‘NXT: UK’ Review (Oct 24th 2018)
Welcome to this week’s NXT: UK review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have the second episode of this new show, so let’s see how it all went.
Match #1: Ligero def. Mike Hitchman
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Armed with a mix of Lucha Libra, British Strong Style and his 17 years of experience, Ligero kicked off his match against the completely unpredictable Mike Hitchman with an absolutely explosive offense. The tide changed quickly, however, as The Wild Bore charged full speed into his masked opponent in the corner and quickly worked to ground his prey. Ligero quickly went back on the charge, but Hitchman was not to be denied, and he fired back with a Senton, an inverted Tumbleweed in the corner and an earth-shattering Powerbomb. Ligero refused to give in, though, and after taking out his opponent’s legs, he propelled himself off the ropes with a ring-rattling Tornado DDT to pick up the win.
My Take: 3 out of 5 – I never thought I’d see Ligero in the WWE. This is weird, but good. Ligero was great and gave Hitchman all he could handle.
Match #2: Dakota Kai def. Killer Kelly
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
With the soon to be decided NXT U.K. Women’s Championship on her mind, the dynamic Dakota Kai looked to make a name for herself against the no-nonsense Killer Kelly. Kai started hot, scoring a near-fall, landing a wicked double stomp and connecting with a devastating kick to her opponent’s midsection. Kelly returned fire with a vicious Forearm/Push Kick combination before locking her prey into the excruciating Dragon Sleeper. Kai managed to break free, only to get a basement dropkick to the jaw for her trouble. Despite that setback, the determined competitor reversed Kelly’s German Suplex and picked up another near-fall. Kelly dropped her foe with a German suplex, but Kai fought back with a series of strikes and unique kicks before hitting an innovative Modified Code Red into an Inversed Backstabber (the Kai-de-gre) for the convincing three-count.
My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – This was a perfectly fine match that gave both women something to do. There was some good wrestling that had some nice variety from bell to bell.
Match #3: Ashton Smith def. Tucker
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Ashton Smith’s height advantage against Tucker was only matched by his athletic prowess inside the squared circle. To his credit, Tucker held his own by using a tough-as-nails approach, mixed with a crafty nature that kept his opponent off-guard. Unfortunately for Tucker, he just couldn’t get out of the gate. Smith executed an earth-shattering Pump Kick and two devastating running knees before The Athletic Redneck finished off his opponent with the devastating ripcord DDT for his first NKT UK triumph.
My Take: 2 out of 5 – This was fine but too brief to mean anything in the long run.
Match #4: Tyler Bate def. Wolfgang
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Much to the pleasure of the passionate UK fans, the very first competitor to wear the United Kingdom Championship, Tyler Bate, engaged Wolfgang in NXT UK’s main event. Despite Wolfgang boasting an 80-pound advantage, the gutsy Bate challenged The Big Brawling Scotsman to a test of strength and did reasonably well before knocking Wolfgang back with a surprise dropkick. When Bate attempted an airplane spin, however, his larger adversary made him pay for it with a fierce assault that grounded the former titleholder. Although he fought back, Tate’s war-torn midsection prevented him from reclaiming the advantage against his powerful adversary. Instead, Wolfgang concentrated his attack on Bate’s rib area before finally cinching in the bear hug. Bate would break free, though, unleashing a barrage of strikes, and after connecting with a flying elbow off the turnbuckle, he proceeded to use the ropes like a slingshot to deliver three high-octane clotheslines. Bate then hit his second airplane spin attempt and the Standing Star Press, but that still wasn’t enough to defeat Wolfgang, who powered back by throwing Bate over his head and hitting a massive Spear for the near-fall. The competitors took their fight to new heights — literally — duking it out atop the turnbuckle. Wolfgang missed the Flying Senton, clearing the way for Bate to close him out with a wicked Tyler Driver ’97 for the big victory.
My Take: 3.5 out of 5 – This was pretty damn good. The whole look of this match was the complete opposite of what you’d get from Raw and it was a welcome change of pace.
News Of The Night:
- Zach Gibson will fight Noam Dar, next week, as a result of an attempted brawl between the two on this card.
Final Verdict: 3/5
This was standard stuff until the main event, but it was also very easy to follow and enjoy, so it has a good foundation for better cards later on.