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NXT UK TV REPORT (EP. 144)
APRIL 22, 2021
STREAMED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY CHAD KOENIG, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentary: Andy Shepherd and Nigel McGuinness
Broadcast from BT Sports Arena, London
(1) JOE COFFEY vs. EDDIE DENNIS
After a lock up, Coffey sent Dennis out of the ring and followed right behind. He beat him down a little bit before rolling back him back in. Coffey started to pound on Dennis’ mid section before a judo throw sent put Coffey to the mat and into a cravat. Dennis kneed him in the face for the first near fall of the match.
After Coffey escaped the cravat, Dennis countered a Glasgow sendoff to get another two count in. He continued to use his judo background to chop the stronger Coffey, getting yet another pair of near falls.
Both men were back on their feet when they exchanged blows. A discus lariat followed by a belly to belly took Dennis down, giving Coffey his chance for offense in which he was able to get his first near fall.
Dennis remained grounded as Coffey tried to force him up. When Coffey went to the top, Dennis sprung to set himself up for a Splash Mountain and executed it wonderfully. A two count followed. Dennis then went for a Next Step Driver which Coffey escaped from and reversed it into a Boston Crab in the center of the ring. As things looked good for Coffey, T-Bone and Primate came from the back and surrounded the apron. Coffey broke the hold to attack Primate and was rolled up by Dennis for two. Gallus then came to the ring to even the odds.
Back in the ring, Coffey went to the top with a springboard cross body and Glasgow Sendoff. A Best of the Bells gave him the win at the end.
-Immediately after the match, both teams went into the ring and battled for a minute, obviously to set up a six man tag soon.
WINNER: Coffey at 8:28
(Koenig’s Analysis: Dennis got a lot more offense in than I thought and was impressively strong. It was a good brawl and styles clash that is setting them up for bigger things as the rivalry continues.)
-Ilja Dragunov in a vignette looking at his screen showing footage of all of the times that he snapped since his loss to Walter. It ended abruptly with him staring intently.
-Gallus walking backstage after the first match. Gallus were joyous when Rampage Brown came up and talked to (Joe) Coffey. Coffey reminded him that he promised him a rematch before Brown turned around and walked away.
(2) DAVE MASTIFF vs. SAM GRADWELL
Mastiff went to work on Gradwell’s arm after the two tested strength in a pair of lock ups. Mastiff grounded him and executed two cannonballs before getting the first pinfall attempt of the match. Mastiff lifted Gradwell up and hoisted him onto his shoulders, and after a failed attempt to fight out, Gradwell got slammed and rolled onto again, this time unfortunately landing on Gradwell’s braced knee.
While Mastiff was stunned. Gradwell would fight back and land a couple of hard strikes into his back. He brought Mastiff to the band and got a two count. He continued to focus on the back and held in a rear chin lock. Mastiff powered his way out and hit the ropes and got another two count after a cross body. A lariat followed and sent Gradwell to the corner. Mastiff attempted to run at him but his back gave out, giving Gradwell a chance to slip in and lift him onto his shoulders. Gradwell drove him into the mat for the surprising victory.
WINNER: Gradwell at 4:53
(Koenig’s Analysis: An impressive (and much needed) win for Gradwell. he showed how strong he was by being able to manhandle the huge Mastiff the way he did towards the end of the match.)
-Valkyrie shown walking around (What I’m assuming) was the city of London and told us that next week she gets what she wants- a match against Satomura.
-Video package on Emelia McKenzie and her return to NXT UK.
(3) DANI LUNA vs. JINNY (with Joseph Connors)
Luna wrapped herself around Jinny’s waist and slammed her down a couple of times before Jinny would break free and lay in a few strikes. She kicked the back of Luna’s neck and kneed her gut until she clinched her into an octopus. Luna broke free as Jinny continued to knee her gut.
With Luna grounded, Jinny wrapped her into another octopus. Luna lifted herself up and broke the hold. She then charged at Jinny and met a boot to the face. Even after that, she was able to get a pinfall attempt after a standing suplex.
Luna got her in the middle of the ring and hoisted her up again. Jinny slithered down and the two exchanged slaps before Luna executed a lariat that forced Jinny to crawl into the corner. As Luna approached, Joseph Connors distracted her and she foolishly approached him, leaving Jinny open to kick Luna back down and roll her up for the win.
WINNER: JINNY at 4:02
-After the match, Jinny gave a beat down to Luna while Connors was with her in the ring. Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews came down for the save.
(Koenig’s Analysis: It’s good to see Luna improving and them focusing on her strength as an attribute to her character. She looked strong throughout but lost because she screwed up and the veteran took advantage. Good storytelling. I’m continuing to like this pairing of Jinny and Connors.)
-Sid Scala in a sit-down being asked about the status of Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan. He said that he spoke to Williams. As he was explaining the conversation, Jordan barged in and told him that is not how it should end with the two of them and wanted a rematch. He said that Williams agreed to a No DQ rematch with the loser forced to leave NXT UK.
-Video package introducing Rohan Raja, who was born in Britain, raised in Australia and trained in Canada. He is letting us know that he is facing Teoman next week in his first match.
-Teoman responds and accepts.
(4) SHA SAMUELS & NOAM DAR vs. MUSTACHE MOUNTAIN (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven)
Bate and Dar start the match with some basic holds and running the ropes. Bate grabbed Dar’s arm and started to focus on it until he poked Bate in the eye to make the tag. Samuels came in mocking him and Bate made the tag to Seven, who got knocked down with a shoulder block before hitting the ropes and getting a near fall following a cross body. Tag was then made back to Bate. Double teaming followed and another near fall was made.
Bate came in and started to also work on Samuels arm until he tagged Dar back in who almost immediately got a two count in. Dar then got hoisted up on Bate’s shoulders and Samuels tagged himself in. Bate went to the top and flew at Samuels, stunning him for enough time to make the tag.
Seven came in and took a beating from Samuels before he tagged Dar in who continued the torture, even attempting to rip off Seven’s mustache. He then worked Seven’s legs before making the tag back in who picked up where Dar left off, getting a near fall in the process. Tag back in to Dar who came in laying hard kicks to the back of Seven, while continuing to exchange tags in their corner.
Samuels got another near fall in before he started to run wild on Seven while keeping him grounded. Samuels held in a tight headlock and slammed him to the mat. Tag was then made to Dar who continued to stretch him with a smile on his face. Dar kicked his feet out from under him and got another near fall in. He and Samuels continued the trading of tags to torture the British legend. When Dar was in again, Dar kept him to the mat. However, a kick to the back of Dar’s head freed Seven up to make the hot tag to Bate.
Bate came in and tossed the much larger Samuels around the ring, getting a two count as well. With a referee interference outside of the ring by Dar, Mustache Mountain, now with Seven as the legal man, took advantage and double teamed Samuels, with Bate getting a bridged pinfall attempt for two. Hell then broke loose and all four briefly battled in and around the ring. Samuels drove Seven into the mat for two.
Seven climbed the ropes to recoop his strength, tossing both of his opponents out of the ring in the process. He made the tag to Bate before both of them flew through and over the ropes to take them out. Bate rolls Samuels into the ring to Seven to on his shoulders. Bate went to the top and executed a beautiful assisted Birminghammer. He made the pin to end the match.
WINNER: Mustache Mountain at 12:49
(Koenig’s Analysis: A fun, fast-paced match for sure. It was great to see these two back together. I’ll put Bate and Seven amongst the best wrestlers alive today in a heartbeat. Dar and Samuels were fantastic as well, particularly Dar whose heelish nuances are tremendous. A really fun watch.)
NEXT WEEK: Meiko Satomura vs. Aoife Valkyrie, Rohan Raja vs. Teoman, Primate, Eddie Dennis, and T-Bone vs. Gallus
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