The 2010s were a wild year for pro wrestling, but the madness is only just beginning with the turn of the decade. Today, I catch up on NXT UK's third Takeover event, and with the last two being sleeper hits, I have high hopes for this. Before I do the usual thing and talk about each match, I'd like to preface this with a sort of New Year's Resolution. My coverage of pro wrestling on this blog is sporadic as it is, but in the few instances I do discuss it, I lean too heavily on the WWE (mostly NXT) side of things. I will make an effort to change that going forward, and try to tackle AEW and NJPW events in the future. I do watch these promotions somewhat regularly (or at least stay up-to-date), but I don't really talk about them outside of the occasional tweet. Anyway, enough of that. Let's talk about the matches. Trent Seven vs. Eddie Dennis - Eddie Dennis was out due to injury for most of 2019, and when he returned late last year, he targeted Trent Seven, making this match a tad personal. This was a pretty standard match throughout, with both wrestlers putting on a good show. Things take an exciting turn when an exposed turnbuckle spot happens, and Dennis hits a big crucifix powerbomb from the ring to the outside, resulting in a rather shocking near-fall. The match ends shortly after, however, with Eddie Dennis picking up a big win over one of NXT UK's biggest stars. Toni Storm vs. Kay Lee Ray (c) vs. Piper Niven (Triple Threat Match for the NXT UK Women's Championship) - In the last UK Takeover, Kay Lee Ray dethroned the former champ Toni Storm to take the NXT UK Women's title, and has had a decent reign ever since, even showing up as part of the Women's WarGames maatch late last year. Toni Storm, on the other hand, was off NXT programming for a short while, allowing Piper Niven to ascend to the title picture in the meantime. When Storm eventually returned to NXT UK, tensions started to form between her and Niven as they both vied for a title shot. This was a great match, showcasing some amazing character work (KLR's devious machinations, Niven's kind heart, and Storm's desperation to recapture the title) and some solid wrestling (including a badass Canadian Destroyer by Niven). Kay Lee Ray ends up retaining, which raises the question of who challenges for the title next. Jordan Devlin vs. Tyler Bate - Given the two wrestlers involved in this match, everyone (myself included) expected this to be the event's Match of the Night. Lo and behold, everyone was right, as this match featured smooth technical offense, exciting sequences and exchanges, impressive big moves, and incredible near-falls. Though Bate ended up winning the match, both men were as brilliant in the ring as ever, and they have nowhere to go but up as their careers continue. Gallus (Wolfgang & Mark Coffey) (c) vs. Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) vs. Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) vs. Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster (Fatal Four-Way Ladder Match for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship) - The Triple Threat tag title match at the last Takeover (which involved three of the four teams in this match) was a sleeper hit, so I had incredibly high hopes that this match would be amazing. It didn't quite match the shocking thrills of that previous match, but this ladder match was still fantastic in its own right, as it fuses elegant tag team offense with the frenetic, high-spot chaos of ladder matches. Gallus came out on top after a slew of hellacious spots (including, but not limited to a Swanton Bomb from the top of a ladder onto a table). WALTER (c) vs. Joe Coffey (WWE UK Championship match) - With Mark Coffey and Wolfgang retaining the tag titles, it was now on Joe Coffey to capture the UK title and guarantee that Gallus leaves Takeover with all the gold. Unfortunately, standing in his way is WALTER, who is the biggest possible obstacle in the entirety of NXT UK. Their match was a longer, more slow-paced affair, but don't be mistaken; it's still a great match. It was a titanic encounter, with each big man going for power moves, but they spice things up by going for submissions and even throwing in some unexpected top rope spots. Somewhere in the latter half, a ref bump happens, allowing Alexander Wolfe (WALTER's Imperium compatriot) to interfere momentarily. Shortly after, Ilja Dragunov comes in to even the odds, adding another chapter to his feud with Wolfe and Imperium. The match ends when WALTER makes Joe Coffey tap out, continuing the growing tradition of WALTER winning a different way every time. The Undisputed Era makes an appearance - As Imperium was celebrating WALTER's win, four individuals swarmed the ring and beat the shit out of them. They were none other than the Undisputed Era, the top faction in regular NXT. This interference sets up their upcoming encounter in Worlds Collide, an event where NXT and NXT UK face off, Survivor Series style. UE successfully dispatching WALTER immediately adds intrigue to their match, and further cements their status as one of the most dominant factions in the entire WWE. NXT UK is officially three for three at Takeover, delivering another excellent wrestling event in Blackpool. This corner of WWE usually goes under the radar of most viewers (through no fault of their own; there is way too much wrestling every week for most people to consume), but hopefully this string of successes will catch the attention of fans. There are some seriously standout talents in NXT UK, and they deserve as many eyes on them as possible.
- end -
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
June 2024
Derryck
|