By Laurence Gibbons, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@Gibbonsgob)
NXT UK TV
Taped in London, England at BT Sport Studios
Streamed December 9, 2021 on WWE Network and Peacock
A hype package aired ahead of Pretty Deadly’s NXT UK Tag Team Championship match with Moustache Mountain. Trent Seven questioned if he could continue in the industry if they lost… The broadcast team was Andy Shepherd and Nigel McGuinness… Blair Davenport made her entrance to kick off the in-ring action. Emilia McKenzie made her entrance…
1. Blair Davenport vs. Emilia McKenzie. The two locked up. McKenzie went for the go behind but Davenport put on a wrist lock. McKenzie reversed the hold and then hit a succession of arm drags. McKenzie scored a neckbreaker and enjoyed a few moments in control.
Davenport hit a shoulder block and capitalised with strong offense to take control. Davenport sent McKenzie into the corner hard and locked on a headlock. McKenzie fought back and hit a backdrop which gave her the first close two count. McKenzie came close to winning from a spear.
McKenzie sent Davenport to the corner, but she leapfrogged onto the top rope and hit a dropkick. McKenzie went for the rolling spear but Davenport countered with the knee. Davenport hit the Falcon Arrow for the win.
Blair Davenport defeated Emilia McKenzie in 6:01.
After the bell, Davenport locked on the STF – a move synonymous with McKenzie’s mentor Meiko Satomura. Davenport spoke in Japanese to call out Satomura whilst she held the hold…
Gibbons’ Opinion: This was a fun match that swung nicely between the two women. I enjoyed Davenport hitting the knee as a counter to McKenzie’s spear to set up for her finish. I would have liked a few more minutes between these two as I feel they have more to offer. The post-match attack, with Davenport calling out Satomura in Japanese, was fantastic. It looks like we will get Davenport vs. Satomura when the NXT UK Women’s Champion is back from Japan.
Noam Dar and Sha Samuels entered Sid Scala’s office and demanded thanks for winning the Heritage Cup Championship. Scala thanked Dar and told him that Nathan Frazer and A-Kid would compete in a No.1 Contender match next week for a shot at his Championship…
We got an update on Rampage Brown and news that he was injured during his match with Ilja Dragunov last week…
Xia Brookside threw a tantrum when asked for comments on her loss to Satomura last week…
Jordan Devlin came out to the BT Sport Studios to cut a promo. He bragged about being the longest-reigning NXT Cruiserweight Champion and said now was the time for him to win the NXT UK Championship. Devlin called out Ilja Dragunov who joined him in the ring. Dragunov said he appreciated Devlin’s ability in the ring and said he could have a title shot if he asked for it.
Devlin said he would end Dragunov’s career to take his title. Dragunov said there was nothing Devlin could say or do to make him scared. Devlin said after he was finished with Dragunov, his son would have to take care of him. Dragunov attacked Devlin and the two traded blows until officials came out and split them up…
A vignette aired for Amale in which she said she had overcome a lot in her life being the daughter of Moroccan immigrants in France. That she had earned two master’s degrees but that nothing was more important to her than WWE…
Kenny Williams cut a promo on Mark Andrews whilst sitting by a river eating chips. He claimed Andrews was a pretender and he would take him out…
Sam Gradwell made his entrance whilst we saw a recap of his altercation last week with Sha Samuels. Sha Samuels made his entrance along with Noam Dar…
2. Sam Gradwell vs. Sha Samuels (w/Noam Dar). Samuels spent the majority of the early proceedings avoiding Gradwell and going to his corner for advice from Dar. Gradwell put the hammerlock on and rained down strikes to the chest. Samuels retaliated with an overhead strike.
Samuels grabbed the tights of Gradwell and sent him into the corner to gain the upper hand. Samuels hit the penalty kick to the back. Gradwell rallied and sent Samuels to the outside. Gradwell hit the diving forearm from the apron to the outside. As Gradwell tried to get Samuels back in the ring, he rolled to the other side. Samuels hit a scoop slam on the outside. Back in the ring, Samuels hit a scoop slam and a powerslam but neither could keep Gradwell down.
Samuels took his braces off and went to whip Gradwell but the referee took them off him. With the referee distracted, Gradwell grabbed Dar’s scarf and made it look like Dar was trying to choke him with it against the ropes. The referee told Dar off. With the referee distracted, Gradwell whipped Samuels in the crotch with the scarf and hit his fireman carry slam for the win…
Sam Gradwell defeated Sha Samuels (w/Noam Dar) in 6:51.
Gibbons’ Opinion: This was an entertaining match.
This match was set last week when Gradwell discovered that wannabe bookmaker Samuels had set his odds at being the next to challenge for the NXT UK Championship at 4000/1. Gradwell put a tenner on those odds that he could beat Samuels. Samuels will be gutted he lost this match if he is legally binding to payout…
A vignette aired for Gallus in which Joe Coffey said he would teach the ‘kid’ Charlie Dempsey a lesson…
We got a hype package ahead of A-Kid vs. Nathan Frazer in the No.1 Contender match for the Heritage Cup Championship set for next week…
Moustache Mountain made their entrance. Pretty Deadly made their way to the ring in some extremely flamboyant yellow outfits…
3. “Pretty Deadly” Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley vs. “Moustache Mountain” Tyler Bate and Trent Seven for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship. Stoker and Bate started the match. Stoker put the wrist lock on but Bate used his trademark acrobatics to escape and reverse the hold. Stoker reversed the hold back and tagged in Howley. Stoker and Howley went for a double wrist lock but Bate flipped them both.
Seven sent Howley over the top rope but Stoker caught him on his shoulders and paraded him around the outside. Howley slipped in the ring and dead-legged Seven. Bate and Seven hit stereo stalling vertical suplexes on Pretty Deadly. Seven and Bate hit the assisted senton on Howley but he kicked out at two. Seven dominated Howley until Stoker interfered, allowing them to take Seven to the outside.
Pretty Deadly teamed up on Seven and sent him into the apron and then the steel ring steps. Stoker continued to inflict punishment on Seven back in the ring. Pretty Deadly constantly distracted the referee and cheated to isolate Seven and keep him down. After a few minutes, Seven made the hot tag to Bate.
Bate exploded into the ring with a succession of moves on Howley. He eventually hit the Tyler Driver 98 but Howley kicked out. Stoker tagged in and the Champs hit the double team press to knees, but Bate kicked out at two. Pretty Deadly went to land Moustache Mountain’s trademark rope-assisted lariat to German suplex but Bate ducked and Stoker hit Howley.
Seven tagged in and hit the Seven Star Lariat but Howley kicked out. Seven failed to notice a blind tag which allowed Stoker to knock him out with a kick. Pretty Deadly hit Spilt Milk on Seven and looked to have the match won but Bate interrupted the pin. Pretty Deadly hit Spilt Milk on Bate on the outside.
Pretty Deadly hit the slingshot to knees and powerbomb to knees but Seven still kicked out. Howley distracted the referee allowing Stoker to hit Seven with the Tag title belt but he still kicked out. Bate hit Tyler Driver on Howley and went to the top rope. Seven hit Burning Hammer on Stoker onto Howley. Bate hit the top rope Spiral Tap for the win…
“Moustache Mountain” Tyler Bate and Trent Seven defeated “Pretty Deadly” Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley in 17:50 to win the NXT UK Tag Team Championship.
Gibbons’ Opinion: They’ve finally done it. Moustache Mountain’s three-year quest to win the NXT UK Tag Team Championship is over and they now hold the gold. There was always a chance they wouldn’t win it – especially with how devious Pretty Deadly can be. A loss surely would have led to either Seven or Bate turning on the other. But we don’t have to think about that as the most loved team in NXT UK is top of the mountain.
It has been an exceptional title reign for Pretty Deadly. They’ve defended the belts more times than any other NXT UK Tag Team Champions have and looked fantastic all year. It will be fascinating to see where they go next but I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw them Stateside soon. This match was a perfect end to both these stories and was entertaining from bell to bell.
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