NXT UK 06/09/2022

The Mad Man versus The Subculture

After an emotional recap that displayed the highs and lows of the narrative surrounding the NXT UK Tag Title picture, our show opens with another intense rivalry as Mark Andrews finally gets his one on one matchup with Kenny Williams. The blood has been boiling over the last month between these two gentlemen, but Kenny’s mind wasn’t fully set on the opponent in the ring. With masked men watching the Luckian’s every step, Kenny Williams walked into this matchup with a mental handicap. Kenny’s acting chops are put to good use in this program, becoming paranoid at the ring crew and even taking the time to check underneath the ring before the match can get fully underway. Mark would show off his skills as well both as a hybrid wrestler and as a great seller. Mark would make Kenny’s offense look devastating, something that we haven’t seen a lot of from Kenny William’s opponents. One part of William’s arsenal that could use some work is his rebound clothesline. Most would recognize this move coming out of Jon Moxley’s arsenal and that would be because Mox can pull off the move with speed and precision. Kenny comes across as uncoordinated when he uses the move and it’s placement can appear forced at times. Tiger Turan would make his presence felt at the end of the match, right as Kenny seemed ready to put his opponent away. Kenny would try to strike the masked man but this left an opportunity that Mark was all too willing to take advantage of. It appears that we are back to there being only one masked man and I’m going to lock in that Tiger Turan is not a wholly new character, but Amir Jordan waiting to be unmasked. We never did see hide nor hair of the young man after Kenny Williams defeated him in a Loser Leaves NXT UK match. So just like I deduced that Giovanni Vinci would be a repackaged Fabian Aichner, so too am I going to make my astute observation here.

Unleash the Animals

Up next we have Symbiosis competing for the first time since Eddie Dennis was decimated in a Dog Collar match with Wild Boar. Taking on a couple of enhancement talents, Symbiosis was set to make quick work so as to prove they are still a force to be reckoned with, holding a record of 1-1 as a team since the dawn of 2022. It is worth noting that this is Tate Mayfairs third time working as an enhancement talent with NXT UK. This kind of repeated exposure could mean that the company has an interest in signing the young prospect. After Symbiosis destroyed their opponents, T-Bone & Primate would turn their attention to Eddie Dennis himself. Apparently the mentality that Symbiosis doesn’t put up with dead weight applies to their manager who has proven that he is more trouble than he’s worth. Where Eddie goes from here is still up in the air, though it’s likely he will attempt to find another protege to help him fend off the wild animals he’s lost control of.

French Hopeless for a Fair Fight

Up next is a singles match that has been on the radar for quite some time. Amale Vs. Eliza Alexander. It was very interesting to see Eliza in a position to fight from underneath. In tag team competition, she was protected from this role by Xia Brookside taking the majority of the damage. Here though, the roles appear to be reversed with Eliza only getting offense in when Xia distracts Amale from ringside. It appeared that the booking team almost pulled a repeat performance of Wiliams and Andrews match with Xia distracting Amale only to be knocked off the ring apron. Amale would get enough offense in after the fact though to show that Eliza could still pull off the victory without the added assistance of Robbie’s little girl.

Backstage News

After a recap of Moustache Mountain’s 175 day reign, we are informed that Trent Seven will address his future on next week’s episode. Speaking of Tag Team Champions, there was a touching vignette showing Ashton Smith meeting his daughter and showing her that her father is a champion now. A touching segment that further endears the new champions to the audience.

Mark Coffey has an interview interrupted by a call from his brother Joe, who after leaving Gallus and the NXT UK brand amidst a bout of disappointment still appears to be on a path of self-discovery. With no confirmed date for return, one has to wonder how much time the company is poised to maintain this aura of mystique around Joe Coffey.

In a nice interview segment, Ilja Dragunov has noted that he is in the building despite not being booked because he respects Meiko Satormura as a competitor and as a champion. It’s not often we get to see the male singles champion pay respects to their female counterpart so to see it here really puts over how much of a respected veteran the Final Boss truly is.

Wolfgang would train Damon Kemp for their upcoming tag team match “the Scottish way.” i.e drinking themselves sick and silly. Meanwhile I’m sure Noam and Sha are partying and placing bets so this tag team contest looks to be fought on even ground all in all. That match will be taking place next week.

Lash Legend continues to talk the talk and her next opponent is set to be Myla Grace. Myla came across as inexperienced in front of the camera with the only insult she could seem to come up with being to insult Lash’s height. Considering the sport these women find themselves in, that height may make the difference for Lash Legend.

Tale as old as Time, The Final Boss Versus Diamond Mine Strong

And now for our main event, the biggest match of Ivy Nile’s career to date. For the first time, we’re seeing Diamond Mine’s sole female representative facing an opponent she respects in NXT UK Women’s champion, Meiko Satomura. And, being the fighting champion, Meiko is more than willing to defend her title in this match up. This match immediately had an old school vibe with both women using a catch style of wrestling that harkens back to the older European style. It also carried a classic story of the grizzled veteran trying to humble an ambitious challenger. With Ivy’s skill at submission grappling and even some callbacks to the stretches that built the foundation of what wrestlers know today, she very much showed why she is a match for Meiko. But when Ivy gets too cocky, and performs push ups in the middle of moves, Meiko makes her pay with stiff strikes and hard hooking submissions. In the end we would see Meiko become the first woman to reverse Ivy Nile’s signature dragon sleeper hold. While she wasn’t able to break out of the hold, she was able to shift weight and make it so Ivy’s shoulders were pinned. A true clinic on wrestling. Ivy may have been the young challenger but by not breaking out of the submission, her finish is protected when she resumes competing regularly in the States. And with the bow embrace shared in the middle of the ring, this was an experience that Ivy will not soon forget. Next on Meiko’s list, potentially Lash Legend. Or maybe Xia Brookside takes her spoiled little brat gimmick to the main event picture for a title challenge. Either way, the women’s division proves it’s more than just a one horse race tonight.

Recap

1. Mark Andrews def. Kenny Willaims (9:47)

2. Symbiosis w/Eddie Dennis def. Oli Blake & Tate Mayfairs (4:34)

3. Eliza Alexander w/Xia Brookside def. Amale (6:52)

4. NXT UK Women’s Title match: Meiko Satomura (c.) def. Ivy Nile (10:24)

Next Week

1. Noam Dar & Sha Samuels Vs. Damon Kemp & Wolfgang

2. Trent Seven addresses his future

New episodes of NXT UK available every Thursday on Peacock (USA) & WWE Network (International)