Hamilton’s NXT UK Review 05.27.21

Quick Results
Nathan Frazer pinned Sha Samuels in 9:03 (***¼)
Teoman submitted Ashton Smith in 6:39 (***)
Kenny Williams pinned Andy Wild in 4:02 (**¼)
Trent Seven pinned Sam Gradwell in 14:06 (***½)

— 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.

You know the score. Back at the BT Sport Studios in London, with Nigel McGuinness and Andy Shepherd on the call…

Nathan Frazer vs. Sha Samuels
Nathan got his wish after interrupting Sha when he was picking horses… I have a feeling he’ll be backstage for the 8.15.

Sha went after Frazer early on, but was caught with some stick-and-move action from the Jersey native, who took him into the corner for some chops. Sha switches places to issue a receipt, but Frazer floats and flips by him before a Flatliner took Sha into the middle buckle.

Noam Dar distracts as Frazer went up top, allowing Sha to press slam him to the mat for a two-count. Elbows from above keep Frazer down ahead of a kick to the back, before some elbow drops keep Frazer down for another two-count. Frazer fights back with a chop, but runs into a back elbow as the bigger Samuels knocked him down once more.

A slam’s next from Sha, but it’s the usual “move, pause, cover” cadence that gets two-counts before Sha hooked away on Frazer. Some roughing up followed on the mat, with a knee to the gut seeing Sha look for a stoppage, while I wonder just what on earth’s around Old Street these days.

Frazer remains annoyingly resilient, so Noam Dar calls for Sha to put him away… and there’s the cue for Frazer to fight back with some right hands and forearms. A uranage drops Sha, before Dar got involved, pulling Frazer off the apron as Sha claimed he’d been poked in the eye. Dar slides into the ring, and gets ejected for it… but the distraction nearly works as Sha gets a two-count from a roll-up.

Sha gets clotheslined to the outside as Frazer flies in with a tope con giro… then brought it back inside with a springboard crossbody. It’s caught and turned into a Falcon arrow for a near-fall, before Sha’s attempt at a Butcher’s Hook was countered with a roll-up for another near-fall. Frazer comes in with a Quebrada into the Eye of the Hurricane… then went up top for a frog splash that gets the win. A really good TV match, going longer than most as it looks like we’re building up to Dar/Frazer based on the interactions here. ***¼

We’re shown footage of Dani Luna and Jinny backstage from after the gauntlet eliminator a few weeks back. Jinny mocks, but Flash Morgan saves, as we bleed into a promo with Joseph Conners, Jinny, and some really harsh lighting.

During the break, Noam Dar storms around and moans about his treatment, claiming he’d not had “three strikes” before being ejected. He promises Ilja Dragunov’ll pay for this next week…

Ashton Smith vs. Teoman
It’s Singlet Smith again as we’re still looking for Oliver Carter… who’s having travel issues because of the pandemic.

From the opening tie-up, Smith pushes Teoman away, then took him down by the wrist. Teoman’s right back up, but gets tossed aside in a gutwrench, then clotheslined as the German had trouble getting out of the blocks. Teoman heads to the apron, but gets knocked down to the floor, before he baited Smith into the ring apron for a beating.

Back inside, Smith grabs a side headlock, then comes off the ropes with a forearm before he ran into a drop toe hold as Teoman turned it around. Teoman stomps the arm into the mat, then wrapped it around the ring post before Teoman went for the crossface. Smith blocks it and pulls Teoman into a suplex for a near-fall, before a standing head and arm submission looked to wear down Teoman.

The hold ends in the ropes as Teoman elbowed free, but he’s right back in the hold… Teoman counters with a Flatliner, then went back to Smith’s arm ahead of a sliding forearm that gets a near-fall. A low dropkick from Teoman misses as Smith fought back, landing a leaping kick before a leg sweep and a gutwrench suplex dumped Teoman once more.

Teoman’s chucked into the corner, but he returns the favour, again focusing on the arm before a swivelling clothesline battered Teoman for a two-count. Smith pulls up Teoman for a death valley driver, but it’s elbowed out of as Teoman pulled him down into a crossface, eventually getting the submission win. A good, logical story here, with Teoman working the arm throughout – but perhaps taking too much of a beating from Smith? ***

Post-match, Teoman reapplies the crossface… but Oliver Carter runs out to make the save. I have some cynical takes… let’s just start the clock on the turn, eh?

Ilja Dragunov is walking backstage when he’s asked for his thoughts on the match with Noam Dar next week. Ilja says he’s spoken truth throughout, but he’s been manipulated by Dar, and he’ll be repaid for that with violence.

“Earlier this week,” Jack Starz is on the phone. He’s interrupted by the cameraman, and by Pretty Deadly, who are in… what the bloody hell are those? They mock him about his “friendship” with Piper Niven, and he snaps like a bullied kid. He wants a fight, but they tell him he’s “gotta find a friend first.”

Andy Wild vs. Kenny Williams
It’s a debut for Wild, albeit “already in the ring,” against a compatriot and a clean-shaven Kenny Williams. Whose shaving gets its own inset video….

Williams works over Wild’s arm early on, but gets knocked down with a forearm then chucked with a Beele throw. Wild hoists Williams up top as Williams snuck in an eye rake behind the ref’s back, before some crossface punches knocked Wild down. A nerve hold grounds Wild, as does a Japanese strangle hold, before Williams opted to chop block the knee.

Kicks to the knee keep Wild rocked, as he’s tied up in the ropes and kicked in the back ahead of a dropkick to the knee. Williams gets a two-count off of a Dragon screw, but misses a legdrop as Wild got a second wind. Until his knee was kicked again. Wild recovers with an overhead belly-to-belly for a near-fall, before Williams kicked the knee again. A spear to the knee’s next, then a headlock driver… and that’s all folks. A solid TV squash, with the freshly-shorn Williams having a little trouble with his fellow Scotsman. **¼

We’re told Kay Lee Ray vs. Meiko Satomura for the NXT UK Women’s title is in two weeks’ time… and that bleeds into a video package on Kay Lee Ray’s rise, through the Mae Young Classics, through to her first win over Meiko back in March. They cover the gauntlet match from two weeks’ ago, which Meiko won, and throw in clips of Meiko from her appearance on Nitro and other partner promotions, all the way up to Kay Lee superkicking her a fortnight ago, which obviously annoyed Meiko.

Video package time: showing Rampage Brown vs. Joe Coffey from earlier this year, and Rampage’s wish to get a rematch. They’ll do it again next week, as we get clips of them lifting and moving weights warming up…

Trent Seven vs. Sam Gradwell
Gradwell’s been running his mouth against Trent as of late, but unlike in the past, Gradwell’s starting to get some wins under his belt…

We open with a lock-up as commentary tells us how both men debuted on the same show, but had very different career trajectories since. Gradwell takes Trent in a side headlock, before a crossbody from Seven and a slam put him ahead. A leg drop follows for a two-count, but Gradwell fires back with a STO for a near-fall… then a forearm as Trent was down to a knee.

More forearms take Trent down, but Gradwell pulls him up for a double underhook suplex for a two-count. Gradwell clubs away on Trent, wearing him down while mouthing off about “our brand.” Hey, that’s Twitter’s punchline. Another slam lands for a two-count, before a chinlock saw Gradwell wrench away on Seven.

Eventually Trent gets up and elbowed his way free, before he threw a chop at Gradwell. A second one followed, before a third one faked out into a mohawk-denting DDT for a two-count. Trent follows with a half-and-half suplex, then an Emerald Flowsion, but Gradwell’s up at two.

Trent clotheslines Gradwell outside, and followed in with a quick low-pe, before heading back inside as a Whisper in the Wind from Trent (off the top(!)) misses. Gradwell capitalises with a half crab, pulling Trent away from the ropes… but Trent rolls through and countered with one of his own.

Gradwell rolls over and kicks his way free, sending Trent to the outside. A right hand knocks him off the apron as he tried to get back in, with Gradwell following him outside with a flying forearm, before rolling Trent back inside. Sam heads up top, drawing Trent into the corner… but Seven chops him down before he looked for a superplex. It’s escaped as Gradwell clubs free, then teased throwing Trent to the floor, only for Seven to slip free and throw another chop.

Gradwell’s still up top, so Trent goes for a superplex again, eventually landing it for a near-fall. Both men got back to their feet, but Trent’s attempt at a Seven Star lariat’s countered as Gradwell ducked and nailed a rolling elbow for a two-count, before some repeated elbows leave Trent in the ropes. A sit-out death valley driver’s next for a near-fall as Gradwell mouthed off again… then went up top, only to leap into Trent’s boots.

All that’s left is for Trent to hit a Seven Stars, but Gradwell kicks out at two as we’ve more trash talking on the way to a strike battle… ending with a Birming Hammer from Trent for the win. Not the result I’d have gone with, but a heck of a TV main event that I hope isn’t the end of the Gradwell experiment – as he remains one of the highlights of this “era” of NXT UK. ***½

7.7

The final score: review Good

The 411

This hour flew by, and didn’t feel like they crammed way too much in - unlike prior weeks. The lack of a women’s match was a little disconcerting, especially given how deep that part of the roster is, but apart from that, this was NXT UK approaching the heights they hit earlier in the year when they were on form. Can they please get an alternative crowd track though - that shrill whistle cuts through a little too much!