It is officially the last episode of NXT UK…. To happen on a Wednesday. The show is moving to Thursday nights as of October 3rd. Now that that bit of housekeeping is out of the way, let’s get on with the episode. Tonight’s edition saw a slew of returns, some new matches teased and a main-event that saw Trent Seven try to shut up the Scottish Supernova Noam Dar. There was also another appearance from Oliver Carter and WALTER killed more people with chops. Let’s get into it, shall we?
Ligero defeated Oliver Carter via C4L
Ligero returns after a 2-month absence with a slightly edgier feel. He comes back with a match against the new kid on the block Oliver Carter. Ligero is looking to recover from a wonky win-loss record with a win against the newcomer. Carter had lost in his debut against Joseph Conners but managed to impress none the less, now he wanted to do the same again. He started well with Ligero, mixing technical with some nice Ranas. After that, he lost control and Ligero picked him over. It got slightly more competitive before Ligero went for the kill with a Slingshot Stunner, Superkick and ending it with the C4L. It was a merciless execution but once again Carter looked good in defeat. It will be an uphill climb for him but his opponents are allowing him to play to his strengths and should help him build an underdog reputation with the Universe. It’s also great to see Ligero back on TV as he is always a fun one to watch.
After that, we got a video from earlier in the day of WALTER killing some Performance Centre trainees for not taking wrestling seriously. Hi Spike Trivet, it was fun seeing you get chopped down in the middle of the ring.
Tyler Bate Made His Post-TakeOver Return
Next up on the show was the return of Tyler Bate. He came back to assure the NXT UK Universe that despite the fact he lost at TakeOver, he was far from done with the brand. There was a lot of fight left in him and the roster was going to know about it. His words brought out the Irish Ace, Jordan Devlin. He came out to rub salt in the wounds and destroy Bate for failing to get the job done whilst sidelining him being on TakeOver. He claimed he’d have gotten the job done against WALTER. The two got into a verbal sparring match but Devlin would run away before a physical sparring match could happen. I can’t wait for the match between the pair.
Nina Samuels defeated Dani Luna via The Final Act
Okay, what I thought would be a squash match turned out to be a really fun, competitive bout. Dani Luna is exceptional as a powerful and smart fighter who actually had the advantage over Samuels in most regards. The one thing she didn’t have an edge against though was a rope to the throat, which ended up leaving her on the receiving end of a lot of punishment. This would happen twice when Luna got going. She managed to overpower Samuels multiple times and dropped her with a Fallaway Slam but was unable to make the pin and took to long to follow up, leading to a lethal Big Boot and the Final Act. It ended there for Luna but she certainly got over well and definitely proved her worth to the NXT UK universe. This was way better than it should have been and a lot of that credit goes to Luna though Nina is great as a devious heel taking every opportunity she can get.
Noam Dar defeated Trent Seven via DQ
It’s always sad when an amazing match has a questionable end. Trent Seven vs Noam Dar was the perfect mix of anger, arrogance, technicality and brutality you would want from the pair. Seven had a strength and size advantage in the match so Dar was a dick and took every advantage he could, always making time to throw in some insults. Seven wouldn’t accept this nicely though and punished Dar every time he got too big for his boots, practically killing him with a Seven Star Lariat at one point. It was a battle of wits and physicality as Seven got crotched early on so Dar could pummel him down. This would be how it went til once again Dar went too far and got smashed in for his troubles. He managed to escape the Burning Hammer though so stayed alive. It only ended when Dar took Trent’s towel and shoved it down his trousers as he was setting up for a Nova Roller. Trent lariat-ed Dar was his troubles, noticed the towel and flew into a rage. He rained down the fists, forcing Dar into the ropes and just kept hammering until he got DQ’ed. Dar got the win but came away battered and bruised. Seven was a victim of his emotions and it cost him the win. I guess we can say Noam Dar wasn’t a dafty, pass it on.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZFwoM2MVjE]
So, there you have it, another NXT UK episode in the dust. It was another solid episode with the last two matches carrying it into a higher rank. Dani Luna got to be a standout star here and Dar and Seven put on a nasty little main event. It was a bit on the short side and slightly lacking in some departments but hey if it’s got some fun matches, it can’t be too bad. The Women’s title scene will take centre stage next week as will the big move to Thursdays. I hope we get a date for Bate vs Devlin, that’s a match I really need to see on an NXT UK episode.
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