Welcome to the latest recap of NXT UK from The Overtimer, my name is Matthew and I’ll be your guide through WWE’s most under appreciated brand to hopefully explain why this show is worth an hour of your busy week. I’m a few days late on this, but better late than never.
Jinny & Jazzy Gabert vs. Piper Niven & Rhea Ripley
The fashionista Jinny & her enforcer Jazzy Gabert start this weeks action against the international powerhouse team of Niven & Ripley. Ripley came to Nivens aid when Jinny got involved in her match with Gabert, leading to this encounter. We have the three strongest women on the roster and one of the most crafty, but the advantage goes to Jinny & Gabert as they’re more comfortable as a team; Ripley & Niven are more thrown together.
Niven & Ripley dominate Jinny for a while, scoring a few near falls along the way but nothing definitive. Her crafty nature eventually allows her to tag in her enforcer Gabert who evens the odds and puts the match in their favour as they maintain control of Ripley, but once she tagged in Niven, that control was quickly lost as she squashed both women with a running senton to them after stacking them. Niven would secure the win for her team hitting Gabert with a huge Michenoku Driver in a solid contest which showcased all four women wonderfully. Afterwards Ripley showed Niven respect and left the ring. With Ripley making her presence known on NXT, this might have been a passing of the torch from the inaugural NXT UK Womens Champion.
A-Kid vs. Kassius Ohno
Coming from Madrid, Spain, A-Kid is making his NXT UK debut against the knockout artist Kassius Ohno. A-Kid got his ring name due to how at his first ever, he didn’t have a name so the crowd chanted what would translate to anonymous kid, which he shorted to A-Kid. He’s supremely talented, earning praise for his incredible matches with stars like Ricochet & Zack Sabre Jr.
I was very excited for this match from the moment it was announced, because even if it was to be a short match these two are supremely talented. It started off slow, with both men squaring each other up, A-Kid is outweighed by 100 pounds, but he has a clear speed advantage. They exchanged some submissions, with A-Kid showcasing his technical abilities by escaping then tying up his bigger opponent, only to be over powered again, being thrown to the ground and hit with a huge senton for a near fall. Ohno would try for a rolling elbow which was countered into an armbar.
The match went to the outside, and due to some quick thinking from A-Kid, who delivered a 619 like kick to stun Ohno as he was thrown back into the ring, he was able to win via count out. Ohno was not impressed and attacked from behind as A-Kid celebrated, locking in the Kassius Clutch, a cravate combined with a chickenwing. Tyler Bate ran down to make the save Ohno. This sets up two matches down the line for Ohno, a rematch with A-Kid and a match with Tyler Bate.
Killer Kelly Is Ready To Pick A Fight
Killer Kelly has been shelved for four months due to injury, and she is finally medically cleared and ready to compete again. Isla Dawn walks by in the background, as Kelly says she is going to pick a fight and get back into action, likely at the expense of Isla Dawn. Kelly is a bright star of the best women’s division in WWE, so I’m very happy she is back and hopefully we can see her challenge Kay Lee Ray for the NXT UK Womens Championship soon.
Roy Johnson vs. Joesph Connors
Our next match is between the hyper charismatic ‘Big Wavy’ Roy Johnson, and the highly intense Joesph Connors. Both men competed in the inaugural UK Championship tournament, but this is Johnsons first match for WWE in three years; while Connors is coming into this match with a 4 month win streak, giving Connors the clear momentum advantage. Connors exploded out of the gate, beating down Johnson, and would keeo this assault steady into the match, bending Johnson around the turnbuckle post and then dropkicking him into it as well. Johnson was fighting from underneath this whole match, and would make a few fleeting comebacks before falling to the Don’t Look Down facebuster, as Joesph Connors continues his winning ways.
Kay Lee Ray Addresses The NXT UK Womens Division
Kay Lee Ray takes the ring, runs down former champion Toni Storm, gloating that she took away the thing that mattered most to her, the NXT UK Womens Championship. She then turns her attention to Xia Brookside, who is seeming to be her next challenger. She claims no one else could have beat Toni Storm and become champion, and she might have a point on that front. Storm was dominant, and Ray beat her. This might not bode well for her plucky challenger, Brookside, but time will tell.
Main Event: Dave Mastiff vs. Jordan Devlin
In this weeks main event, we see the giant from the Black Country, the near undefeatable Bomber Dave Mastiff, face off with The Irish Ace, Jordan Devlin. Devlin claimed he was the best wrestler in NXT UK, and Mastiff took umbredge with this. The match started fast with Devlin flying in with a forearm the second the bell rang, immediately starting to pick apart his bigger opponent. Mastiff enters this match with an unbelievable strength advantage, so Devlin has to rely on being clever and quick to topple this challenge. Devlin was able to regain momentum following being thrown around like a sack of potatoes by attacking the arm, an advantage he would press to ensure he remains in complete command of the much bigger opponent.
Mastiff would regain control after fighting his way free from a short arm scissor on the injured arm, rolling out, and picking Devlin up to slam him down to break the hold in an amazing show of strength. This would return the match to an equal level, with Mastiff taking control, hitting a release Belly to Belly Suplex, huge lariat and running senton to weaken his opponent. Devlin countered out of a powerbomb attempt and try to hit his finishing suplex, but was unable to lift the big man up, allowing Mastiff to maintain control with a headbutt before throwing Devlin out of the ring for a chance to catch his breath.
A Rolling Firemans Carry Slam on the floor would further hurt the back of Jordan Devlin, but after pulling Mastiffs hurt arm down over the top rope to stun the big man, he hit a cutter over the top rope followed by a beautiful moonsault for a very close two count. A second moonsault attempt would be countered with a boot to the face, causing Devlin to end up in perfect position on the other corner of the ring for a running cannonball from Mastiff. That would have been all for The Irish Ace but he was able to roll out of the ring to prevent a pin fall attempt. Upon getting Devlin back in the ring, Mastiff would take him to the top rope to attempt another Rolling Firemans Carry Slam, only for Devlin to escape, hit a kick, then pull Mastiff off the top rope to hit his Devil Inside suplex for the victory. This wasn’t as strong a main event as Noam Dar vs. Trent Seven from last week, but it was a fantastic performance from two of the brands best. Just before the show fades to black, we see Alexander Wolfe backstage with Ilja Dragonov, trying to recruit the Mad Russian to Imperium, which is a developing story-line, but Dragonov remains conflicted.
