Hamilton’s NXT UK Review 04.15.21

Quick Results
Nathan Frazer pinned Saxon Huxley in 6:05 (**)
Isla Dawn pinned Emilia McKenzie in 5:33 (**)
Jack Starz pinned Ashton Smith in 5:58 (*¾)
Kenny Williams pinned Amir Jordan in 11:29 (***¼)

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We’re back at the BT Sport Studios for this, and I’ll be trying to keep it brief… Andy Shepherd and Nigel McGuinness are on commentary again as they’re, like the rest of us, still recovering. There’s a clip show of NXT UK alumni during WrestleMania, and a video package too…

Saxon Huxley vs. Nathan Frazer
Huxley got the “already in the ring” treatment…

Fraser’s manhandled by Huxley early, who overpowered his flying… but Frazer’s able to roll away from an elbow drop. A push-down stomp out of the corner and a Beele keeps Frazer down, ahead of an elbow drop to the lower back as Frazer just couldn’t get going.

Huxley looks to finish off Frazer with a running something or other, but he doesn’t hit the move before they got to the corner and Frazer rebounds with a crossbody. He builds up with a running headbutt to take Huxley outside, with a wild tope suicida coming next. Back inside, Frazer hits a Quebrada into the Eye of the Storm – a move that badly needs a name, c’mon branding geniuses – before a missile dropkick and a frog splash got the win. I didn’t expect that “new wrestler sheen” to disappear this quickly, but here we are. A cookie cutter/”hard fought” win, with Huxley taking the first 60% of the match before Frazer got his big four moves in. **

“Earlier this week,” Noam Dar’s interviewed about his loss. Sha Samuels speaks for him, and doesn’t need a mic. Sha’s got enough charisma to lead the entire show like this, as Dar says he’s booked a tag team match for the pair of them against Trent and Tyler.

From there we get the Supernova Sessions. Not sure why they couldn’t make that announcement here… he repeats the announcement here, and welcomes Gallus to the set. I pity the closed caption guy here.

Dar’s bullied off his sofa as Gallus tell him they’ve been on a training camp of sorts. Joe Coffey calls out Rampage, but we get Eddie Dennis instead with piped-in boos. He accuses Joe Coffey of interfering in his business, and we’re getting Coffey vs. Dennis next week… and T-Bone and Primate run in to spark a brawl. It gives them something to do, I suppose, and keeps Gallus away from the titles…

Sam Gradwell arrives at the PC “earlier this week,” but it’s locked. The interview person doesn’t have a key, so it’s Dave Mastiff who acts like a bouncer and refuses to let him in. Guess that’s happening down the line.

“Earlier today,” Trent and Tyler film a promo segment as their music plays. They’re awed by the BT studio, as Tyler tells us he wants the Heritage Cup… but first, he’s teaming with Trent next week. That’s THREE segments to plug that match in ten minutes.

Isla Dawn vs. Emilia McKenzie
A continuation of the last two weeks’ angles and matches – last week, McKenzie rolled up Dawn for the win…

An even start sees them both lock up into the ropes, but it’s McKenzie who controlled the pace with a side headlock. Dawn fights back with a dropkick, then with a backdrop suplex, before McKenzie fought back with a low dropkick and a diving uppercut. McKenzie nearly wins with a spear, only for Dawn to return with a Fisherman suplex for a near-fall.

A wheelbarrow roll-up keeps Dawn ahead as the ref’s got his blood gloves out, before a bridging half-and-half suplex got Dawn the win. I’d not have had McKenzie lose so soon after her return. **

Jinny’s in the weird nightclub-ish set with Joseph Conners. She calls out Dani Luna for “being miserable” and “looking like you don’t want to be here.” They face next week…

They confirm Eddie Dennis vs. Joe Coffey for next week… then replay Aoife Valkyrie leaving a feather to challenge Meiko Satomura after the tag match last week. That segues into Meiko facing Valkyrie backstage to accept it “last week.” That’s got potential to be a cracker of a match…

Ashton Smith vs. Jack Starz
Starz has been doing drills at the PC to impress Piper Niven/improve himself…

Smith’s got a bit of a height advantage over Starz, which the Leicester man tries to neutralise… but gets tossed aside. Smith keeps the advantage with a shoulder tackle, then an armbar, before Starz nearly won with a roll-up. A knee from Smith resets things, with a clothesline next as Starz was finding out that (unlike his tackling dummies) Smith actually hits back.

A slingshot takes Starz to the outside, where Niven gives some words of encouragement while Smith gave her time to do so. It’s still a one-sided beating back inside, before Starz found a way back in with a back body drop, “fired up” by Piper’s words, eventually winning with a roll-up. They painted this as a shock, but this didn’t feel like one, given that they’ve been focusing on Starz for the last few weeks… *¾

Video package time: Amir Jordan and Kenny Williams lost their tag title shot two weeks ago after Kenny turned on his partner. They replay their “odd couple” run, then moans from Kenny saying that Jordan wasted the team’s hard work.

Kenny Williams vs. Amir Jordan
Amir Jordan’s pissed that the ref won’t let him jump start the match…

Jordan beats Williams into the corner to start, before he avoided a dropkick through the ropes as the pair went outside. Williams tries to throw Jordan into the steps, but it’s blocked as the Scotsman charges into them instead. Kenny tries to feign injury, but Amir doesn’t buy it, and stays on the attack, taking him back outside for a baseball slide dropkick.

Williams edges back in, kicking Jordan in the ropes before taking him back into the guard rails. Back inside, Williams rakes Jordan’s face before he worked an armbar on the injured arm. Jordan fights free, but Williams hits a Northern Lights suplex and a PK for a two-count, then went back to the arms and shoulders of his former tag partner.

Williams takes them up top for a superplex, but Jordan pushes him down and fought back again… landing a running neckbreaker before he killed Kenny with a senton bomb. It’s good for a two-count, but Jordan’s electric chair whatever’s escaped as we start a series of roll-ups, going back-and-forth, leading to a rebound lariat from Williams.

Kenny pushes on with a double-handed chop, before he looked to fiddle around with a turnbuckle. The ref stops him, as further shenanigans from Williams backfired, with Jordan backing away as Kenny went for a mule kick… a superkick gets Jordan a two-count, as Kenny then went back to the turnbuckle pads, throwing Jordan into the exposed steel before bouncing him with a snapmare driver for the win. The right result, and a tidy match – albeit one that felt like a big blow-off, given the placement, as it remains to be seen where Kenny Williams heads as a singles act on “the show with one belt”. ***¼

6.7

The final score: review Average

The 411

This was a thoroughly odd episode, missing a lot of the energy that’s been on this show for most of the year. Save for the video package at the top of the show there was no reference to WALTER/Rampage last week - while we were back to the crash TV-iness of rapid-fire segments (including no less than three to hype up the Moustache Mountain tag next week).