This is normally where I’d welcome you and give you a quick summary of what may happen in this review. But… THE UK GUYS ARE HERE! Pete Dune. Wolfgang. WWE UK Championship. They always manage to impress and I can’t wait to talk about them once again. So, without further delay. Here’s what happened this week on NXT.
MATCH 1: Billie Kay & Peyton Royce vs Ruby Riot
We thought we were getting a tag match after being EXPLICITLY told by William Regal that in good conscience, he wouldn’t give Ruby a handicap match. Billie and Peyton mockingly asked “where’s your partner?” as Ruby took a beating from the Iconic Duo. Little did anyone know, Nikki Cross was skulking around the outside of the ring. Until she finally tagged herself in and made herself Ruby’s partner.
She tore the duo apart, hit Billie Kay with a swinging fisherman’s neck breaker, and let Ruby handle the scraps as she left the ring. Ruby got the pin after hitting a diving senton, and we’re left with perplexing thoughts. Has Nikki become a face? Why would she help out the person she was feuding with not that long ago? I’m not saying this is bad writing, I’m intrigued to know more about what’s going on. Whether the writers will go that far is a whole other story.
MEANWHILE…
– Johnny Gargano was interviewed until he was interrupted by Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli. They started making snarky comments about DIY breaking up, so naturally, Gargano challenged Moss to a match tonight.
– No Way Jose talked about the freak known as Lars Sullivan. He was impressed with the handicap match lars took part in and wants to teach him a lesson. Good luck with that Jose, it’s your funeral.
– William Regal stated that in the next few weeks, he’ll decide what is to be done with the now vacated NXT Women’s Championship
MATCH 2: Johnny Gargano vs Riddick Moss W/ Toni Sabbatelli
30 seconds? 1-minute match maybe? Might just be me hoping that this match didn’t go on too long. Riddick Moss used his height and his overall physique to look down on Gargano, while Johnny had to work around the large obstacle he’d made for himself. Unfortunately, Moss remained dominant throughout and giving us a one-sided fight.
Interestingly, the tide did turn when we heard Moss shout “you’re nothing without DIY” which unintentionally gave Johnny the adrenaline boost to gain momentum. We’re still seeing Johnny deal with the aftermath of the split, you can even see the doubt in his eyes after failing to secure his finisher did the win. This was all washed away though as Johnny hit the slingshot spear for the win. It’s not bad. But if Gargano would’ve lost after failing to use his submission move, wouldn’t it help his character question his actions and then decide to develop and make active changes? It couldn’t t hurt after all.
MATCH 3: Street Profits vs The Ealy Brothers
Uh oh, the Ealy’s weren’t smiling anymore. Seems like they’ve been changed to bad guys. Still, even if they were face’s going into the match, they were still going to lose. The Street Profits utterly destroyed the brothers in the opening of the match, but over confidence led to their downfall for a short while as the Ealy’s took control.
In the end, it was business as usual with the Street Profits continuing their recent winning streak. They still have potential, the only doubt I have right now is that they could fail once they reach the main roster. Their performance works well in a small environment like NXT, whether that energy can transfer to big arenas is another story.
MATCH 4: Pete Dunne vs Wolfgang – WWE UK CHAMPIONSHIP
A strong technical sequence of lock ups commenced with Pete Dunne asserting control thanks to working on the joints like the fingers and elbows. Wolfgang fought back though by slamming Dunne to the ground and trying to gain momentum through brute force. Dunne continued to control the match with his joint control, but even he needed to resort to strikes to get back into the fight.
Wolfgang seemed to be taking the lead and took to high flying moves to keep the champion down. Everything seemed to be going in his favor, and all lead to a back and forth succession of strikes and attacks by both athletically impressive, individuals. Sadly for Wolfgang, he couldn’t compete with The Bitter End and Pete Dunne retained his UK Championship.
Suddenly, Adam Cole and his goons rushed down to the ring. Pete Dunne seemed like he was going to leave, but he got a lucky punch in and was unfortunately beaten down by NXT’s latest signings. Wolfgang tried help but he was also taken out. If this is leading to a UK vs NXT match down the line, then I’m definitely up for that. 6 talented men all in the ring together sounds like a great idea, the only question now is if Pete Dunne will want to face them, or will Wolfgang, Trent Seven, and Tyler Bate have to take on the three invaders by themselves. It’s great to be watching NXT right now.
