NXT UK HITS & MISSES 1/21: Ray defends the championship and Starz vs. Dragunov

Rampage Brown Vs Dave Mastiff – HIT

The opening match of this week’s show was a fight between big men. The newcomer Rampage Brown stepped up to much better competition in Dave Mastiff. These two guys have been friendly with each other and wanted this match to see where they stand with one another. It was slow to start, but the pace picked up as the match went on. Both guys worked hard and hit each other even harder. It was a back & forth match where neither guy took firm control. Brown and Mastiff showed they can do more than just be big in the ring. Brown ended up with the victory after showcasing his strength and overpowering Mastiff.

Jack Starz vs. Ilja Dragunov – PUSH

This match was a rematch from Dragunov’s NXT UK debut. He requested this match again to put himself back on track after losing to Walter. Dragunov came out without his usual red-eye contacts. Overall, the match was good, but nothing to go on about. That said, this was a nice start to Dragunov’s drive back to the top. Dragunov started off looking sluggish. Then, when it looked like Starz was going to upset him, Dragunov seemed to wake up. From that point on, he proceeded to bring the hard-hitting style he showcased against Walter. In the end, Dragunov looked like he was in a zone and then knocked out Starz for the win. After the stoppage, he snapped out of his zone and noticed what he did. Dragunov seemed worried about what had happened and almost as if he didn’t remember any of it.

Tyson T Bone vs. Amir Jordan – MISS

This match didn’t do it for me. First off, it was setup by Jordan’s tag partner Kenny Williams which lacked logic. If they are teasing an evil side to Williams and the splitting up, this wasn’t the way to start that story in the most impactful way possible. The announce team tried to sell why this match was happening and that there could be something going on between the partners. The match itself was the traditional match that featured a big guy against someone smaller. T Bone was up for most of the match until he slipped up at the end and Jordan pulled out a unique counter rollup for the victory. After the match, they showed Kenny Williams looking confused and peeved that he lost the match.

Jinny vs. Kay Lee Ray – NXT UK Women’s Championship Match – HIT

Kay Lee Ray he is the best heel women’s champion on any brand. Now, this was a heel vs. heel match, but it worked because of the two different types of heels that these women are. Ray played the tweener in the match and hasn’t had a bad match since showing up on NXT UK. This was another one of her classics. In the match, the story was whether or not Ray could fine a way to get past the help that Jinny had on the outside of the ring in Joseph Conners. It all lead to the Ray getting the win and retaining the title. Ray has now beaten everyone on the roster that’s been put in front of her. After the match, Ray said she was going to Jonny Saint’s office to ask for more competition and for him to put the best in the world in front of her.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S NXT UK HITS & MISSES: NXT UK HITS & MISSES 1/14: Walter vs. A-Kid and Bate vs. Gradwell