WWE NXT UK: Hidden Gems Review - April 30, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT UK Women's Champion Toni Storm def. Deonna Purrazzo

This was filmed during last year's Download Festival when Storm was still NXT UK Women's Champion. The timing of this airing is interesting because Purrazzo was just released from WWE two weeks ago. She was unfortunately underutilized during her time with NXT, but I was happy that she was able to showcase her skills here against one of NXT UK's finest (even though this was from a while ago). They had a fun match and the crowd was red hot for Storm throughout.

Matt Riddle def. Ligero

This was from July 2019 before or after what I assume was an NXT UK TV taping. This crowd ate up everything Riddle did, which is likely due to how he was previously a regular in PROGRESS and was a huge fan favorite during his time on the U.K. wrestling scene. Both guys were babyfaces, but it was an entertaining encounter nonetheless and Ligero looked good in defeat. This was a fun clash of styles and I love how Riddle's arsenal is so deep that he can win with a variety of moves.

NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler def. Isla Dawn

Although the outcome was never in doubt (especially with the title on the line), I thought this was a solid match. Baszler dominating a majority of it was the right call and Dawn hardly holds a candle to what Baszler can do. The crowd didn't really seem to care whenever Dawn was on offense, but at least she tried. This was easily the weakest outing of the four on this show, but seeing Baszler make a rare appearance in NXT UK was a treat.

Ilja Dragunov def. A-Kid

Both of these guys are relatively new to the NXT UK scene, so I wasn't sure how this crowd would react to them. Thankfully, they were into the action for the most part. A-Kid has had a lot of strong showings on NXT UK and this was no exception, but Dragunov is in the midst of a major push at the moment and thus he had to win here. They worked an electric pace and beat the holy hell out of each other. It was a terrific match and I honestly have no clue why it wouldn't have aired had it not been for this special edition of NXT UK. More of this, please.

Overall Show

I haven't been reviewing NXT UK lately because of how the brand ran out of original content to air (old matches have replaced the weekly show for now). However, this episode was dedicated to matches that have never been seen before. I could have done without Baszler vs. Dawn, but everything else was great and I'm glad they went to use finally. If you've been missing NXT UK during the pandemic like I have, this show is worth a watch.