It’s that time once again, only this time we’re in San Antonio, Texas. We’ve got a surprise match up with a UK tag match (It’s like a regular tag match but with the British lads), featuring Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Mark Andrews and Trent Seven. You don’t even need to tell me how hyped I need to be for these guys, I’m beyond the limits of hype. With that out of the way, how did it all go down? Let’s take a look.
Street Profits vs Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss
After weeks of tension, these two teams finally faced off in the ring together. It started off how you would expect, The Street Profits gained the advantage and livening up the crowd in the process, even when you thought that Sabbatelli or Moss would get a foothold, They’d get shoved back in their place by the Profits. Did this leave room for their characters’ to develop? Well… Sabbatelli and Moss are still jocks with loads of dosh, they haven’t really moved any further than that. I’ll refer to them unofficially as the Bastards, feel like that’s the first word when you see someone like this.
Eventually, Sabbatelli brought the momentum to his team and started to bring the Profits back to their reality. Mocking their mannerisms and bragging about how they can’t afford their lifestyle, Now I’m not sure if this was intended the way it’s being portrayed, but you do need to acknowledge the possible controversial aspect of a white dude shouting this. Angelo Dawkins got the hot tag, laid into both Bastards, but was interrupted by Moss during the pinfall.
The Bastards almost stole the win, until they were caught out by the referee which all culminated in a satisfactory win for the Street Profits. A decent match which gives each man the ability to show off their skills and not wasted in yet another squash match.
Meanwhile…
– Trent Seven criticised Pete Dunne for his actions with his encounter with The Undisputed Era a few weeks ago, so they plan on teaching him a lesson.
– Mark Andrews commented on the history he has with Pete Dunne, he wasn’t here to be Petes’ friend. He was promised a UK title win from Dunne if he was successful against Moustache Mountain tonight.
– Apparently, Ruby Riot will face Sonya Deville in a No Holds Barred match next week… Okay? Totally not confusing for the audience to see Ruby switch from Heel to Face every week so far.
– Drew McIntyre will probably not be back on NXT until 2018. Hoping he recovers soon and gets the rematch he deserves.
Kairi Sane vs Peyton Royce w/ Billie Kay
Royce didn’t waste any time getting into the action as she forcefully took the spotlight, Kairi made a quick comeback and started to toy with her. This wasn’t a wise choice as Peyton became frustrated and decked Kairi a number times in retaliation. While Kairi did manage to control the majority of the match, Peyton Royce held on and proved how resilient she is. Even with a distraction from Billie Kay, Kay, Kairi Sane managed to achieve victory with her elbow drop from the top turnbuckle. Both women performed amazingly, both excellent choices for the NXT Women’s Championship, we’ll have to wait and see who will be next to face Ember Moon.
Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) vs Pete Dunne & Mark Andrews
The match kicked off with a lockup between Bate and Dunne, tension emanated from these former UK Champions. As Dunne went to tag in Andrews, he immediately struck Bate with an unexpected fist. You always in for a few surprises when Pete Dunne steps into the ring. A contest of showmanship began as Bate and Andrews tried to one-up each other, which then led to Andrews getting the better of a tagged in Trent Seven. The true star of this match had to be Pete Dunne, using the rules to his advantage and breaking down both Trent and Tyler when he could. The intelligence and overall brutality of his character has shone brightly in WWE, presenting him with the star power the WWE UK division needs to keep alive.
As the match continued, we saw an impressive variation of a backstabber by Dunne and Andrews, and Moustache Mountain attempted to claw their way back into this match. Their luck changed as Bate got the hot tag and went on the offence against Pete Dunne. The former UK champ hasn’t been used to the best of his ability in WWE since the loss of his belt, but he’s still been putting out decent matches, maybe another reign of the championship isn’t too far in the future for him. After a hard fought and highly energetic finale, Tyler Bate secured the win with the Tyler Driver ’97. A treat to watch, entertaining spots, and even more UK pride to shake a stick at. What more could I ask for?
Mark Andrews sought to comfort Pete Dunne, but it ended in conflict as Dunne attacked Andrews from behind, then left him a motionless heap on the floor with the Bitter End. Despite the loss, it seems like Mark Andrews will be next in line to take on Dunne for the UK Championship. If it takes place at the next TakeOver? I’ll be sure to watch.