WWE NXT UK Review - April 21, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Sam Gradwell def. Kenny Williams in a Back Alley Brawl

I don't know if the Gradwell vs. Williams feud has been serious enough to warrant a No Disqualification-esque match, but we don't see gimmick matches like this that often on this show, so I didn't have an issue with it, mostly because it ended up being enjoyable. Gradwell has really come into his own as babyface and Williams plays the chickenshit heel role well. My only gripe with this matchup was that the masked figure was shown multiple times, which pretty much telegraphed the finish. Why not save that for the very end? I assume it's Williams' former partner Amir Jordan under the mask, but who knows.

Emilia McKenzie def. Stevie Turner

McKenzie's winning ways as of late have been noticeable and the commentators have been picking up on it as well. Turner is more established than your average jobber in this division, so McKenzie beating her here was impressive. I assume they're building toward her challenging her mentor Meiko Satomura for the NXT UK Women's Championship soon. As a match, this was decent enough for the time it was allotted.

Moustache Mountain def. Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter in a 2-Out-of-3 Falls Match

I can't remember the two-out-of-three falls match we got on NXT UK, if ever. They were an NXT specialty for many years before the relaunch last year. These two teams were perfect for it as they told a terrific story and kept things entertaining and engaging the entire time. Smith and Carter haven't been positioned as serious contenders to the tag titles up until recently, so this was a standout performance from them specifically since we already know what Moustache Mountain are capable of. Trent Seven cheating to win while Tyler Bate looked on unapprovingly was interesting. This should have been the blow-off to this feud, but could we see yet another rematch between these teams since Smith and Carter again didn't lose decisively?

Overall Show

We got not one but two stipulation matches on this show, automatically making it an above-average edition of NXT UK. That's in addition to the women's match in the middle being solid. I've complained for weeks (maybe months) about the brand lacking excitement lately, and while I maintain that's currently the case, this week's well-structured episode was a nice break from the norm. Two thumbs up for this one.

SEE MORE: NXT UK Reviews