By Laurence Gibbons, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@Gibbonsgob)
NXT UK TV
Taped in London, England at BT Sport Studios
Streamed April 22, 2021 on WWE Network and Peacock
Andy Shepherd and Nigel McGuinness were the broadcast team… Joe Coffey made his entrance to start the show. Eddie Dennis entered the BT Sports Studio.
1. Joe Coffey vs. Eddie Dennis. The two locked up to begin the week’s in-ring action. Coffey shoulder charged Dennis out of the ring. The Scotsman sent Dennis back inside and worked many strikes to his body. Dennis locked on the chin lock to gain the upper hand. The balance of the match swung evenly between the two men as they matched each other strike for strike and slam for a slam.
Dennis scored a close two fall after hitting his Severn Bridge finisher on the “Iron King”. Coffey locked on the Boston Crab, forcing Dennis’s running buddies Primate and T-Bone to rush to the ring and make the distraction. Gallus came to ringside and took out Primate and T-Bone. Back in the ring, Coffey hit the Best of the Bells for the win.
Joe Coffey defeated Eddie Dennis in 8:27.
After the bell, the six men brawled.
Gibbons’ Opinion: This was a fun and evenly-weighted opener. I enjoyed Dennis quipping ‘this is wrestling, not boxing’ every time Coffey punched him. It was nice to see Dennis in the ring as it felt like he had been moved to the managerial role. He’s a good worker. I guess there will be more to come from the six men which makes sense as I think they are the only three-man stables in NXT UK.
Ilja Dragunov was shown watching highlights of his recent rage blackouts on a laptop…
Backstage, as the Gallus boys celebrated they bumped into Rampage Brown. Joe Coffey challenged him to a match which Brown seemed more than happy to agree to…
Dave Mastiff made his entrance. The mouthy Sam Gradwell came to the ring…
2. Dave Mastiff vs. Sam Gradwell. The two big lads locked up. Mastiff took Gradwell down and pulled his mohawk to position him for a rolling senton. Gradwell got his knees up when Mastiff dropped onto him, helping him to gain the upper hand.
Mastiff fought back into the match but when he ran to the corner his back gave way. Gradwell hoisted the Bomber onto his shoulders and hit something very similar to an Attitude Adjustment for the victory.
Sam Gradwell defeated Dave Mastiff 4:52.
Gibbons’ Opinion: Gradwell needed this win and deserved it too. He’s been entertaining running his mouth but without wins to back it up, we would struggle to take him seriously. This was the perfect victory for him over a sizable opponent in Mastiff. I like that the injured back of Mastiff played a deciding factor in the result as it keeps him looking relatively strong.
A vignette aired on Aoife Valkyrie ahead of her match with Meiko Satomura, next week… An interview with Emilia McKenzie aired… Dani Luna made her entrance, followed by her opponent Jinny…
3. Dani Luna vs. Jinny (w/Joseph Conners). Luna took Jinny down straight from the bell with a waistlock suplex. This enraged Jinny, who aggressively struck back. Jinny put Luna in the shoulder lock and hit multiple elbow strikes to keep her down.
Luna got back into the match with multiple suplexes. The two then traded slap for slap. Luna sent Jinny to the corner and Conners leaped to the apron to distract her. This allowed Jinny to take out her knee and then hit the rolling liver kick. Jinny rolled Luna up for the three count.
Jinny defeated Dani Luna 4:02.
Jinny locked on the submission whilst Conners taunted Luna until Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews came out to make the save…
Gibbons’ Opinion: Surprisingly – as this followed Coffey vs. Dennis and Mastiff vs. Gradwell – this may have been the most heavy-hitting match of the night. It was also the best mix of styles. Jinny went for strikes and submissions, while Luna focussed on a strategy of suplexes. It was fun to watch. Conners and Jinny are such a good pair of heels. I enjoyed the unnecessary beatdown after the match to bring Andrews and Morgan Webster into proceedings.
Looks like if this rivalry is to continue Jinny and Conners may need to find another ally…
In his office, Sid Scala was giving an interview when Amir Jordan stormed in and demanded a rematch with Kenny Williams. Scala said Williams would only accept with the stipulation that it is no-DQ and the loser would have to leave NXT UK. Jordan signed the contract…
A vignette aired for Rohan Raja announcing his debut next week against Teoman. He said Teoman had been winning with his submission but that he never quits…
Teoman cut a promo saying he would die for his family and that he was the man, the “Babo” Teoman…
Gibbons’ Opinion: Rohan Raja is the new name for Gursinder Singh, who some may know as Tony Gill from Impact Wrestling. I like the idea of bringing in a debuting superstar against another relative newcomer in Teoman.
Sha Samuels made his entrance, shortly followed by his partner Noam Dar. Moustache Mountain made their way into the BT Sports Studio…
4. Sha Samuels and Noam Dar vs. “Moustache Mountain” Trent Seven and Tyler Bate. Dar and Bate reignite their rivalry by starting the match. Moustache Mountain were in control at the start of the contest, exploiting quick tags. With Bate and Dar back in the ring, Bate started the Helicopter Spin on Dar but Samuels got the blind tag and split it up. With the other two men now legal, Dar stamped on the legs of Seven to keep him grounded. Samuels and Dar worked several quick tags whilst they attacked the back and legs of Seven.
Seven worked hard to try and get to his feet and tag in Bate but he was picked apart by his opponents. He finally landed a chop on Dar and hit the DDT and suplex to get the hot tag. Bate came in hot with Bop and Bang to Samuels. He hit a deadlift suplex and a standing shooting star press.
Dar distracted the referee but it came back to haunt him as Moustache Mountain hit a double team on Samuels behind his back. They looked to follow this up with another double team move, but Samuels reversed it into a powerslam and got a close two count. Seven sent Samuels to the outside and hit the topé on both Samuels and Dar. Bate dived over the top rope to take both men out as they tried to get to their feet. Bate sent Samuels back into the ring and with the help of Seven hit the Burning Hammer Assist for the win.
“Moustache Mountain” Tyler Bate and Trent Seven defeated Sha Samuels and Noam Dar.
Gibbons’ Opinion: This one ticked the boxes I hoped for. Seven plays the role of “Beatdown Wrestler Desperately Trying To Tag In His Partner” very well. You do end up willing him on. All four men looked decent in this match and it was probably the best showing we have had from Samuels since he joined NXT UK. It was a pretty convincing victory for Moustache Mountain – teaming together for the first time since before the pandemic – so it’ll be interesting to see where they go from her. Perhaps a program with Pretty Deadly awaits, as long as Samuels and Dar can let things go. I have a feeling they won’t for a few weeks at least.
On a whole, it was an enjoyable hour of NXT UK that absolutely flew by. Every match did something to move a character or rivalry forward. My audio review of NXT UK will be available for Dot Net Members on Friday morning.
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