozy. We have a UK title match and a much anticipated debut. Before getting into the episode itself, I just want to point out how fantastic the aesthetic of this show is. The theme music, the ring, the logos, all of it is just so great.
Match One: Dave Mastiff vs Damien Weir
- Damien weir is starting in the ring at the beginning of the episode, that’s not a good sign for him, and he got compared to Yorkshire pudding by Nigel, boy he’s gonna die.
- Well this isn’t going well for Damien Weir, 30 seconds in and a Dave’s gonna kill you chant
- Dave is fantastic, he held Weir up in the air for easily 15 seconds then just dragged him around the ring
- Mastiff’s cannonball in the corner never gets easier to watch, it’s terrifying for the guy in the corner
- Mastiff picked up in the win in no time, complete squash
Winner: Dave Mastiff
- After the match they replayed the Wolfgang heel turn that made realize Wolfgang was apparently a face to begin with?
- Tonight the big Scottish lads speak out
- Ligero promo(still don’t like he’s billed from England not Mexico)
- James Drake promo right after that, lots of Progress footage
Progress Report: Due to the insane amount of NXT UK wrestlers who compete in Progress wrestling still, I want to keep an eye on them, showing what they are up to there as well as here. James Drake along with Zack Gibson recently competed for the Progress Tag Titles but came up short.
- Fantastic promo for Jinny designed like a magazine cover
- Danny Burch doing push-ups
Match Two: Ligero vs James Drake
- I’m really glad they’re letting Ligero wear different masks, not just that Union Jack one
- Apparently Drake competed on 205 at some point recently? Who knew?
- Ligero wins the opening sequence until Drake forces a rope break and gets him to the mat.
- Nice leapfrogging from Ligero over and under
- Wow, Drake throwing Ligero into the rope looked brutal, followed by some rough knees in the corner
- Ligero selling the hit to his jaw off the rope even as he goes up top, followed by a nice leg sweep from drake and another kick to the jaw, but ligero still kicks out
- Ahh some good chain wrestling, why I watch British wrestling
- Holy crap! Ligero actually is on a winning streak over Wild Boar and James Drake, I’m so happy to see him get a push
Winner: Ligero
- Dakota Kai and Toni Storm share a backstage segment about their match next week and oh boy am I excited to see that. This seems to have title implications even though the belt does not exist yet
- Promo on Ashton Smith, and wow he is good. I hadn’t seen much of him before but he’s up next and I’m excited
- Promo on Liverpool’s number 1 Zack Gibson who takes on Amir Jordan next week. Still claiming to be NXT UK’s number 1
Match Three: Ashton Smith vs…nevermind
- Match was supposed to happen but the Scottish lads(yes I’m calling them that now) Wolfgang and the Coffey brothers jumped Ashton Smith and made their way to the ring with a chorus of boos
- Good old British wrestling fans as they sing “OHHHHHHH what are you saying?”
- I like the big bad Scottish lads, uh oh “there is no more British Strong Style and Big Strong Boi” them’s fighting words
- I’m ready for the eventual six man tag between the Scottish Lads and British Strong Style.
- Are they the pack? The kingdom? They really need a name, and soon.
- Up Next it’s the debut of Eddie Dennis
Progress Report: I adore Eddie Dennis, and you’re about to as well. He used to be tag team partners with Mark Andrews before everything went wrong. NXT UK showed some of this in its promos but what they didn’t show was Dennis jumping Andrews’ at his own concert. This feud is bloody, it’s personal, and I hope we get a good Dennis vs Andrews match soon. Dennis recently faced Andrews in a TLC match at Progress chapter 76 that is worth watching
- Flash Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews and Ashton Smith all went in to Johnny Saint’s office, should lead to something good
Match Three for real this time: Eddie Dennis vs Sid Scala
- So Sid Scala seems to be our jobber to the new folks, first Mastiff now Dennis
- Dennis’s music is creepy, uneasy, and oh I love it
- Kick from Dennis to start the match, followed by a stomp
- Couple elbows and kicks from Scala but then taken down from one hit
- Couple nearfalls with Dennis pinning, but can’t quite get it
- The longer the match goes the madder Dennis gets, and the MAndrews chants are not helping, Dennis is yelling about fighting Scala who slaps him. Oh god Scala is going to die. Scala hits a flying crossbody but Dennis kicks out at one then hits a bucklebomb.
- Dennis hits Scala with a neck stop driver ouch god Scala’s neck, and it’s over
Winner: Eddie Dennis
- Eddie is here, he is a heel, and I am happy
- Next week’s main event is that Ashton smith, Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews vs Scottish lads six man tag
Match Four: NXT UK Championship Match: Danny Burch vs Pete Dunne
Progress Report: Go watch Pete Dunne vs Ilya Druganov from Progress Chapter 76, now, go, run, it’s incredible
- Pete Dunne just passed Asuka’s title reign at 540 days, he needs to drop that belt soon or it will lost its meaning…granted no one may want that belt after Dunne kept biting it
- These two go down to the mat early, good back and forth. If you aren’t familiar with catchascatchcan wrestling before watching NXT UK, you will be soon
- Dunne getting the finger bending in early, and that never looks pleasant
- Dunne is just standing on Burch’s face now, I see why he still has the belt
- Really nice takedown from Burch grabbing Dunne’s knee out of midair
- Dunne hits a modified Xplex on Burch right on the apron, THE LEAST FORGIVING PART OF THE RING
- Dunne’s join manipulation is like watching a clinic, it’s beautifully disgusting
- Burch finally gets some more offense in with some strong strikes and a wonderful missile dropkick
- Dunne face first off the steps and then onto the floor with a German suplex
- Dunne locks in a triangle hold but Burch bucklebombs him after lifting him above his head
- Burch hits a nasty top rope German suplex and Dunne barely kicks out
- Beautiful sequence starting with an Xplex from Dunne through a vicious clothesline from Burch
- Burch hits a DDT with Dunne’s feet on the top rope and somehow Dunne kicks out, this match is fantastic
- Burch locks in the crossface again and somehow Dunne breaks it by grabbing the fingers before Burch locks it in again
- Dunne finally hits the bitter end but Burch kicks out, this is just a normal episode of NXT UK, if you haven’t watched this show before you see why I wanted to cover it weekly
- Dunne hits his finger break again and bends the fingers until Burch finally taps
Winner: Pete Dunne: Title Retained
- That match goes onto the list of incredible NXT UK matches and we’re only five episodes in
- Show fades to black with Dunne celebrating and Vic Joseph on commentary asking who the next challenger will be
