SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT UK TV REPORT (EP. 117)
OCTOBER 15, 2020
STREAMED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY CHAD KOENIG, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Hosted By: Andy Shepherd from BT Sports Arena in London
-Andy Shepard and Nigel McGuinness are calling the matches. Shepard addresses the rules to the Heritage Cup tournament.
(1) DAVE MASTIFF vs. JOSEPH CONNORS – Opening Round Match of Heritage Cup Tournament. British Rounds Match rules
Round One: Mastiff offers his hand but Connors refused. Mastiff got him in a standing wristlock that he tried to escape. He then ountered and escaped to a corner. With about 90 seconds left, they lock up and Connors went to the arm. Mastiff grabbed a quick pinfall attempt after escaping the hold with a standing senton. Connors grabbed the wrist again but Mastiff tossed him up and got on top for a two count. The round ended with Connors running from Mastiff.
MASTIFF: 0 CONNORS: 0
Round Two: They circled each other at the bell, locked up and hit the ropes. When Mastiff knocked him down, Connors escaped to the corner and continued to keep his distance from the larger Mastiff. Connors charged at him but got nowhere. Mastiff then charged and took him down for a two count. Mastiff grounded him again and this time wrenched his right arm. With 45 seconds remaining, Mastiff slammed Connors down for two again. The two exchanged slaps as the round ended.
MASTIFF: 0 CONNORS: 0
Round Three: Connors came out and immediately laid in some hard strikes that didn’t seem to budge Mastiff. Two rights from Mastiff knocked Connors out cold, giving the Bomber a knockout victory seconds into Round 3.
MASTIFF: 1 (KO) CONNORS: 0
WINNER: Dave Mastiff 20 seconds into Round 3 by knockout.
(Koenig’s Analysis: I was happy to see a squash in the tournament to emphasize the power of Mastiff. Connors was the right guy to take a fall. It was fun and served what it needed to.
-A Jordan Devlin vignette is next. He talked about his winning the Cruiserweight title at World’s Collide in January 2020 and then having it taken away due to travel restrictions and that El Hijo won it as an interim champion. He said that he noticed the word “interim” being pulled from the graphics on El Hijo’s matches and said that he is back to prove that he is the one true champion, said that if someone wants the belt then to come take it from him, ripped off his lavaliere mic and slammed it to the ground and pounded off angrily. I loved this.
-WWE Hell in a Cell commercial
-Oliver Carter being interviewed as he was coming into the arena earlier today. The interview is immediately interrupted by his partner Ashton Smith. Smith asked if he heard what Pretty Deadly said to Eddie Dennis last week. Carter said that it didn’t matter because he is facing Dennis next week.
(2) ISLA DAWN vs. PIPER NIVEN
They locked up and Niven put her into a wristlock. She worked on that for a minute before Dawn rolled out and countered. Dawn attempted a top wrist lock but Niven tossed her to the ropes. Dawn fired back with a few forearms before they exchanged standing headlocks, with Niven dominating throughout. Dawn countered a toss from Niven that yielded Dawn rolling her up for a two count. That angered Niven who flattened Dawn before picking her up and throwing her into the ropes. Niven tossed Dawn in and around the ring. After leap-frogging Niven, she (slowly and poorly) laid in some punches to Niven’s back. Niven slammed her again to the ground and got up at two. Niven picked her up and went for a suplex. Dawn escaped and connected with a series of kicks. She covered Niven for two.
Back to their feet, they exchanged strikes. This got incredibly sloppy when Dawn was tossed to the corner, Niven charged and Dawn moved. Dawn then ran to the opposite side of the ring to go to the top rope while Niven was still across the ring selling the injury. Niven had to walk over and accept the double knees that Dawn was going for. This was just horrid. How this made air is beyond me. For whatever reason, Niven was lying flat on the ground like she just got crushed by a piano instead of essentially catching a woman half her size. Dawn snuck a pinfall attempt in. Now here, Niven escaped from a submission move that she literally JUST (accidentally) tapped out of with the ref right next to her. After that botch, Niven gave her a backdrop and cannonball into the corner. She slammed her in the middle of the ring with a Piper Driver for the win.
WINNER: Piper Niven at 8:15.
(Koenig’s Analysis: At 8 minutes and fifteen seconds, this match was about eight minutes too long. This should have been a true squash. Now Niven, who is the biggest woman in the division, looks weak after having to sell for the horribly executed moves in this match. It made her look foolish when they should be treating her like a monster. This was atrocious. Fast forward.
-Kenny Williams asked in the gym what he is doing to train for his Heritage Cup match against Trent Seven next week. He said that he is training harder than ever for this and proceeded to work out with his coach.
-“Drew McIntyre: The Chosen One” network special commercial.
-Recap of attack of “Flash” Morgan Webster
-Trent Seven video package
(3) WALTER (c) & ALEXANDER WOLFE vs. PETE DUNNE & ILJA DRAGUNOV
Dunne and Wolfe start the match. They went right to the mat and Dunne went for the fingers . Wolfe escaped, they got up and hit the ropes. A slap to the chest took down Wolfe before tagging in Walter. The former rivals circle and lock up. Walter threw him to the mat immediately. After another lock up, Walter took him back down and into an arm bar that he transitioned into a standing wristlock. The two demonstrated some incredible mat wrestling before locking in leg scissors. Walter escaped by hoisting Dunne up for a powerbomb, but he slid down the big man’s back and rolled him up for two. Dragunov yelled out to tag in and keep himself fresh. Dunne obliged.
Dragunov was taken down immediately and held in a headlock. He powered out, they hit the ropes, and went back down to the mat. More of the same ensued, with Dragunov being dominated and held in a headlock. Dragunov made it to his feet and the two exchanged some heavy slaps. Back down for another headlock that Dragunov hulked out of. He was slammed to the mat and kicked in the back, while Dunne was met with a surprise slap to the face as Walter left pure carnage in the ring for Wolfe, who went right for a pinfall attempt after being tagged in.
They got vertical and Dragunov continued to be manhandled. Wolfe covered for one. He tagged Walter back in and Wolfe held him for a hard slap to the chest. He simply slammed Dragunov and tagged Wolfe back in. He stomped his head lifted up Dragunov, who escaped in the process and chopped Wolfe down. Dragunov went for the senton but Wolfe put his knees up. He slammed Dragunov and got a two count. Both men took each other down with a slew of moves including a double clothesline. They both got to their corners and tagged in their partners.
Dunne and Walter charged at each other and they fought around the ring, going 50/50 on holds and strikes. Dunne got a two count after stomping Walter’s hand and kneeing him to the chest. Dunne wrapped Walter up in an arm bar and manipulated the fingers but Walter housed his way out laid in some boots. A double boot to the chest from Walter put both men to the mat for another double tag in.
Dragunov was on fire from the tag and attacked Wolfe hard. Dragunov dodged a kick with a maneuver that looked like it came out of “The Matrix”. He slammed Wolfe for two. Dragunov went to the top and jumped. Wolfe moved and connected with a kick. The two exchanged blows with Dragunov able to knock him down for a pinfall attempt after a lariat. Wolfe pushed Dragunov into his corner and Dunne tagged himself in. Stereo knees took out Wolfe while Dunne returned the favor to Walter by blindsiding him on the apron. And while he did that, Dragunov went to the top for a senton onto Wolfe. Dunne with the cover and two count, followed by a tag back in to Walter, who went to the top. Wolfe suplexed Dunne to prepare Walter but as he came down, Dunne caught him in a triangle choke. Wolfe ran in and then Dragunov ran in to help. Wolfe held Dragunov while Walter lifted up Dunne and slammed him on top of his teammate. All four men were laid across the mat, but Walter got up first and picked up Dunne who met him with a standing insuguri and ran in for the tag. Dunne attacked Wolfe on the outside, while Dragunov went to the top. He came down and was chopped Dragunov down mid flight. A powerbomb followed and he had the three count, but Dunne ran in at the last second and pulled him off. Walter with a release german suplex and Dragunov kicked out at two.
Walter then stood over him and mocked him, before lifting him up and lighting Dragunov’s chest up. Dragunov was able to get in a lariat that took Walter off his feet with enough time to cover him, but Wolfe saved him on time. Dunne slid in a scooped up Wolfe for a Bitter End. Wolfe rolled out as Dunne turned around, only to be taken down by a shot from Walter. Dragunov tried his best to lift up the champion, but Walter went for a sleeper. Dragunov escaped and laid in some knife-edge chops and knees. He then impressively got him up for a Gotch lift suplex and executed it well. He went for the kill shot on Walter but Wolfe interfered. Dunne came from behind, grabbed Wolfe’s hand and snapped his fingers. Back in the ring, Walter locked in a sleeper again. Dragunov slipped out and hit a torpedo Moscow to pin the champion before their title match.
WINNERS: Ilja Dragunov & Pete Dunne at 19:01
(Koenig’s Analysis: Honestly, any match after that Dawn/Niven match looks like Steamboat/Flair, but this truly was a mat classic. Matches like this are why more people need to watch NXT UK. The story told throughout the ring was fantastic, with Dragunov getting a pin before his championship match (even though we know what that means in WWE’s world). This was intense and exciting, which is what you should expect from all four in this ring. My particular highlight was when Walter made his first tag in and the carnage that he left in that ring. With his size, it really looked like a scene out of an Incredible Hulk film. Tremendous.
-NEXT WEEK: Trent Seven vs. Eddie Dennis (Heritage Cup Opening Round Match), Eddie Dennis vs. Oliver Carter
That main event was a Match of the Year candidate. Freakin stellar.