Csonka’s NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool 2020 Preview

WELCOME back to column time with Larry! Today, I am going to discuss and preview the NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool 2020 event. The show will feature Champion WALTER vs. Joe Coffey, Champions Gallus vs. Imperium vs. South Wales Subculture vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans, and much more. So today I will breakdown and preview the event. Feel free to make your picks in the comment section. Thanks for reading! It’s wrestling, we love it and will disagree. The only rules are “have a take, be respectful, and don’t be a dick.”

Added, not so bold prediction, I think will see some “NXT US” involvement on this show to set the stage for World’s Collide at the end of the month.

Eddie Dennis vs. Trent Seven: Back in April, Eddie Dennis suffered a torn pec, sending him out of action for many months and killing any momentum he had built within NXT UK. He returned and instantly targeted Trent Seven, a man looking for life after British Strong Style. It was looking as if they may do something with Dennis before his injury, but that was obviously derailed. Seven is the forgotten man in British Strong Style, because Bate was the first champion and Dunne was the breakout star of the group. Seven’s also the “old man” of the group, and doesn’t have a great look, which adds into people dismissing him. But he’s a hell of a worker and a good promo. Even without British Strong Style, Seven has a place in NXT UK; he’s over, he delivers and can be a great player coach for younger talent and also serve as a steppingstone for those looking to be elevated. I have full faith in Seven delivering the goods here, but am a bit concerned with Dennis. I was never overly impressed with him prior to injury, I didn’t think he was bad, but he never came across as anything more than just a guy to me. Also, since returning from injury, he’s not the same physically and has a Paul Orndorff vibe with his left arm as he may have come back too early. Hopefully, by the time the show rolls around, he’s a back closer to 100% and out to impress because they seem to think highly of him and I do think there is some potential there. If he’s game, I think that this has the potential go be a good match, and that Dennis goes over to start whatever his new path in NXT UK will be. WINNER: Eddie Dennis

Jordan Devlin vs. Tyler Bate: Looking at this show on paper, unless the ladder match is rather insane and it may be, this right here is my pick to steal the show. Bate has been a standout, and his matches with Dunne & WALTER, along with some of his tag work has delivered some of the very best in NXT UK’s short history. Devlin has been a good and consistent performer on NXT UK TV, a strong personality but also one hasn’t got to show what he can really do. While under WWE contract his best work has been outside WWE, delivering MOTY candidates against WALTER & David Starr, and while I love those matches, it’s a shame they aren’t happening for his home company of NXT UK. Devlin is stuck running in place right now they aren’t ready to push him, but they also don’t have a great idea of what to do with him. While I don’t think that WWE NEEDZ MOAR BELTZ, a guy like Devlin does make me want a secondary style title in NXT UK because I think he could thrive with it. But back to this match, there is no doubt in my min that this will deliver. Bate had a history of killing it on Takeovers (great tag matches, two 5 star classics with Dunne & WALER) and Devlin crushed it in major matches in 2019, so all of the ingredients are here for success. I have extremely high hopes for this one, I think it steals the show and also think it finally starts the elevation of Devlin and may also see Bate finishing up in NXT UK as Devlin picks up the big time Takeover win. WINNER: Jordan Devlin

LADDER MATCH: Champions Gallus vs. Imperium vs. South Wales Subculture vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans: Gallus vs. South Wales Subculture vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans had a really great tag title match at the last Takeover, and have worked together enough that they have developed a great chemistry. And now you add in a great Imperium team, put them on a Takeover and give them ladders to play with; you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention. While I think that Jordan Devlin vs. Tyler Bate will be the best “pure wrestling match” on the show, you really can’t deny that this match has an amazing potential to it as well. You have the three teams who have already worked very well together, add in Imperium, and then the advantages of the ladders (and what wild shit will South Wales Subculture do here?) and I am really excited for this one. I think that unless shit really goes sideways in terms of botches or serious injuries, that this will deliver and will be great. With Imperium set to face Undisputed Era at World’s Collide, and the overall rise of the group in NXT UK, I think they take the tag titles here to make that match even bigger and to fully set Imperium as THE certified, dominant faction in NXT UK. WINNER: Imperium

Champion Kay Lee Ray vs. Piper Niven vs. Toni Storm: I am REALLY torn on this one for several reasons. The Kay Lee Ray vs. Toni Storm match at the last Takeover was “good,” but also a disappointment. Toni disappeared for a while and building to Kay Lee Ray vs. Piper Niven made the most sense with their history, and while Toni coming back for revenge also makes sense, it also muddies the waters in terms of picking a winner. Does KLR fail and it become Toni time again, putting Toni back on the treadmill? Does Niven take the strap and move onto a singles feud with KLR as many thought would originally happen? Or does KLR retain and then move onto a singles feud with one or both opponents? I love KLR, and really want her to get a run that she deserves. Piper is really great but has been a bit underwhelming so far in NXT UK. There would have been a time where I’d have been really excited for this match, I really like all the competitors and think they are very talented but just feel a disconnect from this match. Maybe it’s because Niven hasn’t been built up as strongly as she could of, maybe it’s Toni’s rushed return and that it feels as if they dropped the ball with someone who should be a major star, or maybe it’s that they opted for a triple threat, or it’s that the KLR vs. Toni Storm match at the last Takeover came off as flat and disappointing or hell a combination of it all but I really don’t feel as into this match as I thought I would have been. I don’t think it will be bad by any means as there is a lot of talent involved, but again to be honest I’m just not that into it. I’m also really torn on the winner. Do we get someone new as champion in Niven? Do we relive Toni’s moment and she reigns again and cutoff KLR’s run? I don’t have a clear read, but will go with our champion to retain, especially with Toni facing Rhea at World’s Collide, as they seem to be avoiding the champion vs. champion matches. WINNER: KLR

Champion WALTER vs. Joe Coffey: I love the big daddy WALTER, he’s had an awesome 2019 having excellent matches with Dunne, Bate. Devlin, & Starr and is most certainly one of the best performers of 2019. He will bring the goods here, but it’s Coffey I have questions with. Joe Coffey is… fine. He does nothing to wow you but also doesn’t do anything really wrong. He’s fine, but I have concerns as we look back to last year’s Takeover: Blackpool and his match with Pete Dunne. It was good, but flat and went too long and Coffey never felt like a proper contender or threat. The length also exposed his shortcomings as a performer and I greatly fear that will happen again here because I have no idea why they would go back to him in a major position again. he’s filler and Coffey is fine as a midcard leader of a midcard stable in Gallus, but he’s just not a main eventer. I mean, it could be worse, it could be Joseph Conners. I see no threat in Coffey as a contender, and if they pout the title on him it would be a move in the clubhouse for worst booking decision of 2020. It won’t be, but WALTER should win quickly, decisively, and destroy this man with complete ease. Unfortunately, I fear they try to book a long epic and we end up with something like we got last year. I hope I am wrong in that regard, but WALTER wins. WINNER: WALTER

JOIN ME FOR MY LIVE COVERAGE ON JANUARY 12TH AT 11:30AM ET!

The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 81. On the show, 411’s Larry Csonka & Jeremy Lambert review NJPW New Year’s Dash, break down this good and horrible of the AWE vs. NXT battle, and preview Impact Hard to Kill. The show is approximately 128–minutes long.

* Intro
* Jeremy’s NJPW WrestleKingdom 14 Thoughts: 1:50
* NJPW New Year’s Dash Review: 13:10
* Impact Hard to Kill Preview: 37:55
* AEW Dynamite (1.08.20) Review: 1:02:00
* NXT TV (1.08.20) Review: 1:31:00
* The Head to Head Comparison: 1:54:50
* Important Closing Notes: 2:00:50

* iTunes
* Spotify
* Stitcher
* Google Play

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.