SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT UK TV REPORT (EP. 104)
JULY 16, 2020
STREAMED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY CHAD KOENIG, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Hosted By: Andy Shepherd (from home).
-This is another compilation episode with wrestlers choosing some of their favorite matches.
-Zack Gibson briefly introduces his match, which was a great battle between him and Noam Dar.
(1) ZACK GIBSON vs. NOAR DAR (NXT UK TV from October 31, 2018)
Gibson locked in an arm bar early in the match that was countered by Dar, bringing Gibson to the mat. Dar rolled him up for two. Dar got up and taunted Gibson before grounding him and locking in a figure four. Gibson escaped and went to the ropes to rest. He got up and more mat wrestling followed, with both men focusing on each others arms and working them. Gibson was taken down when the two hit the ropes and he was tripped. Gibson rolled out of the ring as Dar reached from the ropes. Gibson grabbed Dar’s arm and slammed it down onto the top rope. But as Gibson was coming back in, Dar met him with a leg sweep onto the apron, and rolling back down to the floor.
Outside of the ring, Dar attempted a guillotine choke that Gibson escaped. He walked to the side of the stage but Dar ran up the ramp for speed to dive onto Gibson’s knee. He rolled Gibson into the ring for a pair near pinfalls. Gibson countered being tossed into the ropes and took Dar down, pounding away at him on the mat. He hit a short-arm clothesline before a two count of his own.
Gibson’s aggression was ramped up at this point as he started dissecting Dar around the ring. Working on his arm and leg at points. After a couple of minutes of being rag dolled, Dar got a couple of uppercuts in, followed by a pair of Northern Lights suplexes for two. The two got up and held each other int the ropes before Dar got a thumb to the throat. Gibson went up to the top and came down into a codebreaker for two. Gibson attempted a Shankley Gates with no luck. He rolled out of the ring and dragged Dar out. He tossed Dar right into the ramp and he laid there lifeless. He can back into the ring at nine as Gibson immediately met him and put him into Shankley Gates. Dar grabbed the rope As he flopped around the ring, Gibson mocked Dar, All the while playing possum and pouncing up to take out Gibson’s knees. He got up and attempted to lock Dar in again but he countered and rolled Gibson up for a two count. Dar went after the knee again prior to climbing to the top and double-stomping the knee. Chants of “You deserved it” rang through the arena.
As both men wobbled their way back to their feet, they exchanged some strikes. Dar took out the leg again and put Gibson into a leg lock but he was too close to the ropes. Dar countered as he came down from the second rope and put him right into an ankle lock. Gibson used his longer body to reach and punch his way out of the hold. When they made it back up to their feet, dar went to the top and missed a double-stomp. Gibson capitalized and connected with a Helier Skelter slam for the win.
WINNER: Zack Gibson at 21:50
(Koenig’s Analysis: These are two of my favorite current heels on the brand. And I don’t normally care for heel on hell matches but these two made it work in strides. This was a long match but built up steadily and appropriately. The only downside was that of what happens in a match like this- the crowd didn’t have much of a reaction at the end.)
-WWE The Horror Show at Extreme Rules commercial. (What a dumb name)
-A vignette Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster talking about their impressive 2019, and how 2020 has been hard because Andrews faced a knee injury after losing in the first round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic on NXT. Andrews said that he is getting stronger and looks forward to being the first two-time NXT UK tag team champions.
-Kay Lee Ray is up next and introduces her match of choice, which was the battle royal from the Women’s #1 contender match for the Women’s championship.
(2) WOMEN’S #1 CONTENDER BATTLE ROYAL (from NXT UK June 19, 2019)
-The women involved in this Battle Royal were Jinny, Jazzy Gabert, Candy Floss, Xia Brookside, Nina Samuels, Killer Kelly, Rhio, Piper Niven, Kay Lee Ray, Isla Dawn, Kanji and Rhea Ripley.
At the bell, every woman seemed to find a dance partner as the largest woman of the group, Jazzy Gabert stood unopposed. That changed quickly as the smaller wrestlers attacked her as she swatted them away like flies. Rhio became the first victim of Gabert early on. Kanji went after Jazzy soon after when she got tossed to the apron and finally sent out to the floor. Gabert became the focal point here and face planted Candy Floss, right before throwing her over.
At this point, we saw from the corner that Kay lee Ray went through the ropes and onto the floor. The team of Jinny and Jazzy double teamed Xia Brookside. Piper Niven, the only woman in this match to compare in size to Gabert, came up and hoisted Gabert up and was placed on the apron. While that was going on, Brookside kicked Jinny in the gut, knocking her to the mat. Gabert head butted Niven down, but the petite Brookside executed a baseball slide that sent Gabert to the floor and out of the match. Jinny was shocked and the herd in the ring circled her like vultures before Dawn and Brookside flipped her over the top. however, her feet never touched and Gabert ran back in to save her friend by cradling her and carrying her to another part of the ring and rolling her back in. That was short lived a Brookside took her out soon after.
We are down to six in the ring and Ray still outside. Killer Kelly went after Rhea Ripley at this point and botched a move before landing on the ropes. Ripley tossed her face into the ropes again before eliminating her from the battle royal. Brookside and Isla Dawn went after Ripley here while Nina Samuels continued to work on Niven. The five women in the ring started to go after each other. Soon after, Ripley eliminated Dawn and Niven elicited Samuels.
Ripley and Niven went toe to toe as Brookside lay under the ropes. The two favorites to win battled outside of the ropes but on the apron. Brookside dropkicked the two and sent them both out. As Brookside celebrated, Ray came from behind, hoisted her up and tossed her out.
WINNER: Kay Lee Ray at 8:42
(Koenig’s Analysis: Nothing impressive here. A very predictable royal as soon as Kay Lee Ray went outside of the ring. I can’t stand when the commentary are right near her, but fail to mention she is in the match after blatantly saying she did not go over the top rope initially.)
-WWE Horror Show at Extreme Rules commercial
-Jinny in a self made promo video. She said that she is going to continue to climb her way to the top of NXT UK and that no woman will ever be as fabulous and “The Fashionista”.
-Ilja Dragunov talks about his history with Alexander Wolfe and how he trained him. He discussed when he was recruited by Imperium and how that rivalry started before introducing his match with him.
(3) ILJA DRAGUNOV vs. ALEXANDER WOLFE – No DQ Match (from NXT UK January 2, 2020)
-Taken from initial review of the match.
– This battles started off on fire. As Wolfe, who was last to enter, came to the ring with his silhouette backdrop, Dragunov ran to the top and started in on him as he was walking out from the curtain. A very cool visual. The bell rang. The striking continued all the way to the ring. Wolfe slammed him spine first into the apron before both got back into the ring. Dragunov grounded Wolfe and attempted to go to the top rope. Wolfe got up. Dragunov sent him outside and connected with an axe handle from the top. Wolfe crawled back in to the ring and Dragunov grabbed a kendo stick. Wolfe disarmed him of the weapon immediately. Dragunov told him to “bring it”. Wolfe dropped the stick and told him to come for it. He did and was met with a boot to the face. Wolfe grabbed the stick and went to work on his back.
As Wolfe was taunting him with the stick, Dragunov grabbed a hold of it but with no luck. Wolfe choked him and slammed Dragunov with a neckbreaker onto his knee. Near fall. Wolfe barred the stick over Dragunov’s mouth and held it in a rest for about a minute. Dragunov countered, grabbed the stick and landed some strikes with it as the two fought out of the ring. As Wolfe was laying on the ground, Dragunov pulled out a table and positioned it in the corner. Dragunov attempted to suplex Wolfe into the table but both men counter each others’ suplexes. Wolfe went outside and when Dragunov jumped to the top, Wolfe tossed a chair at him, and a death valley driver on to the apron.
Wolfe dragged him back into the ring and attempted to slam him onto the chair in the ring. He was unsuccessful as Dragunov got up and grabbed the chair himself , clocking Wolfe in the skull. He set a chair up on Wolfe and landed a coast to coast. Two count. Dragunov went back out of the ring and tossed in several chairs. It didn’t take long however, for Wolfe to take control of the chairs and rammed one into his throat, followed by smashing Draunov’s hands in the chair. While swinging the chair, Dragunov countered with a lariat and got Wolfe onto his back and slammed him through the table set up earlier. Dragunov struck up the orchestra and landed Torpedo Moscow. A pin for a win.
– Post match, Imperium came to the ring and beat down Dragunov, with Walter watching on proudly. As Walter made it to the ring, Joe Coffey came up from behind and attacked him. Imperium came ran in to help and the show ended.
Dragunov via pinfall @ 14:56
(Koenig’s Analysis: Fantastic match. I like that there wasn’t an overabundance of weapons used during this type of match, which often happens on US WWE programming. There were a couple of sloppy looking kendo shots right in the beginning but that didn’t last long as the rest of the use of weapons looked violent and real. The chair shot to Wolfe’s head made an incredible sound. I can’t recommend this highly enough.)
-NEXT WEEK- NXT UK’s Greatest Hits.
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