NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool (January 2019)

Original Airdate: January 12, 2019

From Blackpool, Lancashire, England; Your Hosts are Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

Opening NXT UK Tag Team Title Match: Moustache Mountain v Zack Gibson and James Drake: This is a tournament final to crown the first champions. Nice looking belts, too. The Mountain have this cool British Bulldogs thing going on with their gear tonight. Tyler Bate starts with Gibson, and the crowd is hot as they feel each other out. Gibson tries to railroad him into the corner for a double team with Drake, but Bate is too quick, and he slips to the outside before they can get anything in. He tags Trent Seven on his way back in, and Drake overpowers him during the initial lockup, so Seven starts throwing chops. He grabs an armbar on his way to tagging Bate for a 2^nd rope flying somersault senton splash, so Gibson thinks fast, and pulls his partner out of the ring to break the momentum. That's some quality tag teaming! Back in, Bate runs circles around Drake during a reversal sequence, and uses a dropkick before Drake tries a blind tag. Gibson tries to sneak in, but Bate fights him off, and Seven tags back in. Criss cross sees Seven use a bodypress for two, and he grabs an armbar to try and ground Gibson, but Zack fights free, and tags. Seven fights off a double team, so they try to blind tag again, but AGAIN are outsmarted by the Mountain. Drake gets dumped to the outside for a tope, but Seven hurts himself on the landing, and the heels are finally able to sucker him into a double team as a result. They did a great job of building up to that. Back in, they cut the ring in half on Seven (3.5?), but he keeps jumping around on them, so they toss him to the outside for a cool sidewalk slam/plancha combo on the floor. That was neat! Back in, the heels go back to work, and Seven takes a rough shot to the back of the head that leaves him bleeding. A double team from the apron backfires on them, allowing Seven to make the tag, and Bate comes in hot! Bate stacks them both up for a double-airplane spin, which sends Gibson to the outside, so Bate suplexes Drake off of the apron onto him! Tyler then dives with a running shooting star press onto both guys from the apron, and he takes Gibson back in for the Tyler Driver, but Zack blocks. That brings Seven in for a running powerslam/flying headbutt combo to fully pay tribute the Bulldogs, but it only gets two. That would have been a great finish, though. Seven hits Gibson with an inverted death valley driver, but Drake dives in to break at two, and the referee is finally able to restore order, with the dust settling on Bate and Drake. They get right into a pinfall reversal sequence, and Tyler hits a koppou kick, but runs into a double-kneeling facebuster from Gibson while trying a double team. That allows Drake to nail Seven with a corner dropkick, and a brainbuster/flying 450 splash combo gets two! Drake uses an enzuigiri to set Gibson up for a hold, so Bate runs in to save, but gets trapped in a hold by Drake in the process. Yeah, great spot, but been there, done that. Bate powers to a vertical base and drops Drake onto Gibson to free Seven, and Tyler dives at both with a double koppou kick. The Mountain go for the kill on Drake, but their combo onto gets two, so Seven tells him to go to the top again. Gibson stops that from happening by pulling him to the outside in an electric chair, and Drake dives with a tope to spear Bate off of his partners' shoulders! Seven tries to respond with a tope, but Drake knocks him out of the air, and they quickly roll Trent in to finish with a tandem facebuster at 23:48! Hell of an NXT formula tag match here, with both sides working hard, and using all sorts of unique tandem moves, coupled with psychology. ****

Jordan Devlin v Finn Balor: This is scheduled as Devlin versus Travis Banks, but Travis gets hurt attacking him before the bell (as payback for an attack by Jordan earlier in the day), and can't compete. So, with Banks carried out, Devlin decides he'll just spend the time interviewing himself instead of wrestling, but here's Assistant General Manager Sid Scala to tell him not to get too comfortable, because they've got a replacement on deck. Devlin tries to get fresh with Finn at the bell, but that ends badly for him, and Balor uses the sling blade to set up the flying double stomp, but Jordan rolls to the outside before he gets squashed. He tries to take off, but Balor chases him down, and drills him with a forearm out on the floor. Finn tries to take it back in, but Devlin manages to knock him off of the apron on the way, and Balor gets rammed into it. Inside, Devlin drills him with a double stomp, but a sunset flip is countered with a seated dropkick, and Finn adds an enzuigiri. Balor goes up, but Devlin sends him crashing to the outside with a dropkick before he can dive, and Finn has to fight to beat the count in - where Jordan is waiting to put the boots to him. Devlin unloads with chops, but Balor responds in kind, and it turns into a chopfest. Devlin uses a shot to the eyes to get the better of it, and a uranage sets up a standing moonsault for two. Abdominal stretch, but Balor hiptosses him off, and slaps on his own version. 1916, but Devlin uses an enzuigiri to block, so Balor throws a pele kick to leave both men looking up at the lights. Balor recovers first and starts making a comeback, but Devlin blocks the 1916 again, this time with a knee. Finn softens him up and tries again, this time landing it, but only for two. Sling blade leads to a running dropkick, but Devlin is ready with a superkick to block, and a headbutt sets up a ripcord saito suplex for two. Devlin hammers him with punt after punt to the ribs from there, but tries one too many, and Finn catches the leg. He sweeps Jordan down for a series of stomps until Devlin bails, but Balor is hot on his tail with a kick from the apron. Back in for the flying double stomp, but Devlin dives into the ropes to block him off the top! Leveraged cradle looks to finish, but Balor is up at two! Devlin stays focused with a flying moonsault, but Finn lifts his knees to block, and plants him with a lifting DDT. Running dropkick connects, and the flying double stomp does too at 11:44. Balor seemed more invested in this than most of his recent main roster stuff. *** ¼

No Disqualification Match: Dave Mastiff v Eddie Dennis: Moustache Mountain were doing a Bulldogs thing with their gear earlier, and here's Mastiff doing a Vader thing with his. Slugfest right off the bat, and Mastiff barrels into him with a bodypress to send Dennis rolling to the outside for a breather. Mastiff is on his tail, and whips Dennis into the steps out there, then brings the furniture into the ring with him. Slowly. Slowly slowly. Dennis has enough time to find a kendo stick as Mastiff struggles with the steps, and he whacks Dave with it to turn the tide. Dennis unloads with the weapon for a bit before using a Russian legsweep for two, but Mastiff manages a headbutt, and he grabs the stick for some shots of his own. Powerbomb follows, but an attempt to drop Dennis onto the steps goes nowhere, so he tries a bodypress, but Eddie catches him in a swinging scrapbuster onto the steps for two! Dennis grabs a chair, but Mastiff ducks the swing, and uses a rolling fireman's carry slam to turn the tide. He goes up to capitalizes, but Eddie isn't battered enough, and he pulls him off with an impressive crucifix powerbomb for two. That looked tremendous. He's got a lot of strength for a guy his size. Eddie brings in a table next, but an attempt to use it doesn't work out, and Mastiff sit-down splashes him in the process. They fight out to the apron, where Mastiff tries a German suplex off, but Eddie blocks. That ends with both guys on the floor, and Mastiff uses the rolling fireman's carry onto the exposed floor, followed by a senton splash out there. Back in, Mastiff tries a slingshot moonsault, but Dennis dodges, and he uses an inverted lifting DDT for two! Eddie grabs a chair and whacks him before trying another crucifix powerbomb - this time through a table - but Mastiff slips free. That leads to them trading clotheslines, and Mastiff gets the better of it with a German suplex, then puts Eddie through the table with a somersault senton for the pin at 10:46. I could have done without all the gimmicks, but good action nonetheless. ** ½

NXT UK Women's Title Match: Rhea Ripley v Toni Storm: Not sure about Storm's new hairstyle. Toni charges at her, and shows fire as she unloads on the larger champion, but walks into a pop-up flapjack, and Rhea mounts her with blows on the mat. Tenacious Toni turns the tables, so Ripley bails, but Storm dives with a tope. Storm unloads some chops out there, but gets grabbed by the hair as she tries heading back in, and Ripley shoves her into the barricade. Back in, Ripley chucks her into the corner with two handfuls of hair, and she unloads on her there for a bit. The champ works a bodyscissors while trash talking, so Storm shifts her weight, and just starts slugging until she can get loose. That works, but Ripley immediately clobbers her after releasing the hold, and then drops her with a hanging vertical suplex for two. Pair of bodyslams follow for two, but an attempt at an inverted Texas cloverleaf gets blocked, and Ripley is forced to throw a dropkick before Storm can attack. Pair of legdrops get two, so Ripley starts hairpull slamming her around the ring, but Storm just won't stay down. Ripley decides to go in for the kill with a charge, so Storm throws a desperation headbutt, and both women are left looking up at the lights. They stagger into an extended slugfest from there, with Storm able to get the better of it with a three-alarm rolling German suplex - only for Ripley to block the third alarm. Toni tries keeping control with the tiger driver, but Ripley counters to a pumphandle-slam - only for Toni to topple her for two! That hair is looking much better now that she's sweating and it's starting to get some volume. Back to the tiger driver, but Ripley counters with a backdrop, triggering a pinfall reversal sequence. Ripley gets the better of it into the inverted Texas cloverleaf, but Toni counters to an anklelock, and the champ is in trouble! She manages to fight into the ropes to force a break, so Storm hits her with a hip attack in the corner, and uses a bridging German suplex for two. Toni unloads a flurry of fists, but Ripley smacks her down, and hits the pumphandle-slam for two. Ripley keeps coming with a series of short-arm clotheslines, but the third of them misses, and Toni lands the tiger driver... for two! Great nearfall there, I totally bought that as the finish. That leads into another Ripley-won slugfest, but an attempt at the pumphandle is countered to another tiger driver, and we have a new champion at 14:49. I get what they were going for, but they should have just ended after the first tiger driver if that was all they had for the actual finish. They weren't reinventing the wheel here, but they told an absorbing story, and it connected with the live crowd. *** ¼

Main Event: WWE United Kingdom Title Match: Pete Dunne v Joe Coffey: Lots of posturing to start, before they settle into feeling each other out. Dunne dominates on the mat, but exposes his throat while cranking on a toehold, and Coffey grabs him. Pete manages to escape and hide in the ropes before Coffey can nail him, but Joe grabs a headlock as they get back to business, using it as a setup to blast Dunne with a pair of uppercuts. Criss cross sees Pete uses a clothesline, but Coffey just keeps on running anyway, so Dunne throws a knee to get his attention. He goes to the mat with an (ugly looking) STF, but Coffey's in the ropes. Joe tries a pop-up, but Dunne grabs the arm on his way down, and starts cranking on it. Unfortunately for him, Coffey powers him up into a hanging vertical suplex, but Pete has the presence of mind to throw knees while upside-down, and he's able to latch back onto the arm before getting dropped. Coffey counters to a guillotine choke into a suplex for two, so Dunne starts throwing rights, but Coffey just casually tosses him over the top. He follows to whip Pete into the steps, but Dunne bounces back at him with an enzuigiri, so Coffey settles for a powerslam on the ramp instead. He heads back in and makes Pete fight to beat the count, which seems like kind of a risky decision, but it works for him in the end. Coffey whips Pete into the corner a few times ahead of a backbreaker/sidewalk slam combo for two, so he starts just straight up stomping on Dunne's head to get his point across. Bearhug, so Pete starts drilling him with lefts and rights, but Coffey sinks his teeth into the hold, so Dunne grabs him by the nose to force a break. That backfires when Coffey grabs an overhead suplex for two, but Dunne manages to dodge a charge in the corner, and a right hand puts Joe on his ass! Pete with an enzuigiri, but Coffey reverses a German suplex, only for Dunne to land on his feet, and roundhouse kick his challenger out of the ring! Pete follows with a moonsault press into the aisle (actually sticking the landing, unlike almost everyone else in wrestling), and the champ forces him back inside to finish. X-plex gets two, so Coffey fires back with a flying bodypress, and he quickly spears Dunne into the corner to add an avalanche. Powerbomb gets the challenger two, but an attempt at a nasty looking piledriver is escaped, so Coffey shifts to a Boston crab instead. Pete inches toward the ropes, so Coffey starts stomping his head while holding the crab, but Dunne is able to make the final lunge to force a break. He has no follow-up though, allowing Coffey to drill him with a headbutt, but Pete responds in kind. That leads to a brutal extended headbutt exchange that leaves both men down, and Dunne is able to get the better of it with a German suplex. He takes Coffey down to finish with a triangle submission, but Joe rolls it into a cradle for two, so Pete shifts to another triangle hold. Joe powers out and into a tombstone, but Dunne is able to counter to a kneebar, so Coffey counters to a German suplex to shake the little pitbull off. Great counter wrestling here. Coffey tries a spear, but Pete is ready with a knee, only to have the Bitter End blocked. Coffey tries a dive, but Dunne dodges, and lands the Bitter End on the second try, but only for two. Totally believable nearfall there, especially since we're some twenty minutes in. Coffey wisely rolls to the outside to take a break, so Dunne tries to dive with another moonsault, but Joe catches him on the apron, and spear him into the post! That allows him a crazy sitout powerbomb on the apron, and both men are left down on the outside following that meshugas. Both scramble and make it back in at the same time, and Coffey is vertical first, going right at a downed Dunne with fists and boots. Pete - tenacious as ever - fights back from a horizontal position, and actually manages to take Coffey down from there! Enzuigiri hits, but Coffey rebounds with a lariat for two, and both guys are staring up at the lights again. Coffey is up first again, but an attempt at a discus lariat backfires when Dunne catches the arm, and takes him down. Pete gets digital, but Coffey powers to a vertical base, and take the champ to the top rope for a crazy powerbomb off! The sheer power needed to pull some of these spots off is impressive. Both stagger up to a standing ovation, and it's slugfest time! Both guys throw them wild, and Dunne gets the better of it, pounding Joe onto the ropes until he simply tuckers out mid-punch! What a great bit! That allows Coffey to fire back with a big left, and he uses an electric German suplex for two! That takes a lot out of him as well, so he just goes to stomping and pounding Dunne from there, but an attempt to use Pete's own finisher on him backfires when Dunne counters to a DDT! Dunne with a proper Bitter End, but he's so battered that Coffey is able to roll out to the apron before a cover is made. Joe drills him with a discus lariat from the apron when Pete goes after him, and he drags the champ to the top rope from out there, but loses his footing, and takes a spill down to the floor while trying to execute a move! Wild! Dunne goes out to drag his ass in, but Coffey is able to pop off a discus lariat on the way, and he lands a modified powerslam for two. Coffey gets himself back to the top for a dive, but Pete follows, and this time BOTH men end up taking a spill to the outside in the process! Okay, this is getting nuts. Back in, Coffey tries another discus lariat, but Dunne reverses, and uses the Bitter End... for two! Unfortunately for Joe, Pete is ready for the kickout, and he uses Coffey's own momentum to trap him in a submission at 34:14! Wow! Crazy match here, filled with the types of spots that used to only exist in action figure promotions. And then, afterwards, WALTER makes his surprise debut - killing Coffey on his way in to having a stare down with the champ to close the show. **** ½

BUExperience: Not even a weak spot to be found here. Exactly what I want out of a wrestling show.

*****