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I thought I'd send along my thoughts on last night's inaugural NXT-UK tapings in Cambridge, which was a lot of fun. The arena was pretty packed, a few empty seats in the balcony where I was sat. I was in the upper balcony, but it was still a very good view. The crowd was live all night - some really fun chants, the sort we've come to expect from British crowds!
Dark Match: El Ligero def James Drake
It was a solid match to warm the crowd up as they came in. Not much of a response for Drake, except for a hilarious chant - "He's got his own face on his arse..." - sung in the style of Bray Wyatt. Ligero, who the crowd was behind, got the win in the end with a springboard DDT.
Joe Coffey (w/ Mark Coffey) def Mark Andrews
A fun back-and-forth match, the crowd was into both guys. You could tell that they were holding back a little for TV, we didn't see as much of the Andrews high-flying as we usually do. Mark Coffey didn't really interfere, but his presence outside the ring helped Joe get the win in the end.
The Coffey brothers started to beat down Andrews after the match, only for Flash Morgan Webster to run out and make the save to a decent pop. The Coffeys went to the back and the crowd applauded the two babyfaces.
Toni Storm def Nina Samuels
Samuels came out first - the crowd didn't really know who she was, but she had some decent charisma. Huge pop when Storm's name flashed on the screen, she was very over. The match itself was okay, nothing spectacular, Storm got the win with her finisher. Fine match to keep Storm strong, you can already tell that she's going to be a big part of the brand going forward.
Moustache Mountain came out to arguably the biggest pop of the night. The crowd was into their entire entrance, cheering and clapping along. Trent Seven handled most of the mic duties, geeing up the crowd and signalling their intent to be NXT:UK Tag Team champions. That got a 'YOU DESERVE IT' chant. They acknowledged that there aren't any other tag teams in the back, so told the guys to form some partnerships. Really good promo, crowd loved seeing them, and they've positioned themselves as that mascot team in the vein of a Public Enemy or DIY.
Dave Mastiff def Sid Scala
Total squash - the match couldn't have lasted more than a couple of minutes. Sid got some pity chants from the live crowd but this was only ever going one way. Mastiff looked like a beast.
Johnny Saint came down to the ring to oversee the next match...
WWE United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne def Noam Dar
Noam Dar had a really nice pop when he came out, but the Bruiserweight got a massive response (second only to Moustache Mountain). They did the in-ring intros, Saint shook both wrestler's hands, and we got on with the match. I don't know how it'll come across on TV, but it didn't live up to my (admittedly high) expectations. It was a good match, don't get me wrong, but I expected more from what I assume will be the first ever title match in the show's history. It was a very back-and-forth match, and the crowd cheered on both. The Supernova had several 'Happy Birthday' and 'Where's Alicia?' chants throughout the match. Dunne is just so good at everything he does, from his physicality to his facial expressions, I'm really pleased I got to see it live. Dunne won in the end with The Bitter End.
Kenny Williams and Joseph Conners - No Contest
The match ended pretty early when Conners was legitimately knocked out by a kick from Williams. It took a while for people to accept that it was a shoot (understandably), but Conners got a really warm reception as he was helped to the back. WIlliams looked genuinely distraught at the whole thing.
Dakota Kai def Killer Kelly
Really good pop for Kai, and a nice pop for Kelly too. Killer Kelly has a great look and charisma - if her wrestling ability matches up to that, she could be a player. We didn't really get to see a lot of that here. She controlled the match early on, but Kai made the babyface comeback and got the win.
A British interviewer (who's name I don't think was ever mentioned live) spoke to Kai after the match - the Kiwi thanked the crowd and then said she was going to throw her name into the hat for the Women's title. Decent babyface promo.
Ashton Smith def Tucker
A decent match, nothing to write home about. Neither man was that over, but Ashton was probably the more popular of the two. He got the win in a match that probably went a few minutes too long, but fine for a lower-card TV match.
Zack Gibson then came out, getting by far the biggest heat of the night. Liverpool's Number One cut a promo about winning the UK Tournament and nearly beating Dunne despite having no time to prepare. As he put it, a fresh Zack Gibson can beat a fresh Pete Dunne. I don't know how it'll get used though, because the crowd was drowning him out the entire time, and not always with TV-friendly chants. You cant deny he's very, very over as a heel though.
He then started ripping on Noam Dar for losing earlier, which brought the Supernova out. The two were about to fight, but Johnny Saint came out to stop it. That led to a weird moment where Saint seemed to forget his lines. He half-heartedly told them off, then said 'as you were, gentlemen', and left. He then reappeared twenty seconds later, shouting at the two men to go to his office. Overall a good segment, if a bit messy at the end.
Trent Seven def Saxon Huxley
As you'd expect, Trent was very over with the crowd, right from his entrance to his work in the ring. Saxon wasn't the best worker in the world, but his look led to a few good chants, like 'Are You Jesus in Disguise?' and 'Tarzan Jesus'. It was your standard 'babyface fights from behind' match, and the fans popped big when Seven got the win.
Flash Morgan Webster def Mark Coffey (w/ Joe Coffey)
This was a fun match, Webster looked great. He really has the Mod gimmick down perfectly, and of course the in-ring work is excellent. The story of the match was that Joe Coffey would get in the way every time Webster tried one of his high-flying moves on Mark. Webster found a way to get around that (literally), which then led to the roll-up finish and the win for the babyface.
After the match, the Coffey brothers were about to double-team Webster, but out ran Mark Andrews and Travis Banks. The two heels were trapped in the ring, but managed to escape when the babyfaces tried to attack. A good post-match segment.
It was announced to the live crowd that Noam Dar would take on Zack Gibson in the main event.
Tyler Bate def Wolfgang
This was a really good back-and-forth match, both guys looked good. There was some nice comedy at the start of the match where Bate tried to overpower the Last King of Scotland but, once they got into it, it became a very physical encounter. Bate got the win after moving out of the way of the top-rope senton and hitting the Tyler Driver. Big pop for his win, and Bate celebrated with the fans.
Danny Burch def Sam Gradwell
I can't remember if Burch was advertised for the tapings, but the pop he got was definitely a shocked one. I'd never heard of Gradwell, so I was quite surprised at how competitive the match was. Gradwell showed great charisma, and the crowd had a lot of fun teasing him about his resemblance to Sheamus. Burch got control in the final third of the match and got the win with the Tower of London.
Burch cut a fantastic promo after the match, talking about how his fifteen years have led to this moment. It was a very emotional interview and he ended it by laying down a challenge to Pete Dunne. If this promo is anything to go by, they're positioning Burch as the elder statesman of the company, which is totally fine by me. Good stuff.
Main Event: Zack Gibson def Noam Dar
An absolutely brilliant match, and an excellent way to end the evening. Both guys gave it their all in the ring, and the crowd was into it all the way through. Zack Gibson is such a brilliant heel and the fans love booing him. It was a very physical bout, with Gibson working on Dar's shoulder and Dar working on his leg. A stiff bump on the outside led to the finish, where Gibson hit Dar with Helter Skelter and the three-count. The finish was botched slightly, so they redid, but it was a small hiccup in an otherwise great bout.
Overall, it was a really fun night, and the crowd went home happy. A very good first taping.
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