Hamilton’s NXT UK Review 02.10.22

Quick Results
Amale pinned Nina Samuels in 5:17 (**½)
A-Kid pinned Saxon Huxley in 7:03 (***)
Nathan Frazer pinned Teoman in 13:15 (***)

— If you’re on Twitter, give me a follow over on @IanWrestling – and check out the GoFundMe that’s still open for Larry’s family.

We’re back at the empty BT Sport Studios in London as NXT UK is back to being behind closed doors… so load up your soundboard, and prepare to count how many times that one whistle’s heard! Andy Shepherd and Nigel McGuinness are back to provide their voices,

Amale vs. Nina Samuels
This one was set up after Nina crashed Amale’s interview last week – so she could do her own bit…

The opening lock-ups yield little as the match quickly descends into strikes, before Amale cracked Nina with an elbow in the corner. Shoulder tackles knock Nina down, but she’s back with a leapfrog and a hiptoss before Amale began to wrench the arm. Another elbow jars Nina ahead of a butterfly suplex, before she powdered outside to avoid a running boot.

Amale’s tripped into the side of the ring as she followed Nina… a head kick and a slingshot corkscrew splash back into the ring nearly won it for Nina, as she then followed up with a chinlock. Nina throws Amale down as she fought free, but Amale’s able to force her way back in, until Nina bust out a backbreaker.

Nina stomped Amale by the ropes, but a missed kick allows Amale to trip Nina ahead of a punt by the ropes, before the Hope breaker got the win. A solid TV match, perhaps a little too even given they’re pushing Amale, but at least she’s getting wins. **½

They recap A-Kid trying to give Saxon Huxley etiquette training ahead of their match tonight. A-Kid has no luck training out Saxon’s Northern accent, and he’s apparently on the train… before he finally “got it.” Just when A-Kid left the room. Comedy.

Noam Dar and Sha Samuels have their own dressing room, but they get locked in it as (presumably) one of Gallus nicks the Heritage Cup trophy.

We’ve a recap of last week’s Japanese Street Fight, including the weapon shots and focus on the ankle injury that led to the stoppage. Apparently there’s no update on Davenport’s injury…

Then it’s back to last week as Moustache Mountain celebrated Ashton Carter and Oliver Carter’s win. Trent wants them to listen to his commentary, as we’ve banter ahead of the tag title match… in two weeks’ time.

The Supernova Sessions are back for 2022… but Noam’s still locked in his dressing room, so Gallus have taken over the set, with Mark Coffey doing his best Noam impersonation. They rename the segment “Gallus Boys on Talk,” and have graphics for it, because of course they do, as Jordan Devlin is wheeled out for his appearance. He’s blown off, but then finally Dar and Sha emerge as Sha has to talk Dar out of calling the police because his trophy was stolen.

The banter probably popped someone outside of the company. Not me. I suspect this is going to lead to them booking a six man tag – Gallus vs. Sha, Dar and Devlin, as they’re going for Joe Coffey vs. Noam Dar for the Heritage Cup down the line.

“Earlier today,” Dave Mastiff took offence at Jack Starz marvelling at his leather vest. Jack is still upset he wasn’t tagged in last week and reckons that’s why they lost… Jack wants a vest, but Mastiff wants him to earn one instead.

Kenny Williams vignette time against a green screen. He’s taking the piss out of Sam Gradwell, comparing him to thunder that arrives, makes noise and runs out of steam.

Saxon Huxley vs. A-Kid
Will A-Kid’s etiquette training mean Saxon lays down for him out of politeness? Probably not…

A-Kid tries to pick Huxley’s leg to start, but instead gets thrown aside before he tried his luck with a front chancery. Huxley lifts him onto the apron, where A-Kid threw a right hand, trying to rile up the Hartlepool native… but Huxley keeps cool, as he ends up running into A-Kid’s boots in the corner before he hit a Thesz press.

Huxley charges A-Kid into the buckles, then hit a clothesline to the back, then a backbreaker for a two-count as commentary pondered his lack of urgency. A Canadian backbreaker’s escaped as A-Kid comes back with an Octopus stretch, before a springboard armdrag finally had Huxley on the back foot.

Saxon misses a legdrop out of the corner, then a second Thesz press as A-Kid kicks out the leg, only to get ragdolled back into a backbreaker. A-Kid gets back in it though, scoring with a crossbody off the top, only for yet another backbreaker to almost get Huxley the upset. Overhand punches from Huxley are blocked, so he tries to take A-Kid to the corner again… but A-Kid countered with Sliced Bread, then a superkick for a near-fall.

More kicks rock Huxley, as A-Kid leaps up for a springboard moonsault/DDT… and that’s enough to make Saxon inspect the light bulbs once more. ***

Post-match, Huxley’s annoyed at the loss, but calmed himself down before going to the back so A-Kid could celebrate.

Gallus are celebrating, with Joe Coffey carrying around a traffic cone to keep the Alan Partridge stuff going. Wolfgang wanders off but gets attacked from behind by Jordan Devlin and a chair, as he regained the sunglasses from that wacky video he had last year.

“During the break,” A-Kid’s interviewed as he feels his work with Saxon’s paid off. Die Familie rock up as they’re going to the ring, with Charlie Dempsey staring down A-Kid as they went. It’ll mean little outside of the show probably, but that should be a good match.

Next week: Jordan Devlin vs. Wolfgang, and Kenny Williams vs. Sam Gradwell…

Teoman vs. Nathan Frazer
This one was set up last week when die Familie attacked Frazer as he was having car trouble…

The pair trade right hands to start as Frazer tries to keep the pace quick… heading to the corner before a headlock takedown had Teoman on the deck. Teoman escaped, but was quickly back in a similar predicament, this time escaping by taking things to the ropes, where he threw in a cheapshot at Frazer.

Frazer retaliates with forearms of his own, then a dropkick, before Teoman lifted him onto the apron. Rohan Raja distracts as Frazer’s eventual springboard was cut-off, before Teoman hit a neckbreaker across the turnbuckles. Back inside, Teoman gets a two-count, then looked for a crossface… but Frazer escapes, only to get swept down again.

A side headlock from Teoman keeps Frazer grounded, before a gut punch nullified Frazer’s eventual escape. Teoman targets the neck of Frazer with punches and elbows, but Frazer finally fought back with palm strikes before he sidestepped Teoman’s charges, sending him outside.

Teoman tried to trap Frazer in the apron, but to no avail as Frazer moonsaults off the guard rails, before he got distracted by the rest of die Familie, allowing Teoman to stomp him between the apron. Back inside, Teoman keeps targeting the neck, following up with a double armbar stretch as Frazer rolled back to try and steal a pin.

Teoman tries for the crossface again, but Frazer takes it to the corner before his flippy stuff backfired because of his neck. It allows Teoman to hit a missile dropkick for a two-count, ahead of a retaliatory superkick from Frazer. He builds up with a forearm and a Slingblade, before Teoman powdered outside…

…where Frazer joined him with a frog splash crossbody into die Familie on the floor. Back inside, a springboard elbow drop lands on Teoman for a near-fall, before a satellite reverse DDT was blocked. Instead, Frazer hits a jawbreaker, before his Quebrada was kicked away, allowing Teoman in with a Twister for a near-fall. A sliding forearm keeps it up, but Frazer’s not done, as he snuck in an enziguiri off the ropes.

Teoman’s KO’d by that, as Frazer heads up… but he’s got to contend with distractions from Dempsey and Raja, before he elbowed Teoman down and won with a Phoenix Splash. This was fine as a match, but it really didn’t need those NXT 1.0 tropes which seem to have become house style here in recent weeks. ***

6.2

The final score: review Average

The 411

Without a live crowd, I feared NXT UK was going to go back to the blunderbuss format they had last year - peppering so many segments at you in an hour that little landed. Yup. The good run they’ve had ended here. If this week’s show was a colour, it’d be beige.