wrestling / TV Reports
Hamilton’s NXT UK Review 06.30.22
Image Credit: WWE, NXT UK
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Blair Davenport pinned Angel Hayze in 5:32 (**)
Fallon Henley pinned Emilia McKenzie in 8:31 (**)
Wolfgang pinned Sha Samuels in 10:18 (**¾)
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We open with a recap of last week’s events, where Ashton Smith was forced to vacate the NXT UK tag titles… and the main event that saw Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs win the tag titles. Cue titles, and we’re back at the BT Sport Studios in London,
Angel Hayze vs. Blair Davenport
Hayze was already in the ring as the show started… this was Blair’s first match back since November, after she injured her ankle against Meiko Satomura.
Davenport threw Hayze aside from opening lockups, then broke a waistlock attempt as the Scotswoman struggled to get going. A roll-up from Hayze doesn’t get a one-count, but she’s able to knock Davenport down for a low dropkick… which gets the one-count. Hayze’s front facelock’s thrown aside, before a trip took Hayze down as Davenport switch things around.
Hayze gets taken into the corner as Davenport clubbed away, then took her into the ropes for a shoulder tackle for a two-count. Davenport cranks in a chinlock, then clubbed Hayze as she fought out, before taking things into the corner for a gamengiri. A baseball slide kick by the ropes gets Blair a two-count, before Hayze avoided another charge into the corner, sparking the brief comeback with forearms and leaping uppercuts.
Davenport takes some rolling forearms ahead of a Slingblade for a near-fall, ahead of a guillotine choke… but Davenport suplexes her way free before a Falcon arrow did the deal. The result you expected, but little to write home about as they seem to be putting Blair back on course for a title short. **
Post-match, Davenport says as much on the mic. She’s here to crush all of our hopes, but I don’t have any, so I’m safe.
“Earlier this week,” Kenny Williams is in the assistant to the regional manager’s office, as he’s still trying to figure out who Tiger Turan is. There’s a piece of paper on the wall with “AMIR” on, a nod to the belief some have that it’s Amir Jordan… Turan gatecrashes the office as Kenny threatens to beat him and unmask him, and I guess that’s our match?
Also “earlier this week,” Sha Samuels is carrying Noam Dar’s Heritage Cup as they visit the UK PC. Mark Coffey’s sparring in the ring, and we end up with Coffey claiming he only lost because of Sha’s interference. Sha opens the betting for Coffey to win the rematch at 100/1, even putting his own money on the line, leaving Dar bemused and offended at Sha booking matches for him.
Emilia McKenzie vs. Fallon Henley
Apparently this match was set as a test for McKenzie, after losing to Lash Legend last time out…
Opening with a lock-up, McKenzie switches to a waistlock, then took things down for a hammerlock before Henley countered a wristlock into a hammerlock. A roll-up gets Henley a two-count, before McKenzie’s knuckle lock led to a takedown and a toe hold. Henley kicks her way free though, before see-saw pins drew polite claps from the crowd.
We’re back to a side headlock, which gets pushed off as Henley charged McKenzie down… an uppercut’s blocked and countered with armdrags by Henley, before McKenzie clubbed her way back into things. A swinging neckbreaker dropped Fallon for a two-count, as we go to a chinlock… McKenzie’s uppercut’s countered into a backslide for a two-count, with Henley spamming more roll-ups, only to get dumped with a back elbow.
McKenzie gets a two-count from it, before a grounded Million Dollar Dream looked to force a win… Henley’s pulled back over McKenzie’s knee, but Fallon powered free, rolling McKenzie away before the pair traded strikes. A right hand takes McKenzie down, ahead of a running hair mare for a near-fall… but McKenzie lands clotheslines and a back suplex to get her back in, again for a near-fall.
Henley floats out of the corner… but tweaks her knee on the landing. McKenzie hits a spear to the knee anyway, then stomped on it because she’s been told to show some “killer instinct.” Sounds familiar. A series of knee breakers are next, but Henley countered one into a roll-up for the flash pin. Story-wise, this was fine, but a little laboured as McKenzie slumps to her sixth loss in her 12 NXT UK matches since returning. Circular. **
“Earlier this week,” Oliver Carter’s interview in the kitchen is interrupted by die Familie. Hey, Teoman’s got history with Carter from before… Teoman mocked Carter for being in a familiar spot, and offered a spot in die Familie to him.
“Earlier this week,” Sarray’s in the UK PC, over-excited at her win over Nina Samuels last week. Xia Brookside and Eliza Alexander come up to bully as Sha Samuels is still taking bets… Meiko Satomura gives Maffew a new liner, alongside Emilia McKenzie, and we lead to a tag team match being offered. With Emilia on the sidelines.
Sha Samuels vs. Wolfgang
Dar’s wearing Sha’s tracksuit, which had me doing a double-take. That’s more because of how trim Sha’s gotten as of late…
We’re told at the bell that the Noam Dar vs. Mark Coffey rematch will happen for the Heritage Cup in a fortnight… which was handily covered by Dar giving Sha some advice to start. Wolfgang tries to break it up, eventually throwing aside a distracted Sha as he worked his way into an armbar and a wristlock. Commentary’s acting like Sha’s distracted/tired from taking a deluge of bets as Wolfgang controlled the early pace.
Sha comes back with some elbows in the corner, but Wolfgang pushed free… only to miss a spear into the corner. Dar teases an injury stoppage as Sha hit a single-arm DDT, focusing on Wolfgang’s bad limb, leading to an arm whip as Sha started to get a little over-confident.
Elbows to the shoulder and neck set up for a volley kick to the arm, with Wolfgang getting taken back into the corner for some more kicks. Dar bats Wolfgang with a rolled up newspaper like he was trying to scold a dog, and that fires up Wolfgang… who tries a suplex only for Sha to land on the apron and drop Wolfgang arm-first across the top rope.
A lariat followed from Sha for a near-fall, before an elbow drop added another two-count. A knee to the gut from Wolfgang turned it around, ahead of a back senton, before Sha’s Butcher’s Hook was rolled out of. Wolfgang sidesteps a charge in the corner as he whips Sha into the buckles… then hit a crossbody into the corner as he took himself onto the apron.
Wolfgang heads up top as Dar again tried to distract… and it worked as Sha caught Wolfgang off the top with a spinebuster for a near-fall. Out of nowhere, a spear from Wolfgang took Sha down… but he can’t capitalise immediately, and ends up taking things up top for a superplex. Sha goes back to the arm, dropping it over the top rope again… but despite knocking Wolfgang down, Sha’s Lionheart-like frog splash lands in Wolfgang’s knees.
Short lariats from Wolfgang and a back body drop gets him back in the match, then another crossbody into the corner before he booted Dar off the apron. Wolfgang somersaults into the ring to hit a spear on Sha… and that’s your lot. This was alright, but could have done with a few minutes shaved off of it. **¾
Trent Seven’s walking in a ridiculous outfit…
Next week: Kenny Williams vs. Tiger Turan… plus Meiko Satomura & Sarray vs. Eliza Alexander & Xia Brookside.
They recap Trent turning on Tyler Bate a fortnight ago as Trent headed to the ring, returning with Trent getting “you suck,” chants. He’s almost doing stand-up comedy as he explained “why, Trent, why,” including a still of the low blow in progress. Apparently Trent sold out. For what?
Trent does analysis on the low blow as I pray they don’t do Photoshop comedy… he called it the most important moment in British sports, and the moment “Trent saved the industry” as I now wonder if he does PR for a British promotion. “This place was dead, this studio was a ghost town,” as Trent claimed credit for the crowd on hand. There’s people genuinely clapping this.
Trent brings up British Strong Style and Moustache Mountain as he’s happy to be the centre of attention, with promoters begging them to be on their shows. Claiming Tyler Bate “lost his bottle,” because he’s gone all spiritual, Trent insisted Tyler’s never coming back to fight him… then signed off by saying that he was “Moustache Mountain.” Of course we’re building to Tyler vs. a delusional Trent, as Trent ended the show by mockingly playing to the crowd, then getting into it with a fan, who ended up jumping the barrier. Security’s right on him, and Trent kicks the plant in the balls. There’s his new signature piece, eh? All while the hushed tones of commentary signed off the show…
