It was all systems go on NXT UK as not only do they have an NXT TakeOver match to prepare for but also an upcoming women’s title match and a challenger still needs to be found for The Grizzled Young Veterans. This show gave us a bit of all of that whilst also delivering some action outside the title brackets.  Without further ado let’s get into it.

Kenny Williams & Amir Jordan defeated Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel via Roll Up

NXT UK opened up with a fiery tag bout between a new and fast team against a fully formed and brutish team. Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan had to put their new found team to the test as the European Union was not impressed with them. Barthel started against Jordan and was easily outmatched by technique. Jordan managed to escape and taunted Barthel with some dancing but earned himself a chop to the throat for his trouble. He was worked over, tagged in Williams and the match picked up. Unfortunately, Williams and Jordan were distracted by Barthel and the “Nein” chants. The European Union continued to work over Jordan until he once again managed to make a hot tag to a desperate for action Williams. He came into the ring and managed to pick up the pace. He even hit Barthel with a Snapmare Driver into the mat. The quicker team got too cocky though as Aichner took out Jordan on the outside and the pair hit Williams with a double team Spinebuster/PK combo. They went for their pop up finisher but Williams reversed and scored a roll up on Aichner. It seems his Lucky Un nickname came in handy here.

Once again the European Union proved they are a solid, dependable and talented powerhouse team that happened to fall victim to a lucky roll up. This meant we got a great underdog match and the story of this makeshift team taking down bigger teams continues for Jordan and Williams. I wish Barthel and Aichner would get more wins but hey, they looked dominate here so I can’t complain too much.

Kay Lee Ray defeated Isla Dawn via Dirty Bomb

Next was another borderline squash match featuring Kay Lee Ray. She took on fellow countrywoman Isla Dawn after some comments made last week. Ray instantly went on the attack targeting the arm of Dawn. The two traded pinfall attempts but Ray once again came out on top and kept working the arm of Dawn. The two then took the fight outside as Ray hit a vicious forearm into the face of Dawn. Dawn finally got a solid blow in by hitting Ray with a Facebuster into the ring apron. She would not be allowed to celebrate as Ray instantly came back with a Suicide dive to the outside. Once the match was back in ring Dawn was able to get a little offence back by hitting Ray with a Belly to Back Suplex but was stopped short by an Overhand chop, Superkick and then finished with the Dirty Bomb.

Dawn put up more of a fight than Ray’s last opponent but still fell relatively easily to Ray. The ICW veteran is making easy work of her current competition so it’s only a matter of time before she either breaks into the title scene or gets into a feud with a much bigger opponent. Maybe, someone she’s already quite familiar with…

Speaking of the title scene, after this match there was an interview with Toni Storm. She can’t really say much as Jinny ambushed her and the two brawled. The pair are pulled apart and restrained but Jinny managed to break free and launched Storm into a travel case to finish the segment. It’s clear she’s ready to do anything to become NXT UK Women’s champion. Her and Storm have had some wars in the past, it’ll be exciting to see what they do here.

Grizzled Young Veterans Addressed the NXT UK Universe

Zack Gibson is one of the best with a mic. Even in the sanitised WWE promo space, he managed to stand out. He and James Drake came out to address some rumours and criticism levelled their way as the current tag champs. They ran down the new age of wrestlers, complained about the hard journey they’d taken to get to the top and finished by delivering some insults at the people who’d hinted they wanted a title shot, Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams. It was blunt, brutal and delivered with pure venom all against a backdrop of fan chants mocking the champs. They ignored the insults and put all their effort into making their points. It was a fun little segment that generated a fair amount of heat for the Grizzled Young Veterans.

Joe Coffey defeated Trent Seven via Boston Crab

The grand finale of the episode came in the form of Joe Coffey and Trent Seven beating the “seven” hells out of one another. This was a pure strong style match with a few flips and dives thrown in for good measure. The two started the match by trying to out-muscle each other with Seven coming out on top. He managed to hit Coffey with a DDT early on but once the fight went outside Coffey took advantage with a Belly to Back suplex into the barricade. From there it was all Coffey as he worked over the back of Seven with a series of holds culminating in a Bear Hug. When Seven looked like he was about to escape, Coffey threw him overhead with a Belly to Belly Suplex. He tried to follow up with a Splash in the corner but ended up missing. Seven used the opening to get back into the match by throwing a horde of chops and hitting a Suicide Dive on Coffey outside.

Seven then tried to follow up with a Corkscrew Senton and misses giving Coffey the chance to hit both a Northern and Southern Lariat. He followed that up with a Pounce and Powerbomb but only got a two count. Seven powered back into the match and locks Coffey in Figure Four but was forced to break the hold after Coffey reached the ropes. The two then roll out onto the apron and throw hands until Coffey tries for a Powerbomb and is dropped to the floor with a Back Body drop from Seven. The two only just managed to make the count back into the ring and traded finisher attempts. Seven hits the Seven Stars Lariat but only gets a two count. In an attempt to up the ante, he went for the Burning Hammer but was unable to pull off the move as his back gave out. Coffey took advantage and managed to lock in a Single Leg Crab then Transitioned into a full Boston Crab to secure the victory.

This was a solid main event that had enough drama to carry it through the numerous hold phases. It was very stiff and personal since it all stemmed from Joe Coffey calling Trent Seven dead weight. Whilst the stakes weren’t too high, this was a great way for Coffey to rebound from recent losses and show how he is still deadly. This was even more impressive since he didn’t resort to using his Gallus members for assistance. The episode ended with a hype package for Walter vs Dunne which showed the road leading up to the big title match.

So there you have it, another hour of NXT UK put to bed. It contained fun matches, hype and intrigue going forward so I think it covered everything it needed to. This episode was in an awkward spot as it is unfortunately overshadowed by the NXT TakeOver match on the horizon and the much bigger episode next week. Speaking of, next week we’ll see the Women’s title defended and a match between Travis Banks and Kassius Ohno. Won’t that be fun? It’s also possible we’ll see two new Champions on NXT UK. It’s definitely going to be one to watch.

All images courtesy of wwe.com