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NXT UK TV REPORT (EP. 115)
OCTOBER 1, 2020
STREAMED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY CHAD KOENIG, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Hosted By: Andy Shepherd from BT Sports Arena in London
(1) KENNY WILLIAMS vs. ASHTON SMITH vs. AMIR JORDAN – Heritage Cup Qualifying Match
Ashton Smith was the surprise third entrant in this match.
Smith went after Williams first and shoved him, followed by Jordan. The two then took down the larger Smith who rolled out of the ring. Williams and Jordan hit the ropes before the two traded roll up near pinfalls. Smith came from behind and took both out with a double clothesline. Smith then tossed Williams into Jordan and as he went to grab Williams, Jordan flipped over and rolled up Smith for two, followed immediately by Williams rolling up Jordan for the same result.
The tag team partners decided to team up against Smith and they took him down with Jordan getting a near pinfall. Smith then got up, grabbed Williams and slammed him down with a standing suplex. He went for the pin but it was broken up at one, Here, Jordan rolled out of the ring and Smith attacked Williams on the apron, where Williams kicked the big man out of the ring before executing a wrecking ball dropkick. Williams then springboarded into Smith’s arms before Jordan flew through the ropes to knock everybody down outside of the ring. Jordan rolled Smith in for a pair of near pinfalls.
Smith got himself up and started pounding away at both. As Williams was sent back out of the ring, Jordan attempted to outpower Smith but kept getting dominated. He placed Jordan on the middle turnbuckle and slid down to get Smith into a powerbomb position. Williams jumped to the top rope and double teamed Smith to the mat. Jordan got the near infall, followed by Williams with a double stomp to Smith’s chest. Williams with a two count that Jordan broke up before Williams sent him out of the ring briefly.
Williams and Jordan kept trying to take down the big redwood, but Smith wasn’t having it. He executed a blue thunderbomb on Williams for two. Jordan then got a roll up and didn’t even get a count of one. Smith then took down Jordan with a lariat but for whatever reason, Jordan then got the two count on Smith.
Williams and Jordan were the two standing men now and they briefly battled, with Jordan getting a roll up that was broken by Smith. Smith then put Williams up but he countered and rolled up him up for two. Smith then planted him after a hard slam to the mat. He went for the pin, but Jordan flew in out of nowhere to break it. He got a two count on Smith here. As Smith got up, Jordan attacked but was taken out with a big boot. Williams then came in from the side took down Smith for the pinfall victory to progress in the tournament.
WINNER: Williams at 9:25
(Koenig’s Analysis: I liked the story of the smaller tag team trying to take down the larger wrestler. The two worked together to do it and it left you wondering if there will be dissension between Williams and Jordan being Williams got the win, although he was knocked out, even though they hugged after the match.)
-Brief vignette on “The Fashionista” Jinny and Xia Brookside
-NXT Takeover XXX! commercial
-A recap on the return of Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster, and the mystery injury angle on Andrews that happened right before the COVID shutdown.
(2) XIA BROOKSIDE vs. JINNY
Jinny started out the match by pointing out that she has beaten Brookside twice already. Jinny took her down a twiceand Brookside slipped away both times. She took Jinny down and drove her knee into the side of her face before Jinny countered and got back on her feet.
Jinny worked Brookside’s arm before she countered out and delivered a dropkick that made Jinny escape to the ropes. Jinny ran out and kneed Brookside in the gut before taking her down for two. She continued to keep her grounded and slammed Brookside’s head into the mat before grabbing it and grinding it over the top rope. The ref split the two and Brookside kicked Jinny and took her to the mat. They went back and forth before Brookside got a couple of near pinfalls via incredibly slow roll ups. She held on to Jinny’s leg and tied her into a figure four. Brookside refused to release Jinny’s ankle and they made it back to their feet, with Jinny hopping and grabbing a rope. The ref made her release the hold and Jinny clocked her in the head for a two count. Jinny drove her head into the turnbuckles and slammed her for another two.
As Jinny pulled Brookside to her feet, she spoke to her “this is a ring for women. This isn’t a ring for little girls”. Brookside then took down Jinny with a flying head scissor. Jinny went to the corner and Brookside followed with a double knee to her back. The fought on the ropes and slammed her head into the top one. She came back into the ring and got Brookside into a chinlock submission that gave her the win.
WINNER: Jinny at 6:33
-After the match, Jinny took to the mic and said that she has been “playing nice” for far too long in NXT UK, and we haven’t seen anywhere near what we will see with her going forward, and that she will be vicious to the women in the division.
(Koenig’s Analysis: Jinny looked the part and played the heel role well. It’s hard to tell how much she has improved since the beginning of the year because Brookside just isn’t very good yet. She was slow and predictable and brought the energy down. I look forward to seeing more of both. Brookside is still green but I think she will make a statement in a year or two.)
-A-Kid vs. “Flash” morgan Webster recap
-WWE Hell in a Cell commercial
-WWE Chronicle- Jey Uso
-The next match is the British Rounds match, which is what we will be seeing in the Heritage Cup Tournament. The rules are as follows:
1. There are six three-minute rounds of two out of three falls matches.
2. Falls count as pinfalls, countouts or submissions.
3. The round ends after each fall.
4. The first person to score two falls wins.
5. The match ends immediately in the case of a knockout or DQ.
6. Whoever leads at the end of the sixth round wins, if the match makes it that far.
(3) ALEXANDER WOLFE vs. NOAM DAR – Opening Round Match of Heritage Cup Tournament -British Rounds Match
Special Guest Referee: Pete Dunne
Round One: They circle each other and Wolfe took Dar down to the mat before escaping and holding the rope for a break. They held a long wristlock before Dar rolled out and the two held each other on the ropes. Dunne split the two up and they just continued to exchange arm holds. As the first round ended, Dar went to his corner before Wolfe could grab him.
Dar: 0 Wolfe: 0
Round Two: The first 45 seconds of this match were the two trying to escape each others holds. Dar got a quick take down and cover for two. Wolfe took Dar to the mat afterwards and got a couple of two counts in by forcing Dar’s shoulders to the mat but none were successful. Dar escaped from Wolfe but twisted around him and got Wolfe in a long north sea backslide. Wolfe then countered an Irish whip, but Dar actually benefited by grabbing the leg and getting the first pinfall at the buzzer.
Dar: 1 Wolfe: 0
Round Three: Wolfe attacked Dar quickly, taking him down for two. He got Dar in a chin lock and kept him to the mat. Dar broke out and got a near pinfall. The two got up and Dar went right to the corner. Wolfe knew he needed a fall quickly and wouldn’t let him rest, so went right back to some classic mat wrestling and exchanged more holds. By the end of the match, both men were slugging away. Dunne broke them up after the bell, but Wolfe landed an uppercut that put Dar to the mat hard.
Dar: 1 Wolfe: 0
Round Four: Even though he was obviously shaken from the uppercut, Dar came in with a kick that sent Wolfe to the corner. After another pair of kicks, Dar got a pinfall attempt in. Dar thought it was a three but Dunne said it wasn’t. Commentary noted that it seemed a bit slow. Dar put his pinkys up and went for a kick. Wolfe ducked, Kicked, and connected with a German that got him his first fall at the bell.
Dar: 1 Wolfe: 1
Round Five: Wolfe ran at Dar at the bell, but Dar dodged and tripped him. Wolfe countered and hit a side suplex for two. Wolfe got behind Dar and prepped him for a German. Dar fell to the mat and laid in some kicks that took Wolfe down, allowing Dar to attempt a submission hold but Wolfe rolled him up for two. Wolfe got back on top in a triangle clutch for two. Dar quickly got a couple of kicks in after escaping, followed by an elbow to the head for two. Dar got an armhold in for a moment but Wolfe countered with a lariat for another pinfall attempt. Wolfe ran at Dar and brought him back down in a knee bar. Dar grabbed Wolfe’s hand and pulled his fingers apart to break the hold. Wolfe attempted a powerbomb, but Dar countered by tossing him onto his back and pinning him. Dunne broke the count when he saw Dar with the ropes. Dar didn’t let go so Dunne kicked his wrist. Dar got upset and went for a superkick (seemingly) at Dunne while he was checking on Wolfe. Dunne moved and Dar connected on Wolfe and pinned him at the :05 mark to win the match.
Dar: 2 Wolfe: 1
-After the match, Wolfe yelled at Dunne and said that the loss was his fault. He grabbed Dunne but he took Wolfe down to the mat and wrenched his arm. He broke the hold when Walter came down. As Walter stepped in the ring, Wolfe attacked him. Ilja Dragunov ran in afterwards and attacked Walter. Walter and Wolfe escaped to the back as the show ended.
Winner: Dar in Round Five with five seconds remaining.
(Koenig’s Analysis: A fun match with a proper usage of a special guest ref. He didn’t interfere enough to distract from the action, and it tied in Walter vs. Dragunov through the history of Walter and Dunne. I enjoy these British Rounds matches.)
-NEXT WEEK: Kay Lee Ray’s State of the Union address and “Flash” Morgan Webster vs. A-Kid.
I look forward to the Modfather’s heel turn