By Haydn Gleed, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@haydngleed)
NXT UK TV
Taped July 19-20 in Plymouth, England at Plymouth Pavilions
Streamed August 21, 2019 on WWE Network
No music or video package to open this week’s episode, making this the best NXT UK show already… Vic Joseph and Nigel McGuinness checked in while Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner made their entrance…
1. Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner defeated “The Hunt” Wild Boar and Primate.
Gleed’s Ramblings: The crowd absolutely loved The Hunt but I’m guessing that has a lot more to do with the fact that they were the first babyface wrestlers out there for this taping than anything else. A good tag team match with the Imperium duo looking very impressive but I came away with a greater appreciation of The Hunt. One could argue it was a bit of a waste of TV time this close to Takeover, but I would argue that it made Imperium as a collective look stronger.
Sid Scala was backstage for an announcement. He announced Noam Dar vs. Travis Banks is official for NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff and is a way of repaying Banks after he missed out on the first UK Takeover in Blackpool…
Radzi was outside Walter’s dressing room and said he was looking to get an interview with him. As he was talking, Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner were walking past. Marcel was about to speak when he heard a commotion inside the dressing room and went to check it out. The volume of the commotion got louder and the camera got “knocked over” and we were treated to the lame graphic we had a few weeks ago where they make it seem that the camera feed was fading in and out. With the camera on the floor, we saw Marcel fall to the ground looking injured and somebody walking past whose leg was shown. Joseph and McGuinness questioned what they just saw…
2. Kay Lee Ray defeated Shax.
Powell’s POV: I’d heard of the Sheffield based Shax, but I hadn’t seen her in action. Obviously, with Ray being built as a threat to Toni Storm’s title, Shax wasn’t going to get a lot of offence, but she sold well. This was a good match for Kay Lee to really show her mean heel side and she looked vicious.
After the match Kay Lee Ray grabbed a microphone as the crowd chanted for Toni Storm. Ray said in ten days time they go to Cardiff and she is challenging for the title against the woman who claims it’s always Toni time. She said that Toni wants everyone to believe she’s this big star, but Kay Lee has known her for a long time and she knows how much of a weak individual she can be. She said in Cardiff she will take the one thing that means the most to her, the NXT UK Women’s Championship.
Toni Storm came to the ring. Ray mocked her by saying the world traveling rock star of NXT UK is here. Toni just stared at her. Kay Lee said she knows why she stays away from home so long. Kay Lee said she gets to go home to a fiancé, friends and a hometown she loves. But when Toni goes home, she has nothing except that shiney shiney. “Have you ever stopped to think why everyone in your life abandoned you?” Ray asked. “See, I was your best friend for years and heard all the sob stories about how it was everyone else’s fault, but maybe it was you?”
Storm looked upset and put her head down. Kay Lee said its Toni’s fault that they are no longer friends, and Toni is the reason that none of Toni’s friends call her anymore. She said it’s Toni’s fault that Storm’s ex-boyfriends found other women. She said it was Toni’s fault that her father left her when she was a baby because he knew how pathetic she would turn out. Toni slapped Ray, who made a quick exit up the ramp while smiling and clearly showing that she had been trying to get in the head of the champion.
Powell’s POV: Excellent stuff and made a personal feud even more personal.
A video package aired on Oliver Carter, who will be debuting next week…
Radzi was backstage with Jordan Devlin and was about to ask a question when he was interrupted. Jordan complained at not being on the NXT UK card and being blindsided by Finn Balor. Kenny Williams came into the picture and mocked Jordan for complaining and blaming everyone else. He said next week he is lucky enough to take on the Irish ace. As Radzi was finishing up, we heard Walter and Alexander Wolfe walking around while shouting and complaining there was no structure. Walter said that if Tyler Bate is still man enough he will meet him in the ring later.
3. Mark Andrews (w/Flash Morgan Webster) defeated James Drake (w/Zack Gibson) to earn a a spot in the NXT UK Tag Title match at NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff.
Powell’s POV: The match outcome was predictable as they weren’t going to tease the South Wales duo being in a match in Cardiff and not deliver. I feel like I’ve seen this match a hundred times over the last six years, so I had high expectations going into this match and it lived up to expectations. These two work very well together and although the outcome was never in doubt, I enjoyed this match a lot. Special mention to Zack Gibson also who was outstanding at ringside selling the crowds chants but also cheerleading his tag team partner.
Trent Seven was shown getting into the ring after walking through the crowd. The announcers questioned whether he was the man who attacked Barthel and Aichner earlier. Walter and Alexander Wolfe walked out onto the stage with Walter going straight to the ring. On the stage, Tyler Bate attacked Wolfe viciously with a chair. Bate ran down to the ring and started attacking the champion over and over again. They climbed into the ring with Bate hitting a Tyler Driver 97 on the big man with the crowd chanting “holy shit.” The fans were on their feet as Bate stood over Walter holding his title and the crowd chanting his name as the show went off the air…
Gleed’s Ramblings: Another good show that was focused on promoting the Takeover event. The theme throughout the show was Bate taking out members of Imperium one by one and was a good arc through the episode even though I could have done without the lame “camera feed” nonsense and Vic Joseph looking like an idiot for constantly questioning who was attacking Imperium. Andrews vs. Drake was a great match. Even though the outcome was predictable, I was still on the edge of my seat thinking they might drag out the South Wales duo getting into the match into the go home show with the great near falls that occurred during the match. The highlight of the show was Kay Lee Ray’s brilliant promo against Toni Storm, which made me look forward to the match even more than I was before this show, which was already at a ten on the scale of matches I’m excited about.
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