By Laurence Gibbons, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@Gibbonsgob)
NXT UK TV
Taped in London, England at BT Sport Studios
Streamed June 3, 2021 on WWE Network and Peacock
Andy Shepherd and Nigel McGuinness were the broadcast team…
Ilja Dragunov made his entrance to kick off this week’s NXT UK. Noam Dar entered the BT Sports Studio…
1. Ilja Dragunov vs. Noam Dar. Dar struck first, with a kick to Dragunov and a takedown. The “Moscow Madman” took Dar to the mat and began to unleash his forearms. He stopped himself before inflicting too much punishment.
Dar looked to provoke Dragunov with slaps to the face. An awkward landing for Dragunov allowed Dar to send him out the ring. Dar channeled William Regal with a snapmare into the ropes. Dar stayed in control of the bout with kicks and submissions. Dragunov attempted a leglock but Dar kept kicking him in the face. The Russian finally came back into the match with two German suplexes. He rained down elbows on Dar.
Dar locked on the Champagne Super Kneebar when Dragunov missed a dive. Dragunov worked out of the submission but Dar continued to attack the leg. Dar pushed Dragunov to breaking point and the two traded high-intensity forearms. Dar went for the running elbow but Dragunov hit the Torpedo Moscow for the win.
Ilja Dragunov defeated Noam Dar in 13:37.
Gibbons’ Opinion: This match was set when Dar tried to force Dragunov to lose his temper on Supernova Sessions, a few weeks ago. Dragunov actually got inside the head of Dar enough for him to want to prove he was no joke in the ring. Dar certainly proved that in what was an evenly-weighted and physical match. He attacked the mind and body of Dragunov throughout the match. Both men looked great but eventually Dragunov scored the win and kept his cool. This makes it a big win for Dragunov.
A vignette aired for Aoife Valkyrie… Sid Scala greeted Jordan Devlin back at the door of the BT Sports Studio. Devlin demanded his own dressing room, a private parking spot and an appearance of Supernova Sessions, and then he left…
Pretty Deadly made their entrance whilst we saw a recap of their altercation with Jack Starz last week. Jack Starz made his entrance and introduced his mystery tag team partner Nathan Frazer…
2. “Pretty Deadly” Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley vs. Jack Starz and Nathan Frazer for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship. Stoker and Starz locked up to start the match. Stoker knocked Starz down and taunted him with the DX gesture. Stoker and Howley worked quick tags as they stayed in control of the contest. Starz managed to tag in Frazer who used his agility to get the better of Howley.
With Stoker and Frazer in the ring, the latter hit the ropes and Howley pulled the top rope down to send the Jersey high flyer over the top rope. Pretty Deadly executed quick tags to keep Frazer down. A few moments later, Howley hit the ropes and Frazer repaid the favour to send him over the top rope. Stoker then sent Frazer from the apron into the barrier. Pretty Deadly hit the Spilt Milk on Jack Starz for the win.
“Pretty Deadly” Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley defeated Jack Starz and Nathan Frazer in 7:14 to retain the NXT UK Tag Team Championship.
Gibbons’ Opinion: This was a fun match but the outcome seemed inevitable. I can’t think who the next challengers will be for Pretty Deadly. They seem the best tag team on the roster. NXT UK may need to do some sort of tag team tournament to create some new teams.
A vignette aired of Tyler Bate playing with nunchucks whilst wearing a blindfold and boasting of his Heritage Cup Championship win… Flash Morgan Webster made his entrance. Joseph Conners’ entrance was also shown…
3. Flash Morgan Webster (w/Dani Luna and Mark Andrews) vs. Joseph Conners (w/Jinny). The match kicked off at a frantic pace. It was a back-and-forth affair as Webster used his high-flying offense whilst Conners looked to keep him grounded.
Webster sent Conners to the outside with a springboard dropkick. As the referee ducked through the ropes to check on Conners, Webster hit a senton over him and into Conners. Webster brought Conners back into the ring. Conners rolled him into a small package for a two count.
Jinny threw Webster’s helmet to Conners but the referee took it before he could hit him. Webster went to the top rope as the referee removed his helmet from the ring. With the referee distracted, Jinny sent Webster from the turnbuckle into the top rope. Conners hit the Hangman’s neckbreaker for the win.
Joseph Conners defeated Flash Morgan Webster in 5:05.
Gibbons’ Opinion: I really enjoyed the finish of this match. You knew Jinny would play a role in the outcome. Not to be deterred by the referee taking the helmet, Jinny still had another trick up her sleeve. She’s a very good, sneaky heel. You would have thought if Subculture wanted to make an impact Dani Luna may have intercepted one of Jinny’s attempts to cheat.
A hype package aired for Walter, announcing his return next week… A hype package also aired ahead of the NXT UK Women’s Championship match between Kay Lee Ray and Meiko Satomura… Rampage Brown made his entrance. Joe Coffey entered with Mark Coffey and Wolfgang but he sent his Gallus mates to the back…
4. Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey. The two locked up to start their highly anticipated rematch. Coffey ducked away from Brown and hit him with a big crossbody. Brown then also left his feet, hitting a dropkick that sent Coffey to the apron.
The two big lads traded strikes and headbutts on the apron. Coffey sent Brown into the ring post and the crowd barrier. Back in the ring, Brown went to hoist up Coffey but his back gave way. Coffey sent Brown back outside and hit a baseball slide. Coffey dominated Brown with strikes to his back and a succession of slams and suplexes.
Coffey leaped from the middle rope to the top rope and hit a Vader bomb. Coffey went for the superplex but Brown sent him crashing to the mat and hit a crossbody. Both men went crashing out the ring when Coffey hit a crossbody of his own as Brown was on the ropes.
Coffey sent Brown into the ring steps with a Glasgow Send Off. Back in the ring, Coffey hit the missile dropkick and a German suplex. Brown went for the Dr.Bomb but Coffey rolled off the back. Coffey hit the Best of the Bells for the victory.
Joe Coffey defeated Rampage Brown in 11:38.
After the bell, the two shook hands and Brown gestured it was 1-1 between them. Ilja Dragunov entered for a staredown…
Gibbons’ Opinion: This was as physical as you’d expect but also showed off both lads’ agility. Coffey had the better of the match and pretty much dominated Rampage Brown. That was a little bit of a surprise for me. I’d imagine this will set up a rubber match between the two as they both now boast a win over each other. Ilja Dragunov entering himself into the rivalry is interesting. This surely sets up a triple threat and the winner of that will only have one thing on their mind … Walter.
With news that Walter will return next week, we could see this match be set as a number one contender’s match. Or, perhaps Walter will have something else in mind. The returning Devlin may want a shot at the United Kingdom Championship. My weekly NXT UK audio reviews are available for Dot Net Members every Friday.
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