After a fantastic night for NXT UK at Worlds Collide, it was all back to business. The main event saw three members of Imperium take on Flash Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews, and Dave Mastiff. Eddie Dennis came out to brag about his victory over Trent Seven at NXT TakeOver: Blackpool II, Nina Samuels and Isla Dawn went one-on-one, Danny Birch and Oney Lorcan returned to action for the first time in almost a year, and Tyson T-Bone fought Ridge Holland in a good old fashioned punch-up. It was a packed episode, with some match announcements for next week and interviews with some of the NXT UK superstars that fought at Worlds Collide, so let’s get started.

Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan defeated The Hunt via a 2-on-1 Impact DDT

It was great seeing Burch and Lorcan back in tag team action. They managed to keep The Hunt in check early with some quick tags, chops, and uppercuts. WIld Boar managed to get a tag into Primate who managed to build some momentum, and after getting some sharp attacks in, he landed an incredible lariat on Lorcan. The strength and controlled brutality of Danny Burch took back some control, landing an enzuigiri, followed by a German suplex.

Although The Hunt managed to get some good offence in, it was Burch and Lorcan that showed how well they work together. Wild Boar tried to land a splash on Danny Burch on the outside of the ring and missed, which led to a superb 2-on-1 impact DDT on Primate back in the ring. The two victors clearly have the tag team titles on their mind, as later on, they challenged Gallus for the NXT Tag Team Titles. This performance only strengthened their bid to become number one contenders.

Following the match, an interview aired with Toni Storm from after Worlds Collide, and she made it quite clear the reason her head wasn’t in the right place to defeat Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women’s Championship. She looked in a lot of mental anguish, saying “Kay Lee Ray, still in here (pointing to her head). This has to end”.

Trent Seven Makes Eddie Dennis an Offer

The Welsh Dragon Eddie Dennis headed to the ring and showed the NXT UK audience his decimation of Trent Seven from NXT TakeOver: Blackpool II where he threw Seven over the top rope onto the outside, over and over again. He laughed as he showed the footage, further cementing himself as a great heel. It’s only a matter of time before we see Dennis gunning for the NXT UK Championship.

It wasn’t long before Trent Seven had heard enough of him taking. His music hit and out he came, calling Dennis “boring,” “a liar,” and “a cheat”. He went on to say the two of them should do it again, without the protection of the turnbuckle pads, bearing the steel behind them. Trent Seven wanted a street fight with Eddie Dennis, but before he accepted, Dennis went to attack him. Seven was ready and started beating Dennis down, but he managed to leave the ring. Later on in the episode, a Street Fight was confirmed for next week, which is clearly going to be a great match.

Next up, Tyler Bate was seen at the Performance Centre with A-Kid and told him that next week he’ll get a chance to prove himself, as Bate was going to speak to Johnny Saint so the two of them could have a match. It was confirmed later on for next week.

We also got to see a vignette for the newest addition to the NXT UK roster in the form of Aoife Valkyrie. It said she’ll be arriving in two weeks time.

Isla Dawn defeated Nina Samuels via a Half-and-Half Suplex

Nina Samuels managed to dominate for most of the match, using her brains to wear down Isla Dawn early on. After a handstand kick that knocked Dawn off the apron to the outside, Samuels went after her and delivered a drop-toe hold that sent Dawn into the apron. Samuels continued to assault Dawn in the ring with an Irish whip into the turnbuckle and a double knee kick to the head. Trying her luck again with the double knee kick wasn’t the best idea, as Isla Dawn dodged it, leading to Samuels connecting with the turnbuckle. Isla Dawn landed the Meteora on Samuels, then followed up with a half-and-half suplex followed by a bridge for the win.

With Valkyrie arriving, the competition in the women’s division is fierce, but with Isla Dawn getting the victory here, we could see the White Witch gunning for the NXT UK Women’s title sooner rather than later. The match was good, but there were a few instances when both superstars seemed out of sync. Still, it was a pleasure watching Nina Samuels’ intelligence in the ring, and it’s always a treat getting to see Isla Dawn.

Another interview aired from after Worlds Collide, and this time it was Ilja Dragunov. He brought up Finn Balor’s words when he told Dragunov that he “better not miss”. Ilja asked if we saw Finn’s nose, and that he didn’t miss. Refocusing was on Dragunov’s mind, and that Joe Coffey was going to be his focus next. Dragunov ended the interview by saying when it came to Coffey, “I will not miss”.

Ridge Holland defeated Tyson T-Bone via Northern Grit

This was one hell of a match. Both superstars are powerhouses, and the match began with both Holland and T-Bone trading heavy forearms. T-Bone managed to get some heavy strikes in, but it was Ridge Holland her shone in this match. After delivering two Earth-shattering headbutts, Holland dropped him with an Alabama Slam and his Northern Grit finisher. It was another victory from the Yorkshire man, and it showed the entire world just how good this guy can be.

Imperium (Fabian Aichner, Martel Barthel & Alexander Wolfe) defeated Flash Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews & Dave Mastiff via Brainbuster

Whenever Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews are involved in a match, you know they’re going to be fireworks, and tonight was no different. Imperium are a major threat in NXT UK, so employing “the Bomber” Dave Mastiff to team up with was a wise move for the Welsh wonders. The match was filled with some great moments, but it started with Marcel Barthel showcasing his technical prowess on the mat as he put Mark Andrews in various arm holds. After some decent offence from Imperium, Andrews managed to land the head scissors on Aichner that lasted in what seemed like forever, spinning around Aichner’s body before dropping him into the mat.

Dave Mastiff was once again facing down Imperium after a recent spat with the faction, and one of his finer moments had him lift Marcel Barthel into the air, holding in the suplex position for a handful of seconds before driving him into the mat. Imperium managed to gain momentum once again, with Wolfe landing a German suplex on Webster that looked incredibly nasty, as his head made awkward contact with the mat. Flash Morgan Webster was undoubtedly the star of the match, making plenty of high-risk moves, as well as getting back into the match after damaging his neck.

The match came to end shortly after Andrews and Webster landed a flying cannonball on Aichner and Barthel to the outside of the ring. With Wolfe now outside, the Bomber jumped off the apron and took the whole of Imperium out with a flying cannonball. Mastiff imitated the Imperium stance, which brought WALTER down to ringside, attacking Mastiff from behind. Inside the ring, Marcel Barthel launched Mark Andrews into Aichner who dropped him with a brainbuster, followed by a three count. It looks as though they may be setting up WALTER’s next title match in the form of Dave Mastiff, and if that’s what’s going on, it’s a well-deserved opportunity for the big man.

NXT UK continues to go from strength to strength. The Eddie Dennis Street Fight with Trent Seven next week could very well likely be a turning point in Dennis’ WWE career. Ridge Holland is a fascinating performer, and with another victory under his belt, it might not be long before he headlines a future TakeOver. The only match that wasn’t as strong as the others was Isla Dawn and Nina Samuels, but I feel it was likely down to the weaker chemistry between the two. Regardless, this was a solid episode, and it was wonderful to see Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan return to NXT UK.

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