03rd May2019

‘NXT: UK’ Review (May 1st 2019)

by Phil Wheat

NXT-uk-large

Welcome to this week’s NXT: UK review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and if you squint your eyes, I look like Charlize Theron. I mean, if you squint, really, really hard…really hard. Any-way, we’ve got WALTER, so get ready for WALTER. Also, there are some other wrestlers too.

Match #1: Travis Banks def. Mansoor

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Despite a near upset by NXT’s Mansoor, The Kiwi Buzzsaw reigned supreme over his cocky opponent when he leveled him with A Slice of Heaven off the ropes and planted him in the center of the ring with the Kiwi Crusher.

My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5 – This came off well for a match that felt stunted from the sound of the first bell. Nobody did badly here, but this felt more like a surprise hit from WWE Velocity than it did as a match from a prominent brand. I feel like I’m on a conference call to the CEO of Walmart. Prominent brand…stupid phrase. Mansoor did well in his big debut and could be a good hand for the future, if they give it a chance to grab the brass ring. Overall, these two guys made it out of the hole with only a little bit of dirt on their shirts.

Match #2: Piper Niven def. Reina Gonzalez

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Despite the fact that Piper Niven clearly suffered a back injury at the hands of second-generation competitor Reina Gonzalez – a no-nonsense Texan making her NXT UK debut in front of the Brooklyn crowd – the Scottish sensation fought through the pain and hit the Inchinocu Driver for her second victory inside an NXT UK ring.

My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5 – This was a good, even match that will likely be forgotten very quickly, but it was solid enough to make them both look formidable.

Match #3: (Main Event) WWE United Kingdom Champion WALTER def. Jordan Devlin

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

For weeks, Jordan Devlin made his feelings known that he didn’t care about “WALTER vs. Pete Dunne II.” Instead, he wanted respect, along with the WWE United Kingdom Championship. In the latest NXT UK main event, the extraordinary competitor got the opportunity to prove himself in a non-title showdown against WALTER. Despite a daunting display of offense from The Ring General early, the quick, calculating Irish Ace eventually chopped down the titleholder with an unrelenting assault on his left leg that included a devastating single leg crab. The Austrian Anomaly roared back with one of his earth-shattering chops – an action that opened the door on his ruthless counter-assault against the proud Irishmen, both inside and outside the ring. Not to be outdone, Devlin used his incredible athletic ability to turn WALTER’s first Powerbomb attempt to a near pinfall in his favor.

Back and forth went the fierce competitors, including WALTER stopping the back drop driver attempt with a menacing high-angle suplex for a near fall of his own. Following a scuffle on the top rope in the final moments of the match, Devlin showed incredible strength by hitting the dragging back drop driver on the 300lb. U.K Champion to nearly put him away yet again. When he attempted to repeat this maneuver, however, WALTER countered with a clothesline into the Powerbomb to finally pick up the huge victory. But the fireworks weren’t over yet, though. Moments after the bell, The BruiserWeight suddenly crashed the party, standing face-to-face with WALTER for the first time since their classic matchup at WWE TakeOver: New York and demanding a rematch for the WWE U.K. Title. WALTER nodded in the affirmative.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was a real-deal kind of thing. The match was as good as it should have been and even a bit more. The name of the game here was “OW, OW, OW, OW, OW, OW!” The match had numerous strikes and kicksthat could give a mountain a welt. Did I spell that right? Welt? Whelt? Wellt? Anyway, just imagine two redwood trees crashing into each other for about thirteen minutes and you’ll have this match all figured out. This was strong stuff and it came along at just the right time in the show.

News Of The Night:

  1. The Grizzled Young Veterans will defend the NXT: UK Tag Team Titles against Jordan & Williams, next week.
  2. Pete Dunne wants his re-match for the NXT: UK World Title.

Final Verdict: 3/5

This was a typical episode that was saved by the main event.

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