We’ve a three-way for the NXT UK tag team titles this week, as Moustache Mountain took on Die Familie and the duo of Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter.
Quick Results
Von Wagner pinned Sam Gradwell in 6:47 (**)
Stevie Turner pinned Angel Hayze in 4:04 (*¾)
Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter pinned Trent Seven & Tyler Bate and Teoman & Rohan Raja in 14:17 to win the NXT UK Tag Team Championships (***¾)
Opening with a video package for tonight’s main event… we’re taken back at the BT Sport studios in London, with Andy Shepherd and Nigel McGuinness on the call.
Sam Gradwell vs. Von Wagner
This one’s been built up for a few weeks via backstage segments… and they push Wagner’s win over Saxon Huxley a few weeks back.
Wagner looked to throw the first shot, but absorbed some right hands from Gradwell, then pushed him into the ropes for a right hand of his own. Stomps keep Gradwell by the ropes as those pesky “UK” chants started… A whip takes Gradwell into the corner, while a fallaway slam helped him out of it, before Gradwell tried to fight back in… and got dumped with a back elbow off the ropes. Gradwell kicks out at two before he was caught in a chinbar on the mat… but Wagner tries to take him to the corner, only for Gradwell to fight back. That’s stopped with a bear hug as Gradwell just couldn’t get into first gear. Gradwell punches free, then went for a sunset flip, but Wagner threw some punches before going back to the bear hug.
The bear hug’s held for longer this time, but Gradwell again punched free before he ducked a kick. That hung Wagner in the ropes, but he’s quickly back with a goozle… which Gradwell escaped as forearms took Wagner to a knee… ahead of a flying forearm. El Paso del Muerte! Gradwell heads up top for another one, before a bodyslam nearly got the win for the Blackpool native. A butterfly suplex is blocked as Wagner came back with an elevated Flatliner for a near-fall, as commentary threatened us with Wagner vs. Dragunov. A short-arm clothesline keeps Gradwell down, before Wagner teased chucking Gradwell into the crowd, a la Kushida. It doesn’t work, as Gradwell slips out and applied a sleeperhold, only for Wagner to pop him free into a death valley driver for the win. This was virtually all Von Wagner, which makes sense given his NXT 2.0 push, but not great for the lads staying on NXT UK… **
Oliver Carter and Ashton Smith warm up backstage…
Then Xia Brookside and Eliza Alexander rock up to the UK Performance Centre as Interviewer Jim quizzes them about “questionable tactics.” Amale interrupts to berate them about not being able to do it on their own, and I guess we get a tag team match soon.
Ivy Nile video package time, as they hype her up for her NXT UK Women’s title match against Meiko Satomura next week.
Mark Andrews is interviewed outside the PC about his match with Kenny Williams next week… when he stops to have a scrap with Kenny, who was apparently letting one of his tyres down. There’s one of the masked men in the background, of course…
Teoman and Rohan Raja shadow box backstage…
Angel Hayze vs. Stevie Turner
It’s been a few weeks, so it’s time for another Stevie Turner match as they cycle through the roster… she gets a picture-in-picture promo as she promises tonight is the next step for her.
Opening with a lock-up, Hayze rolled Turner into the corner, with Stevie complaining her armband had been pulled. In the distraction, Turner jumps Hayze and kicked her into the corner, only for Hayze to get free and return with a roll-up. Hayze adds a dropkick to the side of the head for a two-count, before some hair pulling from Turner broke a front facelock. Turner hits the ropes and caught Hayze with a running knee lift for a two-count, before booting Hayze back into the ropes. A kick keeps Hayze down, as did a neckbreaker, but Hayze kicks out at two as Turner went in with a chinlock to keep her on top. A missed kick in the ropes from Turner allows Hayze back into it, with forearms taking Stevie down ahead of a Slingblade.
Hayze only gets a two-count from that though, before Turner came back in with a pump kick, then pulled Hayze up for the Mass Effect (Side Effect) for the win. Very methodical, and not one you’ll go back to. *¾
“Last week,” Emilia McKenzie apologises to Meiko Satomura for losing to Lash Legend. Meiko chides her for it, telling her to “be better.” Ouch.
Trent Seven and Tyler Bate finish their warm-ups as Trent stares longingly at his tag title belt, just like Bret Hart used to do…
Next week: Kenny Williams vs. Mark Andrews (complete with a Hell in a Cell bug overwriting the match graphic!), plus Ivy Nile challenging Meiko Satomura for the NXT UK Women’s title…
We then get the East End Bookie as we’re in the locker room with Sha Samuels and Noam Dar. Sha announces that they’ll take on Wolfgang and Damon Kemp in two weeks’, as Dar rushed to say that they’re real friends, while Wolfgang and Kemp are “fake friends.” They finish each other’s sentences, as they reveal that Dar and Sha have made themselves the heavy odds-on favourites to win.
NXT UK Tag Team Championship: Die Familie (Rohan Raja & Teoman) vs. Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter vs. Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) (c)
Would third time be the charm for Smith and Carter? Would die Familie be the wildcard? Or will Trent and Tyler retain once more?
We’re working with one from each team in at all times, with Teoman, Carter and Bate starting. Teoman trips Bate, but that just sparks a series of pinning attempts as we get a bunch of two-counts, trips and an eventual stand-off. Teoman resumes with a cheapshot to Carter, before a pair of leapfrogs allowed Bate and Carter to hit a hiptoss as they double-teamed Teoman. They turn their sights on each other, with Teoman having been taken outside as Trent and Tyler combine with shoulder tackles ahead of an assisted flip-senton from Trent for a two-count. Cornish Hipes from Trent have Carter down, while a slam and a legdrop has Teoman reaching for a tag out… bringing us to Raja eating a Carter clothesline. Ashton Smith’s in to hit Snake Eyes onto Carter’s boots.
Trent’s back as all three men trade strikes, leading to a DDT on Raja, before Smith came in with a powerslam off the ropes. Teoman and Raja trap Smith and Seven in the ring apron for a beating, then took things back inside as Seven got thrown into the rails… Raja isolated Smith as Teoman came in for some double-teaming, leading to a powerbomb for a near-fall. Raja works over Trent, elbowing him in the back of the head as stomps keep him rocked… Teoman’s low dropkick and a Raja brainbuster added another two-count as commentary resurfaced Trent’s earlier threat to retire if he lost the tag titles. HMM. Trent fights back, clearing away die Familie before tagging in Tyler Bate, who ran wild on Teoman and Smith, finishing with a ‘rana to Teoman.
Corner-to-corner charges led to Bate hitting a flying uppercut to Teoman, than an Exploder to Smith. Teoman breaks up a pin from Bate, then hit the ropes for a springboard back elbow that Bate replied to with a Koppo kick. Smith charges in with a double clothesline to the pair of them as Oliver Carter tagged in, landing a springboard double dropkick, then a spinning heel kick to Teoman. There’s a leaping ‘rana to Bate off the top, then a scissors kick as a Carter-roonie lands… then a uranage that nearly put Teoman away. Smith’s back to assist Carter into a moonsault, but Raja breaks up the pin, sparking a Parade of Stuff, leading to a Dragon suplex from Trent and a short-arm lariat from Smith.
Tyler’s back to his the rebound lariat to Smith, who was taking a beating, before Teoman got popped up into an Airplane Spin. Teoman slips out for a crossface, but Carter’s Quebrada breaks it up, as did a tope con giro to Raja on the outside as Trent countered Smith’s superplex with an avalanche Emerald Flowsion. Raja hits a back cracker as we keep going… Carter ducks a Seven Stars lariat that Trent kept trying to go for, returning with a Koppo kick before his Quebrada’s chopped away by Trent. Bate heads up for a flying stomp to aid a Birming-Hammer, but Teoman breaks up the cover… then nearly stole it as Tyler had to return the favour.
Rohan Raja heads outside and grabs a title belt, sliding it to Teoman… who lifts Tyler Bate to the outside. Ashton Smith ducks a belt shot, then clotheslined Teoman to the outside as a lariat from Trent nearly won it. Trent stops the referee removing the belt, and tries to use it himself… but Tyler stopped him as they had a mini tug of war for the belt. Oliver Carter dives to get rid of Tyler, allowing Ashton to snatch the win with a roll-up! They played off of their previous finishes here, ending a breathless match, as Smith and Carter finally win the gold! ***¾
They split the focus on the new champions and with Trent Seven beside himself in the corner. Tyler tries to console Trent, who was furious at Tyler for stopping his antics… and that led to an argument between the two as Trent walked out, repeating that “if I lost that, we’re done, we’re over.” Tyler’s left crestfallen as we fade to black…
There’s a chronic lack of direction on these NXT UK undercards – if you’re not in a storyline come taping day, you’ll be getting one match every six weeks out of the blue. It’s the usual format, sure, but it’s getting old. At least there was a cracker of a main event, and they finally Did Something with the Moustache Mountain angle, so at least there’s that…