By Laurence Gibbons, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@Gibbonsgob)
NXT UK TV
Taped in London, England at BT Sport Studios
Streamed August 5, 2021 on WWE Network and Peacock
NXT UK began with a hype package for the 30-minute Iron Man match between A-Kid and Jordan Devlin, narrated by Shawn Michaels…
The broadcast team was Andy Shepherd and Nigel McGuinness. Shepherd added more excitement to the main event…
Xia Brookside made her entrance. Blair Davenport made her entrance…
1. Xia Brookside vs. Blair Davenport. Davenport took Brookside to the corner but it was Brookside who scored the early advantage when she took her opponent to the mat. Davenport worked the shoulder of Brookside with kicks and submissions. But Brookside got back into things with a huracanrana and a monkey flip.
Davenport turned the tide with a dropkick to the outside, followed up by launching Brookside into the barricade. After a short rally from Brookside, Davenport hit the top rope dropkick, knee to back on the ropes and then driving knee to jaw for the win.
Blair Davenport defeated Xia Brookside in 04:22.
After the bell, Brookside hit a Michinoku Driver on Brookside in the middle of the ring.
Gibbons’ Opinion: This match was set when Davenport claimed Brookside was only in the position she was in her career because of her famous father. Davenport did not prove this was true as it was an evenly-weighted affair.
But she certainly showed she was a level above Brookside in the end with an impressive flurry of offense to win the match. Davenport’s presentation is really good and she’s a whirlwind in the ring. Seems like a matter of time before she takes on Meiko Satomura.
We got news that Moustache Mountain would get a title shot at NXT UK Tag Team Champions Pretty Deadly…
Sid Scala announced an elimination tournament to decide the next challenger to Tyler Bate’s Heritage Cup Championship. The eight competitors will be: Mark Andrews, Noam Dar, Kenny Williams, Oliver Carter, Wolfgang, Nathan Frazer and Teoman. The tournament will kick off next week…
A vignette aired for Isla Dawn in which she cast witch spells on Emila McKenzie…
Backstage, Flash Morgan Webster slapped Wolfgang and ran away…
Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff made their entrance ahead of teaming as a tag team for the first time…
2. Danny Jones and Josh Morrell vs. Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff. Starz and Jones started the match, with Starz scoring first blood with a wrist lock takedown. Both men traded headlocks. Starz controlled Jones and tagged in Mastiff. Jones didn’t fancy Mastiff and tagged in Morrell. Morrel first evaded Mastiff with a backflip but then “The Bomber” suplexed him out of the ring.
Back in the ring, Mastiff and Starz hit a double backdrop on Morrell. Jones tagged back in and dominated Starz, taking advantage of his height over him. Jones and Morrell isolated Starz until he finally tagged out. Mastiff rained down power moves on Morrell. Starz hit a diving headbutt on Morrell in the corner and Mastiff followed it up with a cannonball for the win.
Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff defeated Danny Jones and Josh Morrell in 5:29.
Gibbons’ Opinion: Mastiff chose to form a team with Jack Starz after he was impressed with him in training. It marks a decent development in Starz who up until the beginning of the year was mainly used as enhancement talent. This was a nice first match for this new team. They had a couple of decent double-team moves and I liked that they already had a double finisher already.
Backstage, Nina Samuels accused Amale of taking her title opportunity when she attacked her as she was challenging Meiko Satomura. The two had to be pulled apart…
A highlight package aired to build up Noam Dar vs. Mark Andrews in the opening round of the Heritage Cup Championship No1. Contender tournament…
Aoife Valkyrie cut a promo on Jinny challenging her to a match but with the stipulation that Joseph Conners be banned from ringside…
Stevie Turner interrupted a training session between Meiko Satomura and Emilia McKenzie and Aleah James. Turner claimed Satomura couldn’t beat her. Satomura put a wrist lock on that forced Turner to retreat…
We got confirmation that we will get Amale vs. Nina Samuels and Wolfgang vs. Flash Morgan Webster , next week…
A-Kid made his entrance. Jordan Devlin made his way into the BT Sports Studio…
3. A-Kid vs. Jordan Devlin in a 30-minute Iron Man match. The two men started with a cautious feeling out period. Both men struggled to get their hands on the other as they acrobatically avoided each other. Devlin managed to slow down A-Kid with a wrist lock. A-Kid rolled out and hit a dropkick that sent Devlin to the outside. The match continued on the mat with some classic grappling.
With both men gripping each other’s hands, A-Kid leaped over Devlin but “The Irish Ace” caught him on his back and held him in a stretch. Devlin controlled proceedings with submissions on the mat. A-Kid hit another dropkick that only got a two count but allowed him to gain control. A-Kid missed a kick, which allowed Devlin to hang his leg up on the rope. He targeted the knee and locked on a crab to score the first fall after 10 minutes.
Devlin continued to inflict damage on the knee of A-Kid. He put the figure four leg lock on around the ring post. At the halfway point of the match, A-Kid could barely stand as a result of the constant punishment from Devlin.
A-Kid hit a German suplex on Devlin which resulted in Devlin turning and hitting one of his own. Both men hit another German suplex and then Devlin suplex both himself and A-Kid over the top rope to the outside.
Back in the ring, Devlin went for a cutter but A-Kid reversed it into a sleeper hold. He followed this up with a penalty kick for a close fall. A-Kid locked on the arm bar and forced Devlin to tap out to draw things level at 1-1 with 11 minutes left on the clock.
A frustrated Devlin grabbed a chair and went to hit A-Kid, but the Spaniard dropkicked it into his face. A-Kid hit a top rope crossbody but it didn’t score a fall. Devlin caught A-Kid as he went for a dropkick and looked to lock on the Texas cloverleaf. Devlin pulled A-Kid up for a powerbomb but he reversed it into a huracanrana.
Both men were physically exhausted with about five minutes left on the clock. They traded strikes on the apron. Devlin hit the Devlin Inside from the apron to the outside. Both men lay on the outside, struggling to move. Both men just made it back into the ring before the 10 count.
Devlin went for Devlin Inside again but A-Kid countered it into a destroyer. A-Kid hit a kick but Devlin kicked out at two, so A-Kid transitioned into the armbar. Devlin protected himself on the mat. A-Kid struggled to put the second arm into the double armbar. He finally locked it on and Devlin submitted with 90 seconds left. A-Kid locked the move back on. Devlin went for a pin but A-Kid kicked out. Devlin hit a strike and went for the pin but the clock ran out.
A-Kid defeated Jordan Devlin 2-1 in a 30:00 Iron Man match.
Gibbons’ Opinion: This was a real mat grappling clinic for the opening 10 minutes of the match. As one may have expected, the match swung in Devlin’s favour when he managed to exploit the previously injured knee of A-Kid. As you would probably only see in an Iron Man match, A-Kid tapped out pretty quickly to lose the first fall but prevent too much damage to keep him in the match. The story here was A-Kid fighting through his injury and coming back from behind to win 2-1. They told this very well. As with their previous encounter, A-Kid and Devlin did things that it feels like no other wrestler is capable of. With Devlin winning their previous match, I’d expect to see a rubber match now. They will need to add some high stakes, or stipulation to beat this match. Will look forward to seeing what they do.
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