Welcome back to NXT UK. This week would see a new debut in the women’s division, Dave Mastiff and Joe Coffey in action against some unusual opponents and the NXT UK Tag Team Champions taking it to the Brit/Am team of Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. It was going to be a loaded episode for WWE’s UK branch so let’s get into the action.

Aoife Valkyrie defeated Amale via Diving Axe Kick

The show started with the debut of Valkyrie. She was teased last week and now had the chance to show the York crowd what she’s made of. Her opponent would be the French star Amale. She started the match with a headlock and nearly won with a sunset flip early on. She clamped on another headlock and kept Amale grounded, fighting through escape attempts. Valkyrie nearly scored another roll up but was hit in the gut when she challenged the ref. She elbowed Amale out of an attack and followed with a diving back elbow. Amale avoided a high kick but Valkyrie quickly followed up with a sweep and hit a standing Moonsault for yet another two-count. She hammer locked Amale’s arm but was dragged to the mat by her hair. Amale made the mistake of taunting, allowing Valkyrie to rise and kick seven shades of hell out of her with a flurry ending in a Pele kick. She followed that with a spinning heel kick and brutally ended the match with a diving Axe Kick. It was a clear statement sent to the women’s division and hopefully, NXT UK is a welcoming home to Valkyrie. It’s reassuring to see that she is still using vicious strikes I’ve seen her use live.

Dave Mastiff defeated Saxon Huxley via Into the Void

Next up was NXT UK’s resident destroyer, Dave Mastiff. Following his war with Imperium, he was back in action against one of NXT UK’s odder stars, Saxon Huxley. The pair instantly locked up with Mastiff coming out on top and slamming Huxley into the mat. Huxley struck back and tried to go top rope but was chopped out of the air. Mastiff continued to chop and hoisted Huxley up for a stalling Suplex. He continued the punishment by locking in a grounded abdominal stretch and elbowing Huxley across the neck and chest. He went for more chops and caught the leg of Huxley. What he wasn’t expecting though, was Huxley to strike back with a dropkick. He drove Mastiff’s chest first into the corner and started kneeing him in the gut. Mastiff clubbed him out of a running attack and hit a seated senton. Mastiff screamed “WALTER” and went for a running hip attack. He followed up with a German Suplex and ended the match with Into the Void. As you can see, Mastiff had more on his mind than Huxley and his constant homages to WALTER were fun to see. It is clear Mastiff wants to go after WALTER and he used Huxley to send that message further. That and using the Imperium taunt at the end of the segment.

Joe Coffey defeated Amir Jordan via All the Best for the Bells

The first Gallus match of the night saw top dog Joe Coffey look to squash Amir Jordan. Coffey instantly hip-tossed Jordan and trash-talked him to oblivion. Coffey kept on the power but had to struggle to follow the speed of Jordan. Unfortunately, Jordan shot himself in the foot by getting caught out of a crossbody and thrown with an overhead belly to belly. Coffey hammered down the blows and threw Jordan into the turnbuckles but smacked in the face. Jordan tried to go for a roll-up but got planted with a wheelbarrow facebuster. Amir tried to punch up from the ground but was brought back down by an arm wringer to his injured shoulder. After some stomps into the corner, Coffey went for the other arm and barred it. Coffey kept on the pressure with hammer blows and trash talk, foiling any escape attempts. That was until Jordan leapt onto Coffey’s shoulders and spiked him headfirst into the mat. He followed that with a diving crossbody and dived onto Coffey when he rolled out. Coffey got his knees up on the Swanton Bombay and pounced Jordan into the corner with the Glasgow Send-Off. That led to All the Best for the Bells and the end of the match. A fun match to be had here but it could have done with more action from Jordan. After the match, Coffey took to the mic to threaten Ilja Dragunov and his debt to the Gallus Firm. He also threw in some jabs at Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch ahead of the main event.

Gallus (Wolfgang & Mark Coffey) defeated Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch via Kick and Slam Combo

Gallus match number two followed as the tag team champs took on Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan. The Brit/Am pair seemed unphased by Coffey’s comments and started the match cordially. The match started slow as Mark Coffey and Danny Burch locked up with Coffey coming on top and the Gallus pair working to grind down Burch. Lorcan was brought in and he worked with Burch to get some payback on Coffey. Mark bailed and Wolfgang caused a distraction, allowing Gallus to take back control. Wolfgang and Coffey kept working over Burch. He escaped and we got a slugfest between Lorcan and Gallus. Mark Coffey halted his momentum and Gallus went to work on Lorcan. The pair used double team moves, submissions, and the environment to work over Lorcan. After taking enough damage, Lorcan powered up off a forearm exchange and managed to tag in Burch. He smacked around Mark Coffey and planted him with a German Suplex. He went for the Implant DDT with Lorcan but Wolfgang made the save, getting headbutted for his trouble. The trio traded chops and Lorcan knocked down Coffey with a Blockbuster. It didn’t keep him down though as he planted Burch and tagged in Wolfgang. The Brit/Am brawlers locked both Gallus members in submissions but Wolfgang broke them up. He and Lorcan spilled to the outside and Coffey dropped Burch. Wolfgang hopped onto the apron and the pair finished off Burch with the Kick and Slam combo. It was a very standard tag bout with some great intensity but perhaps a little too dry for the main event. Ilja Dragunov came out to pick a fight with Coffey but it backfired, ending with a three on one beatdown from Gallus.

So, there you have it, another episode of NXT UK reviewed for your reading pleasure. It was a strong episode for match quantity but it felt a bit dry at times. I like Gallus a lot but their main event match felt a bit too low energy for me. I did enjoy Valkyrie’s debut and Mastiff going full WALTER on Saxon Huxley. Joe Coffey looked like a monster against Amir Jordan but it was a very Gallus heavy end to the show. It was nice to see the Grizzled Young Veterans trolling a crowd and planning world domination and the big tease towards the now confirmed Kay Lee Ray/Toni Storm I Quit Match. Here’s to hoping that match airs in the near future. Oh, and Oney Lorcan will now forever be known to me as ET’s Finger, thanks, Joe Coffey.

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